Why it works: Pork and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 27% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,187 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Leg of Pork, to Boil
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Soak the leg of pork in cold water for 30 minutes to whiten it.
Boil
Weigh the pork and boil it for 15 minutes per pound, plus an additional 30 minutes.
Skim the surface as soon as it starts boiling and continue to skim frequently.
Ensure there is enough water to cover the pork.
Optionally, boil the pork in a floured cloth for a delicate appearance.
Serve
Serve with pea pudding and turnips.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Pork + flourtop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,187 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Pork and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,187 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Leg of pork
- Main protein; gentle simmering softens its connective tissue and keeps the meat moist.
The step that matters
Skim the surface as soon as it starts boiling. Foam and scum rising from the meat contain coagulated proteins and fat. Removing them early keeps the cooking liquid clear and the meat's flavor and appearance clean.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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