Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Eggs, Scrambled, and Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Make the scrambled eggs
Melt the butter in a stewpan.
Add the ham and heat gradually in the butter.
Beat the eggs, add the milk, and season with salt and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture into the stewpan and stir until the eggs begin to set.
Serve
Prepare the hot toast and pile the scrambled eggs on top.
Serve immediately.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Ham + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,475 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Ham + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set into soft curds that form the body of the dish.
- Butter
- Adds richness and keeps the eggs from sticking while they cook gently.
- Milk
- Loosens the egg mixture so the scrambled eggs stay tender and moist.
- Ham
- Adds savoury flavour and salt-cured taste to the eggs.
The step that matters
Stir the eggs as they begin to set. Egg proteins set quickly over moderate heat. Stirring keeps curds small and soft, while leaving them still causes rubbery, overcooked patches.
“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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