Why it works: Ham and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,536 recipes. Both carry 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which smells popcorn, roasted. The science ↓
Ham, Boiled
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Soak the ham in cold water for 10 to 18 hours before cooking.
Scrape the ham with a blunt knife and place it in a large saucepan with cold water.
Simmer and finish
Simmer the ham for 3 to 5 hours, depending on its size.
Skim off the fat that rises to the top frequently.
Once done, remove the rind and sprinkle bread crumbs over the top.
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.
-
Ham + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,536 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ham
- Is the main substance, cooked slowly in water until tender throughout.
- Bread crumbs
- Sprinkled on top at the end to add a light coating and texture to the surface.
The step that matters
Skim off the fat that rises to the top frequently. Fat released during simmering floats to the surface and can make the broth greasy and cloudy. Removing it regularly keeps the cooking liquid clean and the ham's flavour clear.
“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.
More boiled ham recipes
You might also like
Brown Bread461 recipes
White Bread80 recipes
Bread Omelette60 recipes
Oatmeal Bread51 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.