Why it works: Meat and ham are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,095 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓
Bouillon
Ingredients
Directions
Make the broth
Simmer the corn, herbs, and calf's foot in water for 5 to 6 hours.
To enhance flavor, add a small ham to the pot when first adding water and boil for 3.5 to 4 hours.
Let the soup sit overnight to remove excess fat before serving.
Use the broth
Use this broth as a base for richer soups and gravies.
For a consommé, pour the broth over fresh meat instead of water.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Meat + hamtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,095 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Veal + hamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,264 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Corn + meattop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together414 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Meat + vealtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,890 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Corn + vealtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together247 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
- Calf's foot
- Adds gelatin, giving the broth body and a richer mouthfeel.
- Fresh meat
- Adds meaty flavor when used to make a consommé.
- Ham
- Adds savory, smoky flavor to the broth.
- Savory herbs
- Infuse the broth with aromatic flavor during simmering.
The step that matters
Let the soup sit overnight to remove excess fat before serving.. Fat is less dense than cold liquid and rises to the surface as it cools, so chilling overnight lets it solidify and be lifted off cleanly.
“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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