Why it works: Veal and ham are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,264 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Veal Loaf
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make and bake the loaf
In a large bowl, mix together the chopped veal, eggs, cold water, chopped ham, cracker crumbs, pepper, and salt until well combined.
Form the mixture into a loaf shape and place it in a baking dish.
Bake for 2½ hours or until cooked through.
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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Veal + hamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,264 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Egg + hamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Veal + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,049 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Ham + peppertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,058 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Veal + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,845 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
- Chopped veal
- Forms the main body of the loaf and provides the meaty texture.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture so the loaf holds its shape when sliced.
- Cracker crumbs
- Absorb moisture and help the loaf hold together while baking.
- Chopped ham
- Adds savory flavor and some fat to the loaf.
- Cold water
- Adds moisture to keep the loaf from drying out during baking.
The step that matters
Bake until cooked through. Ground or chopped meat must reach a safe internal temperature throughout. Baking for the full time at 350°F helps the centre cook fully, while the eggs and crumbs set the loaf's structure.
“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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