Why it works: Ham and mustard work together. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 747 recipes. Both carry 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which smells popcorn, roasted. The science ↓
Baked Ham
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a rather hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Place the ham in hot water and boil slowly for 10 minutes, then pour off the water.
Glaze and bake
Sprinkle the ham with brown sugar and dry mustard.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) for 40 minutes.
Serve
If desired, fry eggs in the grease left in the pan.
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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Ham + mustardtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together747 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
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Sugar + mustardtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,424 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Ham + sugartop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,084 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ham
- The main cut, simmered first to start cooking and then baked until heated through.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and caramelizes on the surface in the oven, forming a browned glaze.
- Dry mustard
- Adds a sharp, pungent flavor that balances the sweetness of the brown sugar.
The step that matters
Baking the sugar glaze at 400°F. Brown sugar caramelizes quickly at high oven heat, so the glaze can darken or scorch over 40 minutes. Checking the surface keeps it browned rather than burnt.
“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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