Why it works: Ham and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 23% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,058 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Potted Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Make the paste
Combine the lean and fat ham in a bowl.
Process until you have a smooth paste.
Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
Heat the mixture thoroughly.
Pot
Pack the mixture firmly into small pots.
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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Ham + peppertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,058 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lean ham
- Provides the main meaty body and savoury flavour of the paste.
- Fat ham
- Adds richness and moisture, giving the paste a softer, smoother mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Pack the mixture firmly into small pots. Firm packing pushes out trapped air pockets, so the paste holds together, sets with an even surface, and keeps better in the pot.
“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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