Why it works: Carrot and tomato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,606 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Baked Ham
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a good oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the ham
Soak the ham.
Wash the ham.
Parboil the ham for 12 minutes per pound.
Remove the skin from the ham.
Rub flour into the ham to staunch the juices.
Bake
Place the ham in a 400°F (200°C) oven.
Add the sliced onion, minced carrot, and minced tomato around the meat.
Pour in ½ cup of hot water to prevent burning.
Cover the ham closely.
Bake for 12 minutes per pound.
Baste four times with wine.
Baste four times with pan gravy.
Once done, sprinkle thickly with browned cracker crumbs.
Leave in the oven until firm and evenly colored.
Finish the gravy
Strain the gravy.
Thicken the gravy with browned flour.
Reserve pan-liquor for another dish if serving cold.
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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Carrot + tomatotop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,606 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + carrottop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together21,601 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Carrot + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,029 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Ham + sherrytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together377 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ham
- Is the main cut that is cooked, with its fat and juices basting the dish as it bakes.
- Madeira or sherry or other pale wine
- Adds acidity and aroma to the basting liquid, building flavor in the pan gravy.
- Browned flour
- Thickens the pan gravy so it coats the ham and serving spoon.
- Cracker crumbs
- Form a browned, crisp crust on the outside of the ham as they toast in the oven.
- Onion
- Sweetens and deepens the flavor of the pan liquid as it cooks down.
The step that matters
Covering and basting the ham. Covering keeps the meat moist while it heats through, and regular basting returns juices to the surface. Skipping either can dry the ham or leave the surface pale.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ham, onion, carrot, sherry, flour):
- Turnipfits better
- Leekfits better
- Parsnipfits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against ham, onion, carrot, sherry, flour. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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