The ingredient: ham

Did you know?

• Curing started as a way of preserving pork. These days, curing is just for flavor, so less salt is needed in the brining process (making reduced-sodium hams possible). The typical grocery-store ham has been wet cured, which means treated with brine and then sometimes smoked to add flavor. (Avoid "water-added" hams, because they are of lesser quality.)
• A ham is a cut from the hind leg of a pig, and you can buy it whole or in halves. When you're buying a half ham, you can choose the shank end—easier to carve—or the sirloin (butt) end, which is meatier.
• A fully cooked ham is the most popular choice for baking. It can be bone-in—some say the bone imparts flavor—or boneless, for simpler carving and cleanup. The ham just needs to be heated to an internal temperature of about 140°F. To avoid drying it out, shorten the time in the oven by letting the ham come to room temperature for about 1½ hours before it goes in, and add a tent of foil when baking.
• Ham labeled "extra lean" is a great source of low-cal protein, but even regular ham isn't that bad for you: Since the meat comes from the well-muscled leg of the pig, it's surprisingly low in fat, and a serving of regular ham has only 151 calories. Just trim off any fatty edges before eating. Plus, like all pork, ham is a good source of B vitamins, including vitamin B6, riboflavin, niacin and thiamin (which plays a key role in the metabolism of nutrients).