Scoring Ham

The Benefits of Scoring Other Foods

Although ham is a prime target for scoring, lots of different foods can benefit from scoring.

For fatty meats, scoring helps release some of the fat while the meat cooks.

Duck is known for being very fatty, scoring can help alleviate some grease.

For fish, scoring prevents the skin from curling when it hits the heat from the skillet or grill. Only the skin side(s) of a fish are scored.

For flat tougher cuts of red meats, like flank and hanger steaks, scoring helps to tenderize these tougher cuts.

Squid steaks are often found scored to better absorb some flavor and look prettier.

For larger vegetables with tougher skins, scoring allows seasonings and marinades to be more easily absorbed through the skin.

Any glaze or marinade will sink further into its subject and produce more intense flavor if it is scored first.

After scoring, try placing some bits of seasonings into the new crevices for even more flavor.
For instance, garlic and herbs into meats and cloves into hams.

Scoring Ham

Additional Information

To find out how long ham lasts, see our ham page.

For help cooking a ham, see our how to cook a ham post.

To find out how much ham to buy, see our ham per person post.