The holiday centerpiece

Food expert Sheila Lukins serves up ham hints to make a winning Easter celebration.
DES MOINES, Iowa - Easter conjures up images of baskets, bunnies, egg hunts and a holiday favorite - ham. However, while ham is the star of the Easter feast for more than two-thirds of Americans, almost 50 percent admit they need some help picking the perfect ham, according to a new survey* by the National Pork Board.
"The meat case may seem a bit intimidating, but once you learn the basic language and know what to look for, selecting the ham that best fits you and your guests' tastes and preferences is easy," says Parade food editor and cookbook author, Sheila Lukins.
Going on the Easter ham hunt
To help cooks everywhere - from amateur to aficionado - Lukins shares key ham hints for getting acquainted with the varieties available in the meat case.
1. Start by choosing between boneless or bone-in ham.
All varieties of ham are either bone-in or boneless. While bone-in hams are traditionally seen as more elegant and boneless considered easier to serve, both have the same mouth-watering taste. Bone-in hams are available in a variety of shapes - whole or as a shank or butt half - and typically serve two to three people per pound. Boneless hams, recognizable by label and heavy plastic or foil wrapping, keep for several weeks in their original packaging in the refrigerator. A boneless ham will yield roughly four to five servings per pound.
2. Next up, select a cooked or uncooked ham.
Almost all hams come fully cooked, as noted on the label. If desired, cooked hams can be served directly from the refrigerator without heating. To serve hot, simply unwrap and heat to an internal temperature of 140 degrees. Uncooked hams should be heated to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Uncooked hams typically require 20-30 minutes per pound at 350 degrees to heat.
3. Finally, pick from dry or wet-cured ham.
Hams are labeled according to the amount of water added to them during curing, which is a simple process of preserving meat. Hams are either dry- cured with salt and spices rubbed into the meat's surface, or wet-cured with a brine solution. Lukins notes that dry-curing is often used for country-style and specialty hams, while wet-cured hams are a favorite choice for dinnertime centerpieces to everyday sandwiches.