Why it works: Molasses and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Pop Corn Bales
Ingredients
Directions
Boil four cups of New Orleans molasses until it strings or settles in cold water, then add a little baking soda and stir.
Mix the boiled molasses with an even dishpanful of popcorn thoroughly.
Grease hands, shape the mixture into balls, and wrap each with waxed paper.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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. See the original page.
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.
-
Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Provides the sweetness, chewy binding and dark colour that hold the popcorn together.
- Baking soda (in the method)
- Reacts with the hot molasses to lighten its texture and make it less dense.
- Popcorn (in the method)
- Forms the bulk of the bales, giving a light, crisp body bound by the molasses.
The step that matters
Boil the molasses to the strings or settles stage. Boiling drives off water and concentrates sugars, so the molasses sets firm enough to hold the popcorn. Under-boiled molasses stays sticky and makes bales that collapse; over-boiled molasses turns brittle and hard.
“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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