Why it works: Sugar and molasses 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 ↓
Molasses Candy
Ingredients
Directions
Make the candy
Combine brown sugar, molasses, and vinegar in a kettle.
Bring to a boil, skimming and straining as needed.
Continue boiling until a drop in cold water becomes brittle.
Shape and pull
Pour the mixture onto a greased platter.
Once cool enough, pull and work the edges.
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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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Molasses + vinegartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,253 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
- Brown sugar
- Provides sweetness and dissolves to form the candy's base.
- Orleans molasses
- Adds deep flavor and moisture, and its sugars help the candy set firm.
- Sharp vinegar
- Adds acidity that balances the sweetness and helps prevent sugar crystallizing.
The step that matters
Boiling until a drop in cold water becomes brittle. Sugar candy sets according to how much water has boiled off and how concentrated the sugar becomes. Stopping too early leaves it sticky and soft, while boiling too long makes it hard and brittle once cooled.
“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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