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 ↓
Mock Mince Pies
Ingredients
Directions
Make the filling
Combine all ingredients in a large pot.
Cook over medium heat until thickened.
Cool and fill
Allow to cool before filling pie crusts.
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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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,577 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Adds dark color, deep sweetness, and moisture to the filling.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the filling taste rich and balanced.
- Raisins
- Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness throughout the filling.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth, mellow texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the sweetness and balances the molasses.
The step that matters
Cook over medium heat until thickened. Sugar and molasses scorch easily on the bottom of a pot when the heat is too high. Medium heat lets the mixture thicken evenly without burning, which would leave a bitter taste.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, sugar, vinegar, butter):
- Vanillafits about as well
- Figfits about as well
- Raisinthe original
- Applefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, sugar, vinegar, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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