Why it works: Vinegar and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 23% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 13,513 recipes. Both carry isoamyl acetate, which smells banana, pear. The science ↓
Molasses Taffy
Ingredients
Directions
Boil the molasses in a pot for 20 minutes.
Stir in the baking soda and boil for an additional 15 minutes, until a drop in cold water is brittle. Stir constantly to prevent scorching.
Once done, add the vinegar and pour into buttered pans, or pull to a light brown.
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.
-
Vinegar + buttertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
-
Molasses + vinegartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,253 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Molasses + buttertop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,123 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 main body, dark color and deep sweetness of the taffy.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the hot molasses to create gas bubbles, lightening the texture of the taffy.
- Vinegar
- Adds a touch of acidity that balances the sweetness of the molasses.
The step that matters
Stir constantly while boiling. Molasses is high in sugar and scorches easily on the bottom of the pot, which gives a burnt, bitter flavor. Constant stirring spreads the heat evenly and keeps the mixture from sticking and burning as it thickens.
“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.
You might also like
Molasses Cookies96 recipes
Molasses Cake90 recipes
Molasses Sponge Cake9 recipes
White Cake431 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.