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 ↓
Butter-scotch
Ingredients
Directions
In a saucepan, combine molasses, brown sugar, butter, and vinegar.
Boil the mixture until it hardens in water.
Remove from heat and stir in a pinch of baking soda.
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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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).
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Butter + vinegartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
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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
- Molasses
- Adds dark color, deep flavor, and sweetness.
- Brown sugar
- Provides sweetness and the sugar that sets into the candy's firm texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a rich flavor and a smooth, tender bite.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that softens the candy and helps prevent sugar crystals from forming.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid to foam, lightening the candy's texture.
The step that matters
Boiling until it hardens in water. The candy's final texture depends on how far the sugar concentration rises. Stopping too early leaves it sticky, while cooking too long can scorch the sugars and make the candy bitter.
“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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