Candy Shock
A well-recognized taste in gingerbread and pecan pie, molasses is a byproduct of sugar-making: When sugarcane or sugar beets are boiled to isolate their solids (that are made into sugar), molasses is the thick, syrupy liquid that’s left behind. Relying on what number of occasions it’s boiled (and the way a lot sugar is extracted), molasses will differ in colour, taste, and dietary content material.
Sugar Spectrum
Mild molasses, the results of the primary boiling cycle, is mild in colour and incorporates probably the most sugar. Darkish or medium molasses (additionally referred to as strong), from the second cycle, is darker and fewer candy. The third cycle produces blackstrap molasses. Viscous and barely bitter, it’s wealthy in calcium, magnesium, and different minerals: Ounce for ounce, blackstrap molasses incorporates extra iron than steak.
Procuring and Storage
In addition to the three sorts of molasses, you may also see sulfured and unsulfured choices at your grocery retailer. Sulfur is usually added as a preservative, however it modifications the colour and mutes the sweetness of the syrup and isn’t actually essential. Molasses is of course antimicrobial, so even unsulfured varieties will maintain in a cool, darkish pantry for a number of years.
This text initially appeared as “Molasses” within the December 2022 subject of Expertise Life.
