Today there are many brands of molasses on the market, available both in bottles and jars, offering flavors from mild and sweet to thick and intense with burnt bitter edges. Color varies from golden to light brown to deep, deep brown with a thick viscosity.In the end, though, it is the commercial cooking time that burns the sugar cane juice and determines the coloring.
Here's how it works: When sugar cane juice is "burned" commercially, the result of the first boiling is called first molasses, which has the highest sugar content and is light brown or golden in color.
The second molasses is created from the next boiling and has a slightly bitter tinge to its taste and a darker hue.
The third molasses is known as blackstrap molasses, which today is a staple item in health food stores, though it's often used as cattle feed. The dark-brown syrup boasts a burnished flavor and is a good source of iron, copper, potassium and magnesium as well as vitamin B6 and selenium.
Today I keep all three types in my kitchen, favoring first and second molasses for their tawny elegance and sweet edge. On cold days a generous tablespoon or two of blackstrap molasses bolsters the morning oatmeal, and later in the day I often stir a dab into a cup of hot water and sip, appreciating its nutrients.
For a midafternoon snack, I drizzle a corn muffin or a wedge of flat bread with a tablespoon or so of an elegant golden molasses, and savor my treat with a cup of hot tea.
But there are no rules: Choose whatever molasses is available or that you prefer.
JOYCE WHITE
