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Heated debate with my aunt over whether molasses belongs in baked beans or not
She says it's a Northern thing that ruins the dish, I say it's the authentic way from old New England cookbooks like the one from 1863 I found at a yard sale, so which side is actually correct about the original recipe?
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grant.richard4mo ago
My grandfather used to make beans with molasses and a splash of coffee leftover from breakfast. He was from Vermont and swore that's how his grandmother did it back in the 1800s. The whole pot would sit on the woodstove all day and the brown sugar version never came close. Have you tried making both and doing a blind taste test with your aunt?
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lee_grant974mo ago
Hold on, a blind taste test with your aunt over beans simmering for hours on a woodstove... that's a whole lot of commitment for a side dish. I mean, are you two really going to stand there with little spoons and scorecards, debating the merits of molasses versus brown sugar like it's a wine tasting? And let's be real, your grandfather's coffee splash probably tasted like day-old diner brew, not some artisanal pour-over... I just can't see the outcome changing anyone's mind enough to justify that level of effort.
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jake_hall883mo ago
Leapfrogging the whole taste test debate, I gotta ask @grant.richard if the coffee was just a flavor thing or maybe a practical trick. Back then before refrigerators, a day-old coffee splash might have helped cut the sweetness and keep the beans from spoiling as fast sitting out on the stove all day. The acid in the coffee could break down the beans' tough skin too, making them creamier without needing to soak them forever. So maybe your grandmother wasn't just adding a random leftover, she was using what worked for storage and texture. That's a whole different angle than just swapping sweeteners, right?
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