Wilderness is nice, but hands down, the number one reason to go camping is to incinerate food over a fiery pit. Everything tastes better when it’s burned over flames, especially marshmallows. But before you dip your ‘mallow-tipped toasting fork in the campfire, here are a few things you should know:
Marshmallows are sugary gas bags
Marshmallows are mainly sugar, but air actually makes up more than half their volume. They’re made by beating together gelatin or another gel-forming ingredient with a hot sugary syrup. Beating the mixture creates air bubbles, which become trapped as the liquid mixture cools into a gel — creating the spongy texture.
Those bubbles are why Peeps explode in the microwave, and flaming marshmallows swell on the end of a toasting fork. Hotter temperatures makes the air trapped inside the marshmallow expand and take up more space, forcing the flexible sugary mixture to stretch. Eventually, if the pressure is too much? Kaboom.
But take the marshmallow out of the heat, and it’ll deflate — although the stretched out gelatin doesn’t bounce back. “It shrinks to a shriveled mass,” Richard Hartel, a food scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tells The Verge in an email. “Don't get me started on Peeps jousting.”
The best marshmallow is a burnt marshmallow
Well, maybe not burnt — but definitely toasted. Heating the marshmallow over the fire can make the sugar caramelize, a chemical reaction that produces the brown color and toasted flavor. It requires really high temperatures, so microwaving your marshmallow isn’t going to cut it.
“Many foods don't get hot enough when they cook for caramelization (like bread),” food chemistry professor Matt Hartings at American University tells The Verge in an email. “Marshmallows certainly do over a fire.”
When the sugar gets hot enough, it starts to break down into smaller molecules that then react with one another. These reactions produce new fruity, nutty, and buttery flavors you can taste and smell on your toasted marshmallow. They also turn the marshmallow skin that satisfying golden color.
Certain sugars may also react with amino acids in the gelatin in what’s known as the Maillard reaction. It occurs at much lower temperatures than caramelization and contributes to the rich brown color and complex flavors of a seared steak, roasted coffee, or caramel candies. For marshmallows that are very slowly roasted, Hartel suspects that the Maillard reaction might be what’s producing their golden hue and general deliciousness.
Maximal goo requires patience
Marshmallows start to melt when they heat up to just above body temperature, Hartings says. But if you’re not careful, you can completely burn the outside before the inside even gets warm. The heat of the fire shakes loose the chemical bonds in the gelatin that hold the candy together, which makes the marshmallow ooze.
So, whether you prefer marshmallows golden brown or charbroiled, don’t catch them on fire immediately if you want to maximize the gooeyness. “You've gotta be patient and slow for a while (letting the meltiness reach all the way to the insides). Then,” Hartings says, “you can torch the sucker.”
FAQs
The trick to perfectly roasting a marshmallow is to pick the perfect spot in the fire pit. While the marshmallow has to be over the glowing hot coals, a small amount also has to be on the side of the flames. The hot coals give off radiant heat, and the hot gases give off convection heat.
What is the science behind toasting marshmallows? ›
When you toast marshmallows, the heat causes a chemical reaction producing water molecules, which then evaporate, leaving carbon behind (the blackened part of the roasted marshmallow).
How to perfectly roast a marshmallow? ›
The trick here is to hold it just above the flames on a continuous rotation. We want to make sure the marshmallow is evenly toasted on all sides for the perfect texture. For a more charcoaled coating place your marshmallow directly in the flames. No rotation is required as the aim is to burn that baby to a crisp.
What is the science behind the marshmallow catapult? ›
The marshmallow will have potential energy until the catapult releases, then the marshmallow will have kinetic energy as it flies through the air. Watch NASA astronaut Joe Acaba demonstrate kinetic and potential energy on the International Space Station by showing how an object's potential energy changes.
What chemical reaction happens when you roast a marshmallow? ›
The sugar molecules change into carbon. The sugar an also change into water molecules. The heat causes the marshmallow to produce water molecules when being toasted. Then later evaporate leaving behind carbon molecules.
What is the explanation of marshmallow experiment? ›
The marshmallow test is an experimental design that measures a child's ability to delay gratification. The child is given the option of waiting a bit to get their favorite treat, or if not waiting for it, receiving a less-desired treat. The minutes or seconds a child waits measures their ability to delay gratification.
What is the science behind smores? ›
Toasting a marshmallow over a flame causes a chemical reaction between the sugar and gelatin in the marshmallow, turning its outside brown and crispy. A marshmallow's melting point—the temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid—is about 45°C (113°F). So as its outside crisps, its insides become gooey.
Why are roasted marshmallows so good? ›
They often taste better- It is a known fact that if you toast marshmallows to a certain extent it leads to a reduction of nutrition as the sugars are turned to carbon. This makes them taste even better as they often caramelise.
What causes marshmallows to puff up when roasted? ›
“Water molecules start to vibrate and heat and soften the sugar matrix. Also, the air bubbles heat up and expand. Since the sugar matrix surrounding the bubbles is softened, the bubbles are allowed to expand. The marshmallow expands and puffs up,” Wright said in an email.
What is the best fuel for roasting marshmallows? ›
Propane is a healthy alkane gas that burns cleanly and won't add smoke or odor to your marshmallows. If you're concerned about chemicals, it should suffix to know that propane gas is cleaner than burning coal or firewood.
One type of catapult design utilizes a spring, which allows the launch arm to bend back and gain potential energy (i.e., stored energy). When released, this energy is converted to kinetic energy (i.e., energy due to motion), causing the launch arm and object to hurl forward.
What is the theory about marshmallow? ›
In a series of studies that began in the late 1960s and continue today, psychologist Walter Mischel, PhD, found that children who, as 4-year-olds, could resist a tempting marshmallow placed in front of them, and instead hold out for a larger reward in the future (two marshmallows), became adults who were more likely to ...
What is the science behind marshmallows? ›
A typical marshmallow contains sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin, plus some air. That's it. “A marshmallow is basically a foam that's stabilized by gelatin,” says Richard Hartel, a food engineer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In marshmallows, the foam is made up of air suspended in the liquid sugar mixture.
What is the science behind burning marshmallows? ›
Marshmallows start to melt when they heat up to just above body temperature, Hartings says. But if you're not careful, you can completely burn the outside before the inside even gets warm. The heat of the fire shakes loose the chemical bonds in the gelatin that hold the candy together, which makes the marshmallow ooze.
How does a marshmallow get toasted? ›
It's easy to toast marshmallows without a campfire. Line up marshmallows on a baking sheet and broil in the oven until the tops are toasted golden brown. Remove the tray from the oven, turn over the marshmallows, return the tray to the oven and toast that side until golden brown.
What is the science behind a marshmallow shooter? ›
What's the science behind it? This experiment focuses on the push and pull method. When students pull the balloon they are exerting an amount of force (try different amounts/speeds to see the way the marshmallow moves) and the balloon is in an essence pushing the mini marshmallow out with the force used.
Why is roasting a marshmallow radiation? ›
When hovered over the hotplate, the marshmallow became warm, but did not melt. This is an observation of radiation. The electromagnetic waves move through the air from the high energy hotplate to the lower energy marshmallow, causing it to heat up.
