Right now, thousands of people are warming up around a fire, sitting around a bonfire on the beach, throwing pine cones on the fire in a forest or protecting a small fire in their driveway from the wind. Any of them would be happier if they could hold a marshmallow on a stick.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Roasting a Marshmallow
Step 1. Prepare a bonfire
Ideally, you should light it an hour early to give yourself plenty of time to get perfect embers. There are three main elements to starting a good camping fire (plus a safe fire pit and a way to light it, of course):
- A pile of dry bait, such as paper, grass, lint, or charred paper. If you haven't brought this material with you and the weather is humid, pick up pine cones or grab some shavings from the inside of a broken log.
- Small twigs to use as a bait. Build the pile of wood gradually from the inside out and from the small branches to the larger ones, leaving plenty of space between each element.
- Dry branches as large as a forearm to be added gradually as the fire stabilizes.
Step 2. Choose the sticks
They should be pointed and as long as an adult's arm. Try one of these solutions:
- Metal stakes or skewers. They can become hot to the touch, so choose very long models or models with a wooden handle.
- Wood sticks without sap and carved to create a tip.
- Commercial skewers specific for marshmallows.
Step 3. Stick a candy into the stick
Make sure you go through it completely to prevent it from slipping. If the marshmallow slides easily along the stick, avoid tilting the stick with the tip towards the fire.
You can skewer several treats at a time, but it's easier to get a perfectly toasted surface if you only roast one
Step 4. Roast the marshmallow over hot coals
Once the fire has burned for a while, some of the wood should have turned into glowing embers. The area just above these pieces is perfect for toasting treats. The heat of this makeshift "oven" perfectly caramelizes the sugar and there are no sudden flames that will ruin its chewy texture.
Step 5. Rotate the stick gradually
Turn it so that the heat can toast the entire surface evenly. You should notice that the outside of the marshmallow turns brown as you cook it. You can constantly rotate it until it's all brownish or cook one area at a time.
Sometimes, the marshmallow goes limp and doesn't follow the twisting motion of the skewer. Try to stabilize it or lift it with another stick to solve the problem
Step 6. Expect to get only a lump of charcoal if you put the marshmallow directly into the fire
If you try to cook it by putting it in flames, know that it will catch fire. You can blow it out by blowing, but the treat will be covered in a black, bitter, charred layer. Unless you like well-roasted foods, avoid this method.
Never shake the stick or shake it violently when the candy catches fire. Trivial as it may sound, melted and burning marshmallows cause very painful burns
Step 7. Be very careful when holding the cake over the bonfire
Unlike coal which radiates only heat, flames also emit a stream of hot gases upwards. This second type of heat transmission (called convection) will make marshmallows burn much faster; so even if the live fire is far below the sweet, you may still end up with a piece that is half burned or on fire. It is generally worth waiting a couple of minutes more to get it cooked on the embers.
Step 8. Eat the candy
Some like to taste the crunchy, brown outer layer first and then devour the chewy heart. If your marshmallow is accidentally burned, you can peel off the charred surface and throw it into the flames. Obviously, your friends will have had time to gobble up all the marshmallows in the family pack before you've finished "cleaning up" the scorched one.
Warning: the marshmallow is very hot. Wait at least 30-60 seconds after taking it off the heat
Part 2 of 2: Variants and other Recipes
Step 1. Roast the marshmallows under the grill
Perhaps European aristocrats have a fireplace in every room just to be able to eat marshmallows whenever they feel like it. However, in the homes of ordinary people, where central heating is king, you will have to be content with using the grill that is in the kitchen oven. Arrange some marshmallows in a single layer on a tin lined with aluminum foil. Place the pan on the center shelf of the oven, under the grill and carefully monitor the cooking. When the treats are golden - within a minute or two - turn them over with a spatula and toast them on the other side.
Move the pan to the top shelf if the marshmallows aren't roasting
Step 2. Roast them on the gas stove
This method allows you to enjoy the fun of holding sweets on a stick, but it has its drawbacks. It will be difficult to get even cooking, and if you overdo it, the melting sugar may fall on the stove. Keep the marshmallows on the edge of the flame and prevent them from dripping onto the trigger or other mechanisms.
You can use a fork to support them, but be aware that it may blacken and become too hot. Before putting it in your mouth, remember that it is hot
Step 3. Prepare the S'mores
This classic dessert is a favorite of US kids and is super easy to cook:
- Separate a square of graham crackers the size of a marshmallow. Alternatively, you can use another dry, crunchy biscuit.
- Cover it with a square of chocolate.
- Place a freshly toasted marshmallow on top of the chocolate.
- Press a second piece of graham cracker, squeezing the hot marshmallow down. In this way, you partially melt the chocolate and make the dessert a racy and irresistible delicacy.
Step 4. Make a banana "boat"
This is another weird recipe for enjoying marshmallows:
- Make a long incision in the peel of a banana;
- It digs a "ditch" in the pulp of the fruit along the entire incision;
- Fill it with mini marshmallows and pieces of chocolate;
- Wrap the banana in aluminum foil and place it in the embers of a bonfire, on the barbecue or in the oven at 150 ° C;
- Cook the fruit for 5-15 minutes, checking it often. The longer you wait, the more brown and caramelized the pulp will turn.
Step 5. Put the marshmallows in hot chocolate or dessert
If you've always thought ordinary marshmallows were gluttony with chocolate, you'll need to bounce back after trying the same recipe with roasted ones. They also go perfectly with ice cream or smoothies, especially those with vanilla or chocolate.
Advice
- If you burn marshmallows on your first attempts, don't throw them away. You can still eat them, just scrape or discard the outside. Keep trying, one mistake doesn't mean the end of your marshmallow career.
- If you have any hesitation about sticking a marshmallow to roast onto a stick that has been lying on the ground for a long time, move the stick over the fire for a few seconds. This way, you get rid of most of the residues and many germs. Just clean it from the ash and put the candy in it.
- By using a green or live sprig you prevent the stick from catching fire before the marshmallow is ready. Generally, you can find it on the ground - remember that it is forbidden to break it from trees in most campsites and public parks.
Warnings
- Always monitor the children when they are around the bonfire.
- In some areas it is forbidden to collect wood. In this case, bring both the fire and roasting sticks from home.
- Keep the bonfire covered and under control. Bury it with earth before you go to sleep or leave.
- If you leave a flammable stick dangling on the edge to roast marshmallows without any supervision, you can start a fire.
