How are heavenly little marshmallow treats really made, and what exactly is in there?
Is there a difference between the ones you make at home, and the Peeps you just can't
resist picking up at the store?
Join us as we find out how marshmallows are really made.
Americans do love their marshmallows.
As a nation, the National Confectioners Association says that around 90 million pounds of marshmallow
are sold every year, which is about the same weight as 1,286 gray whales.
But what exactly is in the sugary treats?
According to The American Chemical Society, the ingredients in most marshmallows are pretty
much what you'd expect.
You have your sugar, corn syrup, modified cornstarch, and gelatin.
And air is so important to the process that it's pretty much an ingredient too, because
you can't achieve that pillowy texture without it.
Some types of marshmallows might also have some coloring or flavoring added, but for
the most part, the ingredients are pretty simple.
Most of the ingredients in marshmallows are pretty well-known, but then there's gelatin.
According to the American Chemical Society, gelatin is important to the process because
it's what gives marshmallows that fluffy, elastic, squishy texture.
Food scientists say that when all the ingredients are whipped together, gelatin essentially
acts to bind liquid into the mixture.
That creates the fluffy foam that becomes your marshmallow, and it also acts to extend
the shelf life of the product.
Marshmallows can kick around in the cabinet for up to 24 months and still be perfectly
fine.
"Most of us consume gelatin everyday.
I certainly do."
As for what gelatin is, here's where things get yucky.
According to Healthline, gelatin is made by cooking collagen, which is the connective
tissue found in things like bones, ligaments, and skin.
So instead of going to waste, those parts are boiled to make gelatin.
It's high in protein and contains vital amino acids, so consider your marshmallows super
healthy.
According to How Products Are Made, there are two types of ingredients that go into
making marshmallows, and they are emulsifying agents and sweeteners.
Sweeteners, like sugar and corn syrup, provide the flavor.
Meanwhile, emulsifiers create that distinctive texture.
A marshmallow needs to be able to hold its shape while still incorporating a lot of air,
and emulsifiers are how that happens.
The whole marshmallow-making process usually starts by mixing sugar, corn syrup, and water,
then bringing it to a boil.
The gelatin is added at this point, and after the mixture is strained, it's whipped, a lot.
The whipping process is incredibly important, and at this point, the mixture will turn foamy
and double or triple in size, thanks to air, and any additional flavors are added to the
mix.
Before extrusion was added to the marshmallow-making process in the 1950s, marshmallow shaping
was done by hand.
According to The New York Times,
"A century ago, confectioners made marshmallows from a froth of sugar, starch and gelatin,
in a laborious process that involved lots of primping.
Each candy had to 'sweat' for several hours to form its delicate skin, and then it was
sprinkled with starch."
However, candy company executive, Alex Doumak, came up with the idea of treating the goopy,
raw marshmallow dough as though it was something more industrial than food, and he ultimately
developed the extrusion machine that's still used today.
Basically, the raw material gets pushed through long tubes and put under extreme pressure.
By the time it gets to the end of the machine, long whips of marshmallows have been formed.
Those are then sliced into the bite-sized chunks we know and love, in a fraction of
the time it used to take.
This clever method is sometimes dubbed jet-puffed.
Pastry chefs across the country are embracing the marshmallow as something sweet and delicious
they can put their own spin on.
As chef Peter Brett told The Washington Post,
"A homemade marshmallow is really a revelation.
[...] It's like magic, simple syrup turning into marshmallow.
[...] I always thought marshmallow was something that had to be made in 500-gallon vats in
a big factory, something very mysterious."
"Remember, marshmallows are really healthy so just a small amount of sugar."
And author Jennifer Reese told NPR,
"[T]hey just taste so much better.
They're just more delicious [...] They don't turn out to be cheaper […] but they are
better.
[...] After you have tasted a sugar-white homemade marshmallow you will not care.
Homemade marshmallows are fairy food, pillowy, quivering and soft."
According to Reese, making marshmallows at home isn't particularly difficult, but it's
not necessarily cheaper than buying the store-bought ones.
The process is much the same though, as you boil your ingredients, whip them into a foam,
then let the mixture set.
People have been enjoying marshmallows for a really long time, and it goes all the way
back to ancient Egypt.
Those original marshmallows were made differently, though.
According to ThoughtCo., honey was the original sweetener, and it was sap from the marsh-mallow
plant that was used to thicken the candies.
Marsh-mallow plants were, as their name suggests, harvested from alongside large bodies of water.
They were used well into the 19th century, when the sap was removed, cooked with egg
whites and sugar, then whipped.
These original marshmallow candies were also considered to be medicinal.
According to Medical News Today, there have been studies that seem to confirm that the
root of the marshmallow plant can be used to successfully treat coughs, chronic dry
mouth, skin irritation, and may also speed wound healing.
If only modern-day marshmallows had healing properties.
Everyone knows that there's nothing quite like a fluffernutter sandwich.
So, when it comes to marshmallow fluff, what's so different about the recipe?
According to the American Chemical Society, egg whites were previously used in most standard
marshmallow recipes, but they've since been dropped from most store-bought products.
However, egg whites are still used in marshmallow fluff, and that's what gives it that extra
gooey texture.
Marshmallow fluff was actually invented in the 1890s, and it was also originally considered
to be medicinal.
One company sang its praises as a wrinkle remover, and if you can get people to smear
marshmallow fluff on their faces, that's some brilliant marketing.
But the marshmallow fluff we know and love today is a little different, and was reportedly
developed in 1917 by Archibald Query.
It uses just four ingredients, which are dried egg whites, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla.
So now you know.
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