When it comes to desserts, marshmallows have always been a classic among them. However, dealing with dry marshmallows is not familiar for most. The situation was the same with me a couple of years back. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to refer to good sources, and my trials gradually became successful over time. Anyway, would you like to know how to soften marshmallows? If yes, keep scrolling down.
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What Is Marshmallow?
Although this is not a question for most, I’m a person who loves to keep everything in order. So, in my books, it always starts from “A.” marshmallows are typically made of sugar, water, and gelatin, and it is a type of confectionery.
The said ingredients get whipped to a solid but soft, consistent mixture before it converts into mouthwatering marshmallows. You can eat them as they are or use them as a filling in baking.
Why Are My Marshmallows Not Melting?
Working with an easy marshmallow melting process might not be a cakewalk for most. If you come across marshmallows getting melted into gum, the main reason that I can point out is that you are using old marshmallows to melt.
If you notice any sort of dryness on the marshmallows, it says that they have started to lose the melting capability. So, why this hassle? Just say no to old marshmallows to save your time and effort.
If you have used fresh stuff and still have the same issue, then it is more to do with the brand you are using. Either they are old, or the brand you are using is not up to the mark.
How to Soften Marshmallows Fast?
People use various methods when it comes to softening marshmallows. I’ll share five of my preferred methods with you so that you have enough options to choose which one suits you the best.
In this method, it won’t take more than one minute to soften old marshmallows. So, if you are in a hurry for a soft marshmallow recipe, this could be one of the faster methods you can work with.
First, you have to take a sealable plastic bag. Then, put the marshmallows into it and seal the mouth of the bag tightly.
Now, take a bowl of hot water and place the marshmallows containing bag on the water for about one minute.
The moisture inside the bag and the heat provided from the hot water will soften the marshmallow to the state you want. But, make sure you leave no holes on the surface of the plastic bag; if not, water will creep inside and melt the marshmallow in a matter of seconds.
Talking about how to soften hard marshmallows, this is one method that has been there for generations, similar to the hot water method. In order to become successful with the “bread slices” method, you need to have time on your side.
If you have ever kept sandwiches in a plastic bag for a considerable time would know how this is going to work. Bread slices contain moisture, and over time there will be a foggy outlook inside of the bag. The same theory is applied to soften up the marshmallows.
First, take a sealable plastic bag and put a couple of bread slices into the bag. Then it’s time to marshmallows to go inside the bag. Now, seal the bag tightly and forget it for one or two days.
As I said, it does take significant time to do the job for you and would not help you with a quick homemade marshmallows recipe. Fogging from bread slices takes time to form inside the bag.
This might raise your eyebrows considering the first method we discussed. One would think that freezer can harden the marshmallows, which is correct to a certain extent.
However, the thinking process of this method is to use cold temperatures to keep the marshmallows fresh preventing hot conditions that make them go bad.
In fact, you don’t have to use a freezer; a cold and darker room also would do the same job for you. This is not rocket science, guys, and not something that is unique to marshmallows. You can apply this method to most groceries without much issue to keep them fresh.
Do you know what happens when you microwave a marshmallow or how to soften marshmallows in microwave, for that matter? Using the microwave to soften the marshmallows is the quickest of all methods, and it takes no more than a few seconds to complete the task.
Similarly, it takes just several seconds to end up with charred marshmallows. There is a very fine line between, and you should know that marshmallows don’t require much time to warm up. This is how you do it.
Place one cup of water alongside the marshmallow bowl when you insert the tray in the microwave and take it out after around ten seconds. The water (moisture) of the cup and heat inside the microwave will help you softening up marshmallows super-fast.
This particular method is more suited if you have relatively stale marshmallows with you. Slightly stale marshmallows have one major downside when it comes to softening. That is, they have a tendency to stick together when heating up, which suggests you can’t use the hot water or microwave method to do the work.
There is nothing much to do; just put the stale marshmallow into a plastic bag with powdered sugar. Give it a good shake, and you will notice well-separated marshmallows in the bag. Again, keep in mind that this particular method is for those who have stale marshmallows.
How to Keep Marshmallows Soft?
In order to keep marshmallows fresh and soft, there are two ways I can explain to you. In fact, I have discussed one of them in the previous section of this article, which is using the freezer. Anyway, let me take you through the methods in a few words.
As I said, you can use a sealable plastic bag to store marshmallows in the freezer. In order to reuse the marshmallows, just let the bag sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes; they will become edible in that time.
Similar to the fridge, keeping the marshmallows in the fridge also allows you to keep them fresh and soft. However, to get the best results, I recommend you sprinkle some sugar powder on marshmallows before putting them in the plastic bag. It will keep the marshmallows from getting stick together.
The ideology behind both methods is to avoid hot temperatures on marshmallows, and both of them will retain the edibleness of the marshmallows for more than two months if stored properly.
Else, keeping them in the dark and cool pantry also is a workable method to implement. However, marshmallows won’t have the same lifespan compared to freezers or fridges.
FAQs
How to Soften Stale Marshmallows?
Stale marshmallows are not something you need to worry about, and softening up is not a difficult task to execute. Let me elaborate on one easy method which you can do with a microwave.
First, take a bowl and put the stale marshmallows into it, and place it on a microwave-safe tray. Then, put the tray into the microwave and keep a cup full of water beside it. Finally, take the bowl out of the microwave after ten seconds and let it rest for 10 minutes before you consume.
Letting a minimum of ten seconds is crucial for marshmallows to gain the soft texture. In addition, if possible, cut the stale marshmallows into small pieces before you microwave. By doing that, you will get micro mini soft marshmallows that are pleasing to the eye.
How Do You Refresh Hard Marshmallows?
Providing heat on marshmallows will help you convert them soft and fresh. The easiest and quickest method is using the microwave, and I have mentioned how to soften marshmallows in the microwave previously in the article.
If you don’t like it that way, keep the marshmallow-containing plastic bag on the hot water. It will take about one minute for the hard marshmallows to get soft.
Do Marshmallows Go Off?
Yes and no. Confusing, isn’t it? Yes, fresh marshmallows go off over time if you don’t provide them with good storage conditions. The fluffy nature will go away, and they will become kind of hard.
However, it doesn’t necessarily say that you can’t consume such (stale) marshmallows. In fact, stale marshmallows themselves have amazing recipes. That said, the stale marshmallows look weird and slightly off when it comes to original taste; nonetheless, they are edible.
What Is The Melting Point Of Marshmallows?
98.6 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 Celsius is the melting point of marshmallows. This point is slightly higher than the body temperature and can be changed when you hold it tightly in your hand and put it into your mouth.
Conclusion
Softening up marshmallows isn’t the hardest, and there are methods that provide you soft marshmallows inside one minute. Although the stale marshmallows are perfectly ok to consume, the taste and texture would not be the same as fresh ones. However, there is no need to dump them if you notice marshmallows are hard or beyond the expiry date. I hope I made everything clear for you; if not, please use the comment section to reach me. Have a great day!
