There are certain things we eat as kids that we don't think about too much. Jell-O, chicken nuggets, and hot dogs were probably regular parts of your childhood, and you never thought twice about how they were made. Marshmallows fall into this category as well, because they definitely don't resemble anything occurring in nature, but people love them anyway. Are you ready to find out the truth about how these crucial s'more ingredients come to be? From the origins of gelatin to the differences in homemade marshmallows, let's take a look at the truth about how marshmallows are really made.
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00:00How are the heavenly little marshmallow treats really made, and what exactly is in there?
00:06Is there a difference between the ones you make at home and the peeps you just can't
00:09resist picking up at the store?
00:11Join us as we find out how marshmallows are really made.
00:15Americans do love their marshmallows.
00:17As a nation, the National Confectioners Association says that around 90 million pounds of marshmallow
00:23are sold every year, which is about the same weight as 1,286 gray whales.
00:30But what exactly is in the sugary treats?
00:33According to the American Chemical Society, the ingredients in most marshmallows are pretty
00:37much what you'd expect.
00:39You have your sugar, corn syrup, modified cornstarch, and gelatin.
00:43And air is so important to the process that it's pretty much an ingredient, too, because
00:47you can't achieve that pillowy texture without it.
00:50Some types of marshmallows might also have some coloring or flavoring added, but for
00:54the most part, the ingredients are pretty simple.
00:58Most of the ingredients in marshmallows are pretty well-known, but then there's gelatin.
01:02According to the American Chemical Society, gelatin is important to the process because
01:07it's what gives marshmallows that fluffy, elastic, squishy texture.
01:11Food scientists say that when all the ingredients are whipped together, gelatin essentially acts
01:16to bind liquid into the mixture.
01:18It creates the fluffy foam that becomes your marshmallow, and it also acts to extend the
01:22shelf life of the product.
01:24Marshmallows can kick around in the cabinet for up to 24 months and still be perfectly
01:29fine.
01:30Most of us consume gelatin every day, I certainly do.
01:32As for what gelatin is, here's where things get yucky.
01:35According to Healthline, gelatin is made by cooking collagen, which is the connective
01:39tissue found in things like bones, ligaments, and skin.
01:43So instead of going to waste, those parts are boiled to make gelatin.
01:47It's high in protein and contains vital amino acids, so consider your marshmallows super
01:52healthy.
01:53According to how products are made, there are two types of ingredients that go into
01:57making marshmallows, and they are emulsifying agents and sweeteners.
02:01Sweeteners, like sugar and corn syrup, provide the flavor.
02:04Meanwhile, emulsifiers create that distinctive texture.
02:07A marshmallow needs to be able to hold its shape while still incorporating a lot of air,
02:12and emulsifiers are how that happens.
02:14The whole marshmallow-making process usually starts by mixing sugar, corn syrup, and water,
02:20then bringing it to a boil.
02:21The gelatin is added at this point, and after the mixture is strained, it's whipped.
02:25A lot.
02:26The whipping process is incredibly important, and at this point, the mixture will turn foamy
02:31and double or triple in size, thanks to air, and any additional flavors are added to the
02:36mix.
02:37Before extrusion was added to the marshmallow-making process in the 1950s, the marshmallow shaping
02:42was done by hand.
02:44According to the New York Times, a century ago, confectioners made marshmallows from
02:48a froth of sugar, starch, and gelatin in a laborious process that involved lots of primping.
02:54Each candy had to sweat for several hours to form its delicate skin, and then it was
02:59sprinkled with starch.
03:01However, candy company executive Alex Dumac came up with the idea of treating the goopy,
03:06raw marshmallow dough as though it was something more industrial than food, and he ultimately
03:10developed the extrusion machine that's still used today.
03:14Basically, the raw material gets pushed through long tubes and put under extreme pressure.
03:19By the time it gets to the end of the machine, long whips of marshmallows have been formed.
03:23Those are then sliced into the bite-sized chunks we know and love in a fraction of the
03:27time it used to take.
03:28This clever method is sometimes dubbed jet-puffed.
03:32Pastry chefs across the country are embracing the marshmallow as something sweet and delicious
03:36that they can put their own spin on.
03:38As chef Peter Brett told The Washington Post,
03:40A homemade marshmallow is really a revelation.
03:43It's like magic, simple syrup turning into marshmallow.
03:46I always thought marshmallow was something that had to be made in 500-gallon vats in
03:50a big factory, something very mysterious.
03:53Remember, marshmallows are really healthy, so just a small amount of sugar."
03:56And author Jennifer Rees told NPR,
03:58"...they just taste so much better.
04:00They're just more delicious.
04:02They don't turn out to be cheaper, but they are better.
04:04After you have tasted a sugar-white homemade marshmallow, you will not care.
04:08Homemade marshmallows are fairy food, pillowy, quivering, and soft."
04:12According to Rees, making marshmallows at home isn't particularly difficult, but it's
04:17not necessarily cheaper than buying the store-bought ones.
04:20The process is much the same, though, as you boil your ingredients, whip them into a foam,
04:25and let the mixture set.
04:26People have been enjoying marshmallows for a really long time, and it goes all the way
04:30back to ancient Egypt.
04:32Those original marshmallows were made differently, though.
04:34According to ThoughtCo, honey was the original sweetener, and it was sap from the marshmallow
04:39plant that was used to thicken the candies.
04:42Marshmallow plants were, as their name suggests, harvested from alongside large bodies of water.
04:47They were used well into the 19th century, when the sap was removed, cooked with egg
04:51whites and sugar, then whipped.
04:54These original marshmallow candies were also considered to be medicinal.
04:57According to Medical News Today, there have been studies that seem to confirm that the
05:00root of the marshmallow plant can be used to successfully treat coughs, chronic dry
05:05mouth, skin irritation, and may also speed wound healing.
05:08If only modern-day marshmallows had healing properties, everyone knows that there's nothing
05:13quite like a Fluffernutter sandwich.
05:15So when it comes to marshmallow fluff, what's so different about the recipe?
05:20According to the American Chemical Society, egg whites were previously used in most standard
05:24marshmallow recipes, but they've since been dropped from most store-bought products.
05:28Today, however, egg whites are still used in marshmallow fluff, and that's what gives
05:32it that extra gooey texture.
05:34Marshmallow fluff was actually invented in the 1890s, and it was also originally considered
05:39to be medicinal.
05:40One company sang its praises as a wrinkle remover, and if you can get people to smear
05:44marshmallow fluff on their faces, that's some brilliant marketing.
05:48But the marshmallow fluff we know and love today is a little different, and was reportedly
05:52developed in 1917 by Archibald Query.
05:56It uses just four ingredients, which are dried egg whites, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla.
06:01So now you know.