The Mess-Free Way To Melt Marshmallows In The Microwave

Marshmallows are the sweet, textural wonderland that lend an added dimension to any dessert you choose to add them to. Heat one correctly, and a marshmallow's pillowy softness becomes gooey before turning into a luxurious paste. While it's difficult to go wrong with marshmallows, how you melt them should depend on how you plan to use them in your recipe.

For all their sweet versatility, marshmallows are delicate; they can quickly dehydrate and caramelize their sugars when overheated, turning into a dry, unworkable lump. To avoid that, any process of melting marshmallows should be undertaken with a watchful eye and only for a few seconds of gentle heat. This is especially true when subjecting these air-filled confections to a microwave's highly dehydrating heating process.

Add a few teaspoons of water to the marshmallows before microwaving to ensure you get a smooth, workable paste instead of a burnt, goopy mess. You'll still have to check every few seconds and stir the mixture to ensure even heating. Most importantly, the melted mixture (due to its high sugar content) will be extremely hot, so be careful! Fortunately, the entire process doesn't take long, and you can always sink your teeth into a few fluffy pieces while you wait for the rest to melt.

Gone are the days when marshmallows were made with plant sap. Nowadays, the main ingredients typically include sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, and water — all of which are highly susceptible to heat and dehydration. This causes a marshmallow's consistency to rapidly change when microwaved; it may even pop, covering the insides of your appliance in sticky, burnt sugar.

To avoid all that grief — not to mention a laborious kitchen cleanup — add a few teaspoons of water in a bowl with the marshmallows. Microwave for about 10 seconds, stir the mixture, and repeat. The water ensures the marshmallows don't dehydrate too much, and gives the sugar a medium to melt into. Frequent stirring also helps avoid burnt sections, and you will soon have a homogeneous marshmallow paste ready to be used as you like. Feel free to dip a Rice Krispy treat into it, but as tempting as it may be, hold off sticking your finger into the marshmallow paste — the viscous, sugary mix holds heat for a long time.

Finally, adjust the water and heating interval according to the number of marshmallows you're melting. Ten seconds is the longest you should heat the mixture at a stretch, and if you're only doing a few pieces or are in any doubt, shorten the intervals by a few seconds. The process may take a little longer, but there's really no way to salvage burnt marshmallows, so it's worth the extra effort.

To better control heat distribution — and, therefore, the melting process — you can place your marshmallows in a wide pan along with some water on the stovetop and turn it to low heat. Stir constantly, and in a few minutes, you will find the marshmallows melting. This method, though slower (it'll take anywhere between 5-10 minutes of stirring), offers consistent results. And speaking of consistency, you can easily adjust the amount of water to get the desired viscosity of melted marshmallows.

Though not strictly necessary, you can use a double boiler to control the heating even more tightly and avoid any chance of burning. This method is more suited to melting your marshmallows in butter or milk when you want to incorporate additional flavors like chocolate or peanut butter. The soft heat from the double boiler (along with regular whisking) will ensure the ingredients mix together to form a luscious paste. You can either use this as a dip, or stir in anything from almonds and cereal to popcorn and pretzel bits to make crunchy bars. Alternatively, let the mixture cool, and blend it with whipped cream to make mousse or a fluffy tart filling.

Finally, for that classic campfire marshmallow — the one that's browned on top and melty from within — head to your grill. Remember to place the marshmallow on your chosen biscuit before placing it under the heat, and use a baking sheet to catch any stray bits of molten marshmallow.