Can You Toast Marshmallows Over A Candle?

on September 14, 2022

It is traditional to toast marshmallows in front of a fire on a stick and many people love to do it when they are away camping or even at home in front of an open fire. However, if you don’t have the luxury of an open fire in your house you may be wondering whether you can toast marshmallows over a candle.

Toasting marshmallows over candles is possible provided that the candle that you use is non-toxic and unscented because the flavor of the marshmallow can be tainted by the candle if you are not careful. Ideally, you should be using traditional beeswax candles or white church candles at they are both unscented and contain do not toxic chemicals.

To toast the marshmallows is a simple process that is generally recommended that you go indoors with candles to avoid any wind. The candle should ideally be placed on a chopping board or something of that nature to avoid any mess either from the marshmallow itself or from the candle.

To toast the marshmallow it is best to place it on some sort of stick and then gently roast it by placing it just above the flame, not in it as this will very likely result in the marshmallow catching fire. To ensure even toasting of the marshmallow it is important to regularly turn it to avoid becoming overcooked on one side.

The important thing with toasting a marshmallow just perfectly is to do it moderately slowly and be a little bit patient as toasting it even takes time.

Can You Toast Marshmallows On A Tealight?

Using a tealight as an alternative to a candle is a viable option and it will work just as well as a candle though the length of burn time is typically shorter for tealights than it is for large candles. The only thing that is quite important to ensure is that the outer casing does not get too hot after the tealight has been on for a while as it is possible to burn the table below it.

Can I Use A Lighter To Cook Marshmallow?

The other option that you have is to cook marshmallows over a lighter however this is generally not recommended simply because lighters are designed to produce a flame for only a short period of time as a result of this most lighters need to have the button held down and order to maintain the flame.

Holding the button down consistently is really not ideal for a couple of reasons. The first is that your hand will get tired relatively quickly and secondly it is because your hand is close to the flame there is a high risk that you may burn yourself either by direct contact with a flame or by the marshmallow dripping on your hand and causing a burn. So generally speaking it is possible to cook using a lighter, however, I wouldn’t recommend it, candles are a far better option.

What Kind Of Stick Is Best For Roasting Marshmallows?

The ideal type of stick for roasting marshmallows is a wooden skewer because they are relatively thin and sharp and have sufficient length to ensure that your hand remains far enough away from the Flame to remain safe. Avoid using metal skewers from the kitchen as they will very readily heat up making them difficult to hold safely for an extended period of time.

In the absence of a skewer, the next best option is to simply go outside and find a stick of sufficient length. Ideally, the stick should be at least 1 foot long but relatively narrow. To avoid potential contamination of the marshmallow with a stick that has been outside the easiest way is to use a knife to remove the outer layers of bark and create a pointy end.

This will ensure that if there are any contaminants such as dirt they are removed from the section that will come in contact with the marshmallow. However, when selecting a branch to use as a stick for roasting marshmallows it is best to avoid any plants that have strong scents such as eucalyptus trees as these will affect the flavor of the marshmallows as you toast them.

Are There Any Other Alternative Methods You Can Use To Toast Marshmallows?

Aside from using candles in your home, the other option that is available is to use a gas cooktop which can be in the form of an indoor gas stove, a gas bbq, or even any type of gas burner. All of these implements will work very well to ensure that the marshmallows are evenly cooked and will provide no unfortunate aftertaste.

Can You Toast Marshmallows In A Microwave?

You can certainly heat marshmallows in a microwave but they will not provide that natural toastie crust that you get from heating them on an open fire. Additionally, the other difficulty associated with using a microwave to heat marshmallows is you do need to be extremely careful about the length of time that you leave the marshmallows in the microwave.

This is because microwaves can turn marshmallows to mushy extremely quickly, so it is generally recommended that you do relatively short bursts of 15 seconds for each microwave and then double-check it until you get a feel of exactly how long you need to heat the marshmallows for.

We cannot give you a precise timing for every microwave because the level of energy that each microwave uses and its various settings mean that it will vary significantly depending upon the specific appliance that is used, therefore you will just need to experiment a little bit.