Not all heating methods would satisfactorily toast marshmallows. The microwave makes them blow up and boiling them would dissolve them. So merely being consciously aware that heat is involved in the roasting wouldn’t be enough to make me think that not only one specific type of heat would do.
That’s a good point, which means that heat is too general to function as the hypostatic object. I would guess that it’s a particular way in which heat is applied. The heat has to be applied to the surface, and it has to be transmitted through the air. And, at least relative the reflexes of the cook, the temperature can’t be too high.
Makes you wonder if a marshmallow can be toasted with a hair dryer :D
Makes you wonder if a marshmallow can be toasted with a hair dryer :D
Challenge accepted; if I get my hands on both materials, I’ll do it this weekend.
I don’t know if I can take a video, though, so my word may have to be trusted when I answer.
I suspect a plain hair dryer can’t produce that much heat, however a hot air gun should work neatly (I used routinely a Bosch PHG 600-3 and I want to point out that you can seriously burn yourself if you don’t properly handle it).
I tried with a relatively weaker hairdryer and, while it didn’t toast brown, the marshmallow did have a outside, crispier layer with a gooey inside, and tasted very good. I’ll be trying with a stronger hair dryer on Friday, seeing if browning is possible.
Not all heating methods would satisfactorily toast marshmallows. The microwave makes them blow up and boiling them would dissolve them. So merely being consciously aware that heat is involved in the roasting wouldn’t be enough to make me think that not only one specific type of heat would do.
That’s a good point, which means that heat is too general to function as the hypostatic object. I would guess that it’s a particular way in which heat is applied. The heat has to be applied to the surface, and it has to be transmitted through the air. And, at least relative the reflexes of the cook, the temperature can’t be too high.
Makes you wonder if a marshmallow can be toasted with a hair dryer :D
Challenge accepted; if I get my hands on both materials, I’ll do it this weekend. I don’t know if I can take a video, though, so my word may have to be trusted when I answer.
Update: Comment here
I suspect a plain hair dryer can’t produce that much heat, however a hot air gun should work neatly (I used routinely a Bosch PHG 600-3 and I want to point out that you can seriously burn yourself if you don’t properly handle it).
Alton Brown, in a recent Good Eats episode, went through the several ways to toast bread for croutons:
oven broiler / toaster oven
grill
heat gun
blowtorch (of the kind used to solder copper pipes, available cheaply at hardware stores)
I’ve seen him recommend heat guns on other occasions so I bet it would work just fine.
Have you considered getting a smartphone (soon to be known as a “phone”)?
Considered? Yes. Decided it was a good idea? Not on my current undergraduate non-budget.
A wife can be equally restrictive :)
Edit: just noticed the down vote. Not sure why—a wife can be restrictive in that I’d like a smart phone and she doesn’t want me to have one.
Don’t forget the kiln. My metal smithing instructor made some killer peeps (I normally dislike peeps) in a kiln.
I would dislike peeps, too, if they were the killer kind.
Marshmallow Update (sorry for the lateness):
I tried with a relatively weaker hairdryer and, while it didn’t toast brown, the marshmallow did have a outside, crispier layer with a gooey inside, and tasted very good. I’ll be trying with a stronger hair dryer on Friday, seeing if browning is possible.
Okay, now I’ve got to try that. My microwave oven will be messy, and it will be your fault.