But, but, but…?
Doesn’t corn syrup or glucose help to prevent crystallization in marshmallow? Indeed so, reader Lauren. Those individual sugars work almost like little ball bearings, getting in between the sucrose molecules and preventing them from stacking up on each other like LEGOs and forming crystals. The things is, in a Peep a little crystallization isn’t such a bad thing. They start forming quite quickly in fact, giving peeps a crunchy exterior in as little as 12 hours. A lot of people love peeps that way…Mrs. Pastry especially.
I have been pondering this post for several days.
In a recipe in my own database I refer to the “crystal” that doesn’t develop in my LA Times marshmallow that doesn’t have a boiled syrup as its base. I am ready to concede that I don’t know what I’m talking about (’cause I don’t!). And yet … the marshmallows I first made without boiling to 240? (or 238? as you specify) are not stable for very long. But the homemade marshmallows that I later made from other recipes with proper boiled syrups are quite stable. At least in my experience they are stable for the 3 days or so that they could last on a plate. ;>
There’s something going on there. And, of course, there are crystals and crystals as we discover when we don’t properly temper chocolate … Care to weigh in on exactly what the kitchen science of this conundrum is?
Thanks in advance.