Oh Alton

This past week I tried some variations, with the input of Alton Brown.  The first was marshmallows.  I noticed that most marshmallow recipes online don't use egg whites.  I figured if they are just as good without them, then they would also be a lot cheaper to make!  Because I trust his techniques, I tried the Alton Brown marshmallow recipe, figuring that I could adjust the flavorings at the end.

Essentially the difference between the two types of recipes is this:  With the original recipe I used, you mix the gelatin with water in one bowl, beat the egg whites in a second, cook the syrup, then mix together and beat until cool.  Without the egg whites, it's pretty much the same process, but syrup is just poured directly in with the gelatin.  Originally I was planning to do a mini taste test, between the egg white marshmallows, the Alton marshmallows and store bought handcrafted marshmallows.  This didn't happen.

The marshmallows with no egg whites were easy to make, but there is just no question whatsoever when it comes to texture.  The protein in the egg whites creates a much better foam structure, and the marshmallows turn out much lighter and fluffier, similar to store bought.  The ones with no egg whites had an internal texture similar to marshmallow fluff.  The flavor was there, but they just weren't as good.  My opinion is that marshmallows should always contain egg whites.

Secondly, while I was looking through Alton recipes, I found this one.  It's very similar to what I did with the Twentieth Century gummy candy, but with a LOT more gelatin.  So I gave it a try.  The results were much better than the prior attempt.  In fact, I think that I could even get away with one or two fewer packets of gelatin.  I also decided to skip the sugar coating, in case these decided to sweat, and they didn't seem to need a boundary from the outside air.