Why do marshmallows poof up so huge when put in the microwave?
As anyone who's put marshmallows in the microwave knows, they expand a ton! Sometimes they puff up to literally more than twice their original size (YouTube video for those who haven't seen it).
So, why?
At first I assumed it was because they had a lot of air in them, but that doesn't make sense. There's no way that amount of air can puff up that much from the heat!
What makes marshmallows poof up so much when they are microwaved?
Best Answer
Marshmallows expand so much because the water in them becomes steam, and gas takes up a LOT more volume than liquid. Specifically, 1 mL of water becomes ~1.36 LITERS of vapor, before it gets heated further. That's 1000-fold expansion, before you add additional expansion as the gas is heated.
Marshmallows don't have all that much water content, but when it's trapped in a stretchy gelatin matrix that holds gas readily, it only takes a bit to blow the whole thing up like a balloon.
You are correct that the gas expansion on its own is insufficient; unless I've badly muddled my calculations, gas expansion from 20C to ~150C (caramelization temperature) will increase the gas volume by under 50%.
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Quick Answer about "Why do marshmallows poof up so huge when put in the microwave?"
Answer 2: Marshmallows have a lot of air in them. When that air heats up in the microwave, it takes up more space, pushing out on the marshmallow and making the marshmallow grow bigger.Why does a marshmallow get big in microwave?
When heating a marshmallow in a microwave, some moisture inside the marshmallow evaporates, adding gas to the bubbles. In addition, a warmer gas pushes outward with more force. Both adding gas and heating cause the gas bubbles to expand, thereby causing the marshmallow to puff up.Why do marshmallows puff up when heated?
As the air in the bubbles warms up, the air molecules bounce around faster and faster and push harder against the bubble walls. Since the sugar walls are warm and soft, the bubbles expand, and the marshmallow puffs up. If it puffs up too much, some air bubbles burst, and the marshmallow deflates like a popped balloon.What happens if I put a marshmallow in the microwave?
Marshmallows are mostly made of tiny air bubbles that are encased in sugar, gelatin and water. When you cook marshmallows in your microwave oven, the microwaves make the water molecules vibrate very quickly, which warms the air inside the marshmallows and causes it to expand.What Happens When You Put 30 Marshmallows In A Huge Vacuum Chamber?
More answers regarding why do marshmallows poof up so huge when put in the microwave?
Answer 2
Because the water becomes gas and takes up more space than a liquid, and then puffs up, and then when its not being heated anymore, it shrinks.
Answer 3
Because the molecules inside the marshmallow moves faster and faster as the heat rises and the little bubbles of air inside the marshmallows grow bigger and bigger and then it expands. only 14 years of age
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