All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
There is a long and glorious tradition of torturing leftover Easter candy. But many of the more sophisticated experiments involving Marshmallow Peeps can probably not be done at home. While you can replicate the vacuum experiment on done in the lab by chemistry teacher Edward Kent using an ordinary kitchen vacuum packer (as shown by Steve Spangler), the explosive liquid oxygen video should be only be done under laboratory conditions.
However, a few years ago the kids and I decided to throw caution to the winds and try out an experiment inspired by the site Peep Research, which measured the fear response of a Peep through exposure to heat in a microwave. This is what we did:
- Separate a Marshmallow Peep from the pack.
- Place on a microwave-proof fireproof plate.
- Insert plate into microwave.
- Set on low-medium for 20 seconds.
- Watch the transformation.
- Enjoy the results.
Note: Longer times or higher temperatures may result in a "carmelization" of the peep, which can be difficult to clean off the microwave interior. (Unfortunately, ours didn't reach that stage.)
(It's a little hard to see what's happening through the microwave oven door, but I love my kids' reaction...)
You can find more Peepy links at Peep-O-Rama, including Martha Stewart's recipe for fresh, homemade Peeps (sort of an oxymoron). There are also solubility tests by a stuffed chemistry mascot mole. And there's an explanation of the science of microwaving Peeps at the Exploratorium's Science of Cooking website.
(A version of this post originally appeared on my blog Home Chemistry.)