If you are planning a family camping trip this summer, one of the activities that you are probably looking forward to is roasting marshmallows over the campfire. We consider campfire time one of our favorite family camping experiences and while we don’t always roast marshmallows, it is a great family activity that the kids really enjoy. Here are five marshmallow sticks that will spare you from having to search for that perfect stick in the woods.
Rome Industries Marshmallow Tree
I think we all looked for these kinds of sticks when we were kids – the kind that you could load with half a dozen marshmallows, to maximize your melted sugary treat experience. The Marshmallow Tree harkens back to those multi-branched marshmallow sticks of our youth, but this version is made from steel that is bent to look like the branches of a tree.
Worried about finding that perfect marshmallow stick, once you get to your favorite camping spot? The Marshmallow Stick Company has you covered, with their Tube O’ Stix which is a bundle of twenty birch marshmallow sticks that are 30-inches long, with semi-tapered ends that don’t require any whittling by mom or dad.
I first stumbled onto POPSTICKS last year and was impressed with the attention to detail and quality that inventor Ray Westfall puts into the product. They are also one of the best marshmallow sticks I’ve seen for traveling, since the fork stores completely inside the tube-handle when not in use.
If machined aluminum isn’t quite your style, but you are still a stickler for quality, there’s the Marshmallow Chef Sticks. These quality roasting sticks are made of 3/4 inch hardwood maple and come in 16, 30 and 47-inch lengths.
Filling the gap between a simple stick and a metal fork is the Grill Thing. These stainless steel forks attach to the end of any stick, allowing you to safely, and cleanly attach marshmallows or hotdogs. Best of all, when the Grill Thing is removed from the stick it is easy to store.
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I remember seeing a marshmallow (or hotdog) stick at Cabellas about three years ago that featured a curved hook at the end. Thing looked a little like a candy cane if you will. The idea being, the food won’t slide off since you are pointing it downward. I can’t find a web reference to it though. Its another clever idea.
I haven’t run across that one, Neal. I was a bit surprised how many kinds there were, though, when I started looking around. Rome Industries also has one for bread & biscuits that looks kind of cool. We roast cinnamon roll dough over the campfire, sometimes.
I was always a fan of finding the best branch off the ground when I was a kid. Perhaps it wasn’t clean, but it was always something I look forward to. However, these are on my shopping list for this year.
Eric
Me too, Eric – although I think a lot of the attraction was that my dad let me whittle it
My kids love cooking marshmallows on a campfire… ok so my wife and I also enjoy cooking them. I think cooking over a campfire is a requirement for camping:). I may need to look into purchasing some of those for our next camping trip. I’m not a big fan of finding sticks on the ground to cook with.
Yeah, we haven’t done the “real” stick thing for a few years, Shawn. Of course, it was a lot easier to clean the sticks
That marshmallow tree is awesome! What kid (and I swear, I’d be buying it for my kid, even if I did have “test” it out first!) wouldn’t love stuffing that thing full of marshmallows, holding them over the fire until they catch fire, and then pulling it out of there to reveal 10 (by my count) flaming marshmallows! Way better than a sparkler! Plus, then you’d get to eat 10 s’mores, and if your parent tries to stop you, simply explain that to not eat all of them would be wasting food.
Isn’t that the coolest thing ever, Marc? I can’t believe I’ve never seen that before – I guess it’s been out for a few years.
I’ve often had to resort to using a stick, but it’s very cool to have a tool that was perfectly made for the job – and that means cooking both marshmallows as well as hot dogs!
That’s right – people often overlook the roasted hotdog (and cinnamon roll dough!)
Sticks are great for marshmallows, but everything else tends to slide right off.
I love the idea of the Popsticks with the fork folding into the base. When you have little kids (and especially boys!), it is a nice safe feature to keep anyone little (or big!) from getting unneccessarily hurt. They would be easy to store too.
Definitely a big boost in safety, Kathy. I just wonder about the gooey mess that invariably finds its way down into the handle.
Who knew there were so many kinds of marshmallow sticks! I have some which are great for hotdogs and marshmallows and are more like the ones Neal mentions because the end points back toward the holder. They’re great for kids who just can’t resist running while holding a stick, or who invariably drop things off the stick just at the critical point. They’re not very portable though as they are quite long. They do clean up easily. Love the marshmallow tree though, that’s a work of art!
I have to laugh every time I look at the Marshmallow Tree, because my youngest daughter did that with a branch, one time – we glance over and she’s roasting a dozen marshmallows, trying to look all innocent
Wow– these are awesome! I had NO clue such a thing even existed. I’m really digging those Popsticks!
I know – I’m thinking about starting a roasting stick collection
Great tips, Roy! I love roasting marshmellows when car camping. I have a set of telescoping roasting sticks from Restoration Hardware. The best part is there is a little knob that enables you to rotate the marshmellows just by using your thumb… talk about no effort
No kidding? I don’t think I’ve seen those – I’ll have to check them out!
Hi- We just bought a fire pit and I’ve been looking at roasting sticks as well. The link below shows the “candy cane” shaped stick. If the link doesn’t work, type in http://www.etsy.com and do a search for marshmallow sticks. This is an artisan web site with really neat stuff, so these are homemade. Hope this helps. The pop sticks look fun!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37079081&ref=sr_gallery_16&&ga_search_query=marshmallow+stick&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&includes=tags&includes=title
Thanks for the link, Maxine – it looks like a great idea, I’m surprised that I’ve never seen any that are curved like that.
A totally new concept in cooking on a campfire and not well known at this time is the “CAMPFIRE STICK” cook your marshmallow, hotdog, shrimp, or whatever on a clean white birch stick then remove the stick from the holder, attach another stick and eat while you cook another helping. for info email twobscd@verizon.net
I have always hated using metal for my marshmallows, cause they warm up and your marshmallow starts sliding and you can’t get it perfectly browned on all sides! And where we go camping, you can never find sticks…just the other day I stumbled across “marshmallow roasting sticks” at our local grocery store (ShopSmart) made from wood. They are awesome! You could easily make your own by sharpening the ends of 1/4″ or smaller wood dowels (from the hardware store)…
So true, Katie – I lost a marshmallow off the end of one of our metal roasting forks, just last week!
This is a great article and I love the interaction. I think I have seen the candy cane sticks everyone has mentioned, but there’s another one out there called the Rotis-a-Prong that also lets you rotate the food with your thumb. Pretty neat design too.
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