Homemade marshmallows

A stand mixer makes it vastly easier, and I'd hesitate to do it with a handheld. The mixture whips for a solid 10-12 minutes at high speed, which is exhausting and risky to do by hand while also dealing with hot syrup. A handheld can technically work if you have someone helping, but the stand mixer frees both hands for pouring the syrup. It's the one piece of kit I'd insist on.

Soft-ball stage, around 115-118°C. This is lower than candy or brittle, and hitting it matters, because too low gives runny marshmallows that won't set and too high makes them tough and chewy. Use a thermometer and watch it closely near the end, since the last few degrees come quickly. Pour the syrup into the whipping gelatine in a slow, steady stream down the side of the bowl.

Usually under-whipped or under-cooked syrup. The mixture needs to whip until it's thick, glossy, and tripled in volume, holding a ribbon when you lift the whisk, which takes longer than people expect. If the syrup didn't reach temperature, no amount of whipping will set them properly. Weeping also happens in humid weather, so I dust them well with the cornflour-icing sugar mix and store them airtight.

Equal parts cornflour and icing sugar. This coating stops the sticky marshmallows clinging to each other and to your hands, and you dust the tin, the cut surfaces, and the finished pieces with it. Without it, they fuse into one sticky block. I keep a bowl of it handy and dust my knife between cuts too.

Easily, and that's half the fun. Add flavour extracts or a swirl of fruit purée when the mixture is nearly whipped, and gel colour (not liquid) at the same stage. Vanilla is classic, but peppermint, rose, coffee, and toasted versions all work. For swirls, drizzle colour over the poured mixture and drag a skewer through before it sets.