Laser Engraved Marshmallows

If you don't yet have access to a laser cutter, find one at your nearest makerspace, FabLab, or (if you're in the US) TechShop

So I'm at the supermarket one Pi Day Eve looking for ingredients for my hackerspace's Pi Day celebration. Being unskilled in both baking and decorating, my idea for a cool pie is to laser engrave marshmallows and use them as a topping.

"If only they made flat marshmallows," I say to myself as I walk down the aisle. "Then I wouldn't have to worry so much about my beam going out of focus."

Enter JetPuffed StackerMallows, a huge leap forward in mallow engraving technology! You see, they're flat and therefore perfect for lasering. They're available at your local supermarket, or in bulk from Amazon.

I'm not going to give specific speed & power settings, not only because I forgot to write them down but also because your laser will likely have a different wattage and speed range anyway.

Here are some tips:

Laser cutters are nasty places

When was the last time YOU cleaned the laser cutter? Because chances are good that nobody else has. Make sure the thing is clean before engraving edibles. Also, bring a clean surface to put between your food and the gross bed.

Don't use autofocus

Some laser cutters have autofocus functions. Since our material is squishy and a little uneven, you definitely want to use your manual focus gauge instead.

Turn your air assist down low

Since the mallows are so light, too much air blasting at them could move them around during your job. That's no good. Just make sure to turn the air assist back up to its normal level when you're done so that the next person cutting thick wood wont destroy the lens.

Start at at maximum speed and low power

You can work your way up from there until you get the perfect depth of golden brown pockets.

Have fun!