S'Mores Any Time

I was chosen through the Tryazon program to be one of two people in Indiana to test out and write about the Sterno S'mores Kit. I've done a few other hosted parties with Tryazon and as with previous ones I am not expected to sell anything. I wouldn't do this if the company wanted me to sell their products, that's not what The Chocolate Cult is about, is it? No. The Chocolate Cult is about bringing chocolate and information to you, the reader's, attention so you can learn about movies, books, food, drinks, ideas, and warnings to protect your families and to make the best economic choices. Since you have to buy several chocolate bars, a box of graham crackers, and a bag of marshmallows, I opened up an invitation to a s'mores party for Saturday, June 25, 2016, at 7pm, to some of our neighbors and friends. A total of folks showed up. In exchange for testing the kit and hosting a party to get others to test it, Sterno sent me the kit along with an extra one to give away, a $15 Target gift card to buy supplies, and coupons for others to try out their own kits; no other forms of compensation was received in exchange for this honest article.

Everyone who came to the party -- 11 adults, 3 kids

The S'mores Marker basically came pre-setup, there wasn't much to do other than bend out the three folded in sporks on the S'MORES HEAT Cooking Fuel Suspension Frame that will hold the Roasting Safety Screen when the fuel canister, called S'MORES HEAT, is burning.

When you get more of the S'MORES HEAT two canisters come in a box as you can see here. Each canister burns for about an hour or 20 marshmallows worth of roasting if your family and friends give each other time to use it safety.

Beyond three parts I listed, there is a red S'mores Maker Serving Tray that you put the ingredients around the fuel when it is burning so easy to reach your graham crackers, candy bars, and marshmallows as well as two roasting forks.

I did a test run of using the maker two nights before the party to make sure I knew how it worked. The S"MORES HEAT is easy to open and close, the inverted screen does indeed put it out, but it takes about 30 minutes for the fuel canister to cool completely down. Inside the canister is a purple gel substance that heats up but does create flames. We noted that holding the marshmallows 1-2 inches above the mesh just did not work in terms of roasting. However holding it closer was a risky because if the marshmallow touched the safety screen it immediately set the marshmallow on fire. We decided we'd need a chair for someone because it took about 2-4 minutes to get the marshmallows as we each wanted.

Chairs weren't used by everyone.

Speaking of marshmallows I used a new type especially shaped for s'mores as well as four types of flat candy bars and two types of graham crackers. I wanted my guests to have options!

The fact that the marshmallows will not roast well very far above the safety screen is a big problem for this kit. I don't know if the screen needs to be a flatter item or what but frustrations when doing anything with fire can be deadly. Make sure you, the adult, is with your child if you let them use this with you. Guests were concerned about the plastic but it worked well, it went through the washer well. In upper 80 degree weather, the chocolate pieces on the plastic melted more than those just setting on plates in more direct sunlight.

Here are some images from our party. The lady who won the kit gave it to the family with the two girls. The girls were thrilled, the father, not so much... he knows he's going to be bothered for s'mores now "all the time."

1st brave group tries it out.

The two tables are ready for guests.

Over all this is a very cool device that helps the non-camper make s'mores almost anywhere outdoors. The risk of fire of any type is very low and as long as kids are overseen the risk of anything other than a marshmallow getting burnt is minor.

If you think this product seems like fun and you'd like to buy one, you can do so through Amazon and help support The Chocolate Cult as well since we get a tiny kick back from sales through the link through this product.