Making Popcorn
Filed Under (Quick & Easy, Snacks) by maida on 26-02-2010
I was chatting with a friend the other day and she mentioned that she was shopping around for a popcorn popper. Confused, I asked her why she would need such a thing. She explained that the microwave stuff has BPA in it, or something else not good for you. I agree with that, but I still don’t understand the need for a popcorn popper.
I’m all about kitchen gadgets, don’t get me wrong, but the popcorn popper is one gadget that I just can’t fathom purchasing. Unlike the food processor or blender, a popcorn popper only serves one purpose– making popcorn. Call me old fashioned, but I like to make my popcorn in a big ol’ soup pot right on the stove. It’s so super easy that I thought I’d take a minute to describe the process here to people who may not know how easy it is.
- Take the biggest soup pot you’ve got and put it on the stove at medium-high heat. On my stove, I do this at 5, with 6 being the next hottest before “high” which I would use to boil water. You want it pretty hot, but not so hot that it burns the kernels.
- Drizzle about a TB of oil in the bottom. You don’t need much.
- Sprinkle 1/3 to 1/2 cup of kernels in the bottom of the pot. Try to get them to land in a single layer, if you can.
- Put the lid on it! This is pretty important or you’ll have a mess on your hands.
- Wait til you hear some popping, then give the pot a little shake. When the popping has stopped or slowed down considerably, remove from heat.
- Remove the lid and top with your favorite toppings or seasonings. We like popcorn salt on ours (it’s a finer grain than regular salt and sticks better to the popcorn). I’ve also read that some people like nutritional yeast on theirs for a cheezy taste.
- Enjoy!
It’s really that easy! And you don’t have to pull out some heavy piece of machinery to get it all done. Popcorn is one of Emma’s favorite snacks and I feel good giving it to her when I’ve made it myself, know exactly what’s in it and where it all came from. Besides that, it’s SO cheap! I buy the kernels from the bulk bin at Whole Foods at something like $2 per pound (hey, the organic stuff is a little more expensive than the Jiffy Pop), but this is one snack where you can get a lot of bang for your buck. A $2 pound of kernels makes A TON of popcorn.
What’s your favorite way to make popcorn?
Here to report that I bought a stove top popper (WhirlyPop), and yes, I know that great popcorn can be made without gadgets, but this puppy works great (it is hand operated). Every freakin’ kernel pops, none burn, and I think it’s got to be because of that little stirring arm in the bottom. Of course you are supposed to crank the stirring arm continuously after the first kernel pops, but honestly it doesn’t take long to finish popping, and you are guaranteed no burned kernels. No more microwave popcorn for me!
And yes, nutri yeast is great on popcorn!
LOL! I’ve heard about that gadget with the stirring arm at the bottom. I’m glad you find yours handy. I probably would too, if I owned one, but my kitchen is the smallest you’ve ever seen and I can’t justify having a single-use gadget like that. Maybe one day when I have the kitchen of my dreams with the storage space to go along with it, I will have a popcorn popper. It is nice to know that you’ll have perfect popcorn every time.