Homemade Kettle Corn and Popcorn

January 27, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

Lately I have been craving popcorn — HOMEMADE popcorn. I’ll go make some in a second, right after I extol its virtues and try to convince you not to use the microwaved variety any longer.

First, all the reasons NOT to eat microwave popcorn. Yes. I know it’s super convenient and fast, but (here’s the list):

1. Most are full of artery-clogging hydrogenated oils.
2. Even if you find a kind that isn’t full of hydrogenated oils, microwave popcorn has a fake butter flavor and real butter is just so much yummier.
3. That fake butter flavor is created by a chemical powder that is literally killing the people who work in the popcorn factories (I know this sounds crazy, but it’s true. You can read about it at this New York Times article on OSHA)
4. It’s easy to burn microwave popcorn

Okay — now for all the reasons you should try making popcorn on your own:

1. It is far less expensive to make your own popcorn. A bag of kernals that will pop into numerous bowls of delightful popcorn is only a fraction of the cost of a box of microwave popcorn with only three bags.
2. You can use any old pot you’ve got lying around the house. You don’t need a fancy popcorn pot, but if you have one, feel free to use it.
3. You can even use your microwave. Follow these directions on the Food Network site from Alton Brown (which I haven’t tried).
   
4. You can control the butter and salt so the popcorn tastes perfect for you (and not some test market).
5. You can easily make kettlecorn (yes — it’s very easy. You just add some sugar to the pot and it crystallizes onto the popcorn. Just follow the directions below).
6. Homemade popcorn is far healthier.

So give homemade popcorn a try!

Buttered Popcorn

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernals

1-2 Tbsp melted butter

salt to taste

1. Find a large pot (the kind you’d use to boil a pound of pasta). Metal or cast iron are fine.
2. Set the pot on the stove and add the oil.
3. Turn the stove on medium and then add the popcorn.
4. Cover the pot and just stand there looking pretty until the oil heats up.
5. Once the popcorn starts to pop (which you’ll hear — don’t open the cover to check or you might get a kernel in your eye) start shaking the pot here and there so the popcorn doesn’t burn on the bottom.
6. When the popcorn starts to really get going you should shake the pot while keeping it still on the burner (you may need oven mitts for this).
7. When the popcorn slows down, turn off the heat.
8. Quickly melt some butter in a pan or the microwave.
9. Pour the popcorn into a bowl. Dump the butter on top and sprinkle on some salt (I like sea salt).
10. Mix and eat.

Homemade Kettle Corn

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernals

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

Pretty much the exact same instructions as those above, except you add the sugar and salt to the pot when you add the popcorn and then you don’t add any butter or salt at the end.

Note: be sure to use an older pot when making kettlecorn as the crystallized sugar can burn at the bottom, leaving little spots.