Do you like popcorn?
 

Just curious. I'm a big fan. It seems like a fairly healthy snack, and you can eat a ton and you really haven't eaten that much.

I'll tell you the best popcorn that I've ever had. Years ago, I was a bartender and we had a small popcorn maker that did it like the movie theater popcorn makers. The secret to the best popcorn ever, is to add tabasco to the hot oil with the popcorn and let it pop in the tabasco oil. It imparts heat and flavor without making nasty soggy popcorn. Warning: if you try this at home, make sure you have good ventilation. The tabasco/hot sauce vaporizes and gets in your nose. I've also used cayenne powder. It's good, but not as good, but not as hard to breath while you're making it.

I've also experimented with cayenne, chili powder and cumin, also very tasty. Garlic powder and salt are also very tasty on popcorn.

Have you tried any of the "heirloom" popcorns that are out and about these days? They pop up smaller. I'm not sure that they are better, I've never done a side by side taste test.

Do you make your own? I did when we had the gas stove, but I haven't since we moved to the apt with the glass top stove. Don't want to scratch the stove.

I also love the partially popped kernels at the bottom of the bowl. The completely unpopped are a bit hard, but the kernels that started to pop or tried to pop are nice and crunchy.

The biggest problem with popcorn is the shells getting in between your teeth and gums.

I make popcorn at my kids' school on Fridays. It's a machine just like at the theater. We have to follow guidelines so we measure the salt seasoning and canola oil for every batch.

Not to brag but I was told it is the best popcorn around. We even have bus drivers comein and buy it before they take the children home.

My secret is to make every batch without the salt and once it mies at the bottom of the maker it is just right.

The money all goes for the school to put on fun days and other events.


We do microwave popcorn at home and then use different flavored seasoning. I like Lemon and Pepper flavor.

I guess the tabasco trick wouldn't go over very well in that case. ;)

Probably not. ;)

I love the county fair kettle corn, and munch on it while watching the drama unfold on these forums.

yes

Getting Jiffy Pop done on the stove top as a kid was a big treat for us.

I like popcorn. It doesn't much like me. Goes through me like barbed wire.
What's the difference between popcorn and kettle corn?

I like buttery popcorn seasoned with garlic salt and cayenne pepper.

Best was with some buttery seasoning powder stuff I got from buying some popcorn to support the boy scouts.

As far as I can tell, the difference is that kettle corn seems to have a little sugar in the mix, but maybe there's more to it than that.

I make it several times a week. Always from scratch, never in a microwave. Commercial microwave popcorn and popcorn made in a machine taste terrible to me now.

JR

microwave popcorn is loaded with bad chemicals. not really suitable for safe consumption.

I will be the nay sayer so no, not a big fan..., about as exciting as rice cakes.
But... can't go to the movies and not have popcorn... kinda like I can't go to a baseball game and not have a hot dog.
Lets be honest... popcorn is just a vehicle for butter and salt (not that there is anything wrong with that)

Great Thread. I learned something.

Eating popcorn now on my lunch break... We have movie theater style popcorn at work. The shells are currently stuck in my teeth...

Popcorn is addictive. Once I start I keep eating till the bowl is empty.
Prefer heavy butter or kettle corn.
The "crunchies" at the bottom are like the prize in Cracker Jacks. The best part.

Kirkland (Costco) is good microwave popcorn. I like to make it the old fashioned way.

A chef friend showed me his trick, heat the oil, drop in a kernel, when it pops add layer of kernels and turn off heat for one minute. Turn heat back on and pop. I like to season with this....

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1468426763.jpg

I love this stuff

http://shop.skinnypop.com/img/thumbs/skp-004001.jpg

Same here. Nothing like from scratch on top of the stove.

I use Snappy or Rural Route 1 white popcorn on the stovetop with coconut oil like they used to use at the theater before the government decided it was bad for you (and were wrong). Butter and salt but there are a couple other seasonings that are good. I don't like kettle corn or caramel corn though.

When making it on the stovetop I do put a bag over or wrap the bowl right away as I melt the butter so it doesn't dry out.

You can just put some popcorn in a plain brown paper bag, roll the top closed and put it in the microwave. Set it on high and wait till the popping slows down to a crawl. Zero oil. That's my wife's "healthy" way.

I'm on the stove, on high heat with oil and the lid cracked a bit to let the steam out.

We eat lots of popcorn. But no long buy popcorn at the grocery store. First saw Amish popcorn at an Ace Hardware store, but since the hardware store went out of business, I have been ordering online direct from Amish County Popcorn. Would be too expensive to ship, but they offer US Post Office Priority Mail Flat Rate shipping, making it reasonable.

Amish Country Popcorn | Berne Indiana | Popcorn Salt

We just use fine grained salt and no other flavors. Rarely do we add butter.


While the risk to consumers is very small, workers in microwave popcorn plants have suffered lung damage and some have died from diacetyl exposure.

Is microwave popcorn toxic? | HowStuffWorks

THAT'S MY EXPERIENCE, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT.

For one serving (:D):

I use a large, wide (12"+) pasta pot. I heat about 3 TB of olive oil, seasoned with a slightly heaping 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt, with a few kernels in it. When the kernels pop, I add a heaping 1/3 cup of smallish white corn kernels and turn off the heat. When the first of those pops, on goes the heat on high. I cover the pot with a mesh screen to let any steam out. I shake the pot occasionally while popping. When the popping slows down, in goes 1 or 2 TB of butter and I use a large spoon to move the popcorn around in the pan, to keep it from burning and to mix the butter as it melts. Immediately into a bowl, eat in a couple minutes after the residual steam is essentially gone.

JR

Yes, make it in a large, heavy pot on the gas stove top. Drizzle with real butter and sea salt.

If you add the salt to the oil, instead of salting the popcorn after it is popped, you'll get a more even distribution of salt. Using really fine salt grains helps too.

JR

I tried that, didn't work for crap for me.

You can put regular salt in a blender, and that'll make it really fine grained. Cheaper than buying another kind of salt.

Apropos of nothing really, Mrs WD and I drove through popcorn country on our way to Chicago this afternoon. Acres and acres of popcorn still in the field.

Steve, not sure what side of town you're on but Boondoggles in Clear Lake has the best popcorn I've found in Houston.

I am popcorn crazy. Just use a large pot with good lid. Poor in vegetable oil then lone even layer of quality popcorn. Cook on high heat. When popping is very slow, I poor into a large bowl. then one half cube of real butter and salt goes in. Then finally I stir the popcorn so the butter and salt gets from top to bottom. Canola oil tastes heavy so I don't use it. Popcorn is supposed to be bad for you.

I used to live in Friendswood, but live in town now. I still get down that way from time to time. I'll have to check it out sometime. Thanks

I think I remember hearing that walnut oil was good to use according to Alton Brown from good eats

Thats what we do.

Better for you than the packaged crap.

Only thing I hate about popcorn is the shell can slide unnoticed between your tooth and gum and cause an abscess.

BTDTGTS

Slight hijack.

My buddy across the street smokes salt for use with Margaritas.

As in he puts some in the smoker whenever he's got something going.

Smoked salt, what a good idea!
My flavoring for popcorn heads in a different direction.

Definitely prefer making it on the stovetop. Hadn't thought of seasoning the oil, will have to try that.

Once done, I like to sprinkle on some Tamari or soy sauce, the dust with nutritional yeast flakes. A little messy to eat, but so yum .

Cheers Richard

I used to have some smoked sea salt. I couldn't stand it. Ruined the taste of everything I put it on.

JR

That's just what we do at the school. Oil in the kettle then the salt seasoning then add kernels.

Steve,

I live in Midtown now. Hit me up if you want to grab a drink sometime.

Chad

Whirley Pop!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1468550735.gif

I love these things... fast and easy. Use mine 2-3 times a week.

Grinding the salt is a great idea! I have a coffee grinder that I never use so I was going to give it away. Not now!

Every year, we put on a rather large pumpkin patch, and one of the items we sell is a so-called "Indian Corn", or a dried variagated corn still on the cob. People put them out as decorations. Also, we found out that birds love them and we need to put them away at night.

The corn that becomes damaged make good popcorn. We put them in a bag and microwave them, producing popcorn off the cob, so to speak. It entertains the crew, if nothing else.