Popcorn! What's the best way to make it?
I've been craving a lot of popcorn recently after discovering hulless varieties that don't get super stuck in your teeth. Historically, my preferred method was the microwave because of simplicity, but our current microwave simply fails to pop popcorn. I've switched to stove-top with a standard pot and a lid wrapped in a dishcloth to limit moisture. Combined with butter-flavored coconut oil and Gold Medal Flavacol, I've been making some excellent popcorn.
Come to today, I've ordered an air popper (Presto PopLite) because I want the quickest and easiest method with the least clean-up, but I'm not sure how to evenly distribute liquid toppings nor how to make kettlecorn with popped popcorn. I'd be interested in a whirlypop if they were dishwasher safe. Tramontina's new Gold Pop looks reasonable, but I couldn't find any thorough reviews since it's fairly new.
Anyhow, what's your history with popcorn? How do you make it? What toppings do you like?
Wok is love, wok is life. If you’re willing to put in some extra steps (and you have a wok), it is bar none the best way to make popcorn at home in my experience. I’ll find a link for some more details in a little bit here.
Edit: Alton Brown’s most recent version uses a steel mixing bowl topped with foil which is even more accessible, but a wok will provide the same, potentially better results since the cooking method is the same (unpopped kernels fall to the small bottom surface and are cooked, popped kernels jump up and rise out of the way of the heat). He also goes over the quintessential toppings (ie “popcorn salt”) and some other fun accoutrements.
You should change your link to this so that it doesn't tell everyone who clicks what your real name is: https://youtu.be/OBY5L3Ia9nY
Thanks friend, annoys the hell out of me that YT does that by default anymore.
You've got me curious as I've never though to use a wok to pop my corn. Thank you for the recommendation!
wok with a lid is the best. If you don't have a lid, a big bowl or whatever you have that won't melt is fine. I like to shake it a bit -- but you don't really need to.
Wokcorn! I'm well versed, as a trained cook, wok enthusiast, and popcorn enjoyer.
Over medium high heat, melt 2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil. We use coconut oil because major movie theaters use coconut oil, and that's what we're aiming for here.
Add 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels. Pop on a lid. If you don't have one, tinfoil can work.
Give it a little shake to disperse things a bit, then chill until it starts to pop. Once popping, keep shaking the wok. Popcorn has a tendency to burn if left to its own devices, it smells horrible.
Once popping subsides, season to taste with salt (first) then butter. I prefer to grind my salt first in a pestle and mortar, even table salt isn't fine enough for me.
Upgrades can indeed be made from here, but this is a great base given normal household ingredients + a wok.
Do you cover the wok with pierced foil?
My wok came with a lid, just a big thin metal dome with a handle on top. It’s not an airtight seal, it rests inside the wok itself and it moves around a good amount while I swirl the wok over the flame, so I just use that to save on foil. I think either would probably work!
I am going to defer to @cfabbro’s wisdom, posted here previously. I replicated his method and it’s some of the best popcorn ever. You’re on the right track with Flavacol, but the Whirley Pop is clutch.
Heh, I was just coming here to re-post that. It's my most exemplaried comment ever! :) Copied here for ease of use:
BTW, thanks for introducing me to the Tramontina's Golden Pop, @Minori. I will definitely be ordering one (if I can actually find a reasonably priced one up here in Canada... since it's unfortunately $300 on Amazon.ca O_o) and giving it a try since it does look significantly easier to clean than the Whirley Pop.
FYI it looks like Whirley-Pop took down the product page you linked to, this seems to be most similar: https://whirleypopshop.com/product/whirley-pop-stovetop-popcorn-popper-original-silver/
Weird. Fixed. Thanks.
I came here to pick apart your instructions like some kind of popcorn elitist, but this guide is very similar to my method. You have excellent taste! I will try that specific brand of oil.
Here is the guide I wrote to myself a few years ago. I've sent it to many friends:
Fill silicone popper with "Mushroom" kernels to the line (1/4 cup, 50g)
Add refined coconut oil 1 tablespoon
Add flavicol 1/2 teaspoon
Put on the lid
Microwave until popping is 3 or so seconds between pops, or lid starts coming off.
That's it! It turns out exactly like movie theater popcorn.
Three seconds in between? You're typically supposed to stop normal microwave popcorn at one second between pops. I'm surprised yours doesn't burn.
Huh, I’ve always heard 3 seconds for microwave bagged popcorn. I think one second would leave too many unpopped kernels.
Maybe it's just been too long and I forgot...I just checked a bag and it simply says "when popping slows." So that doesn't help.
The difference might be more sensitive in a prepackaged bag vs a silicone popper where all the oil pools into one spot. idk. Honestly I'm a poor judge of time with the adhd and all.
you likely have a forwarder near you that will pick it up from the States -- like https://shippsy.com/contact-us/locations. Pretty cheap too.
Ah, good idea. I've never used one of those services before but have been tempted to several times on other things I can't get easily here in Canada. This might be the perfect opportunity to give them a try now though, given the weirdly huge price disparity on this product between US and Canada. Thanks for the reminder that those services exist!
Maybe Walmart ships intentionally? The Gold Pop is currently on sale directly from Tramontina, but I doubt they ship internationally.
My only concern is whether the lid is sufficiently vented to keep the popcorn crisp. I may end up buying one anyways, and I'll let you know how it performs!
It doesn't look like either ship to Canada, unfortunately. But @tomf reminded me that there are services which forward US mail to Canada, so I will likely give one of those a try instead.
Please let me know how it compares if you get your hands on one!
So I’m buying a whirley pop. Would you suggest the nylon or metal gears?
Cook some chorizo, drain the fat and set aside the chorizo for later projects.
Use your newfound chorizo oil for your popcorn.
I don't know if it's really superior to other methods, but for the past decade when I get the occasional itch for popcorn I'll usually break out an air popper, pop the corn with it into a large bowl, then drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle salt over it, periodically moving the bowl in manner that's hard to describe (kinda "tosses" the popped corn) but is very effective at rotating it out for better topping coverage.
Spray olive oil may work better, but I haven't seen the brand I buy (which is selected to avoid the adulterated/rancid oil issues common to most commercially available olive oil) available in that form.
This is my usual method, both to limit babysitting a pot on a stove and to minimize cleanup.
The real hack I've learned is the type of kernel - I have purchased white corn from my local bulk food store and blue corn from the upscale market. White corn is so much better than yellow corn, and blue corn is heavenly. I highly recommend either if you haven't tried them!
I've been making massive quantities of kettle corn in a soup pot! Usually quarter cup sugar for a cup of popcorn, along with some salt and 2 tbsp butter. I get more of a workout shaking this pot than most activities. Never heard of flavacol, but I also like to add nutritional yeast.
I do NOT sympathize with your air popping device plan. They sound entirely too modest. Get a bigger pot!
You throw the sugar in with the butter and kernels I take it?
NOT QUITE. what I do is
oil plus six kernels, wait for pop
cup of kernels, take off heat shake thirty seconds, back on heat, wait for pop
add sugar, take off heat shake back on heat wait for pop
add butter, take off heat shake back on heat wait for pop let finish.
I am very smart, I invented this. I am a giant, you all stand on my shoulders.
edit: also I shake it a lot while it is popping. just in general you want to shake it, so it knows it is shook
You may want to try a Whirley Pop.
You can add the sugar after the popping has already started without burning yourself from splashing oil?
yes, this is a very tall pot. I do get some straight-up-jumpin but that's allowed, I call those kernels "free"
Pot. Microwave is a scam; overpriced, worse, and not much faster.
I put a bit of sunflower oil in the pot and a known number of kernels. Wait for them to pop on medium heat, then add more kernels covering the bottom of the pot. Cover with a loose lid so all the vapor can exit. Shake as the kernels pop. No butter; just added salt after transferring to a bowl.
Even worse, the lining of the microwave bag is PFAS and has been tested to leach massive amounts of PFAS in to the popcorn.
I spent years experimenting with various popcorn methods, including studying under the various schools of thought on r/popcorn, finally settling on coconut oil + flavacol + Amish Country butterfly kernels in a whirley-pop.
One improvement I would like to see is a combination of the bowl method (like in Alton Brown’s video, linked by u/Shevanel above) with a whirley-pop-like stirrer. Maybe this type of device exists, but I haven't seen one and I'm happy enough with my whirley-pop.
Can you elaborate on your method? Do you toss them ahead of time in oil, or this is after they come out of the whirley-pop?
Sure. I use the following approximate measurements:
(* Holy cow, in Alton Brown’s video, that guy uses a ton of salt!)
Process:
I've previously experimented with an air popper and found that it did a great job popping the corn, but I was never happy with my ability to coat the popped corn with salt and oil afterward. When I used that method, I tried to simulate "spritzing" the popcorn with oil so that salt would stick to them, and then shaking them in a big bowl to distribute the salt. It never worked in a satisfying way. Everything about the whirley-pop outclassed the airpopper method (except the cleanup, as a whirley-pop requires more clean-up work).
EDIT: 1/4 tsp Flavacol, not 1/8.
Usually I just eat skinny pop.
But, I also get these Orville Popcorn Kernels. I'll get a medium to large size pot. Spray the pot with Olive Oil throw in some salt. Heat it up and wait. Throw in the kernels (I just eyeball it). And then wait. When they start popping, that's when I start moving the pot. The pot is covered but with a small opening to allow air in (otherwise the popcorn comes out soggy). Pop them all and then move them into a large bowl. Spray the popcorn with more Olive Oil and pour salt on them again. Toss them in the oil and salt. And then eat them.
Popping on the stove is our preferred method too! Cheap and easy and you can control how (un)healthy it is
So I do stovetop and it's always my favorite. Popcorn has been my favorite snack since I was a kid.
Get a big pot (we use 8qt pot but you can use smaller for smaller batches), I use a mix of Amish Country Mushroom popcorn and their medium white hull-less. For an 8qt pot I use 1 1/3 cups of kernels total.
Put enough neutral oil in the pot to cover the bottom (vegetable works fine), toss like 2-4 kernels in and cover with heat on high. Once you hear the kernels start to pop, put the rest of your kernels in. Shake the pot every so often to cover the kernels in oil and continue shaking until most of the popping is done.
No butter needed, one seasoning that you may not expect but I've found to be my favorite is Morton's Season All.
I've tried other season-all flavors or other combinations of salts and it just doesn't hit the same, has to be Mortons.
But IMO the stovetop way above yields some of the best texture and flavoring. Putting any leftovers in an airtight container overnight tends to have a really good taste the next day as well, it's hard to describe how it changes but it's really good.
I'm surprised you're the only one to mention mushroom kernels. They make a huge difference!
This is more-or-less how I have made popcorn for years. It is very satisfying. We usually just salt it, but sometimes put in nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor. I have been meaning to restock popcorn. I had never heard of mushroom popcorn or any of the other varieties mentioned in this thread. Definitely going to try some out!
They make a surprisingly big difference! Amish Country popcorn is solid.
Regardless of method, the secret is it has to be popped in oil mixed with Flavacol. This is why movie theater popcorn tastes the way it does and air popped stuff tastes like sadness.
As a child, we used to have wood stoves and we had a popcorn tray thing - it was a perforated dish where we put the kernels in and it went on the wood stove and when it started popping we shook it. Salt got added after in the bowl, and it popped most of them - some user skill required in knowing when to take it off the stove.
These days I just microwave it because I'm lazy and as I prefer just plain salt, I don't really notice a difference :D
Something I really want to see in person one day is those pressure vessel popcorn makers, they look awesome
It's distinctly different from the kind you get at the movie theater, but I've been in love with BDG's pepcorn since he first released the video. It's mixed with Lao Gan Ma and (optionally) red pepper powder, for a savory and (optionally) spicy popcorn.
I make it basically the same way he instructs in the video, it's very easy and you can grind a big bag of spices to use for many preparations. I recommend you buy a separate coffee grinder to use for spices, as no matter how well you clean them there'll still be a little bit of dust left, and I don't really like coffee flavored salt or salt flavored coffee.
I do stovetop with vegetable oil, I don't use flavacol since I don't really care about replicating theater flavor. I usually season with table salt, cumin, and chipotle powder, and shake well! My number one tip for stove top is to make sure it is high enough heat! When it's popping slower it's more likely to burn since the already popped kernels have more time to sit in the oil, gotta get it going fast!
I make popcorn ahead of time and let it dry out - that makes it much crispier. I think one of the big misconceptions of the casual public is that "fresh" popcorn tastes better. I find it too chewy because it hasn't allowed the moisture to leave the kernels completely.
One of my favorite things is popcorn made in one of those home theater machines; you pop the popcorn in the big kettle, dump it out into the area below with the tray that allows the unpopped kernels and smaller bits to filter through, and then leave it with the heat lamp on. Come back hours later (or overnight) then top it with a little salt and it's super crispy.
I have tried air poppers, I had two different ones and both broke down and the results were kinda meh, so I gave up on that approach.
Then I tried to just put them in a pot with a closed lid on the the stove with a spoon of oil, the result was much better but for some reason 1/3 of the times it just fails miserably, either they burn or they don't pop properly, and no idea why because I always try to do the same.
Now my favorite method is that put popcorn mixed with a very small amount of oil in a paper bag, close the bag and put it in the microwave for 3 mins. This has been working so far and the results are quite good, so I'm sticking with this.
I have good luck with stovetop popcorn if I do three kernels first and once they've popped add the rest. This lets things preheat and prevents some hot spots
Agreed, sacrificial test kernels are critical in my experience.
I prefer air popped as well simply because I don’t like it greasy, and every stove method tends to need at least a little bit of oil to aid with heat transfer. Air popping also helps because it dries out the popped corn which makes it even more crispy. The secret is to pop it directly into a paper bag so you can shake out the unpopped kernels, because - spoilers - every air popper sucks! I kind of want to experiment with making my own shroud to try to improve upon the design.
The irony of this super dry popcorn is that seasonings don’t stick well to it so you’ll actually have to moisten it if you want it strongly seasoned, and for that it’s best to lay it out on a baking sheet and do a quick spray with a spray bottle. Don’t do too much though; it shouldn’t look or feel wet in the least.
The best seasonings are peppers of different kinds. Black peppercorn is great, but also try good old fashioned red chili flakes, paprika, etc. Curry and other spice blends are also good to experiment with.
If you do want fat on your popcorn I really don’t blame you, just avoid butter. It blunts the flavors you want. Use a neutral vegetable oil. If you want that butter flavor, you would be better off purchasing flavacol or some other brand of butter flavored salt.
...but then the salt-
Exactly!
...Oh. That's really interesting. I've never thought of doing something like that, but now I'd really like to try it.
From my extra crunchy granola contacts I've actually had them recommend using aquafaba as the popcorn moistening agent, but I didn't want to try putting that in a spraybottle and it had weird effects when sprinkling it on popcorn because it kind of just gums it up. The spraybottle just kinda works and you can use saltwater as well (though I personally wouldn't because I just have an all-purpose water sprayer).
To their credit, though, bean juice and popcorn did actually taste pretty good once you get over the soggy popcorn texture, especially when you added lots of nooch.
The best
wayexperience to make popcorn is Jiffy Pop as (or with) a kid, ideally over a campfire.I keep it simple: pot on stove, a little oil, kernals. Shake shake shake.
My favourite way to dress popcorn is a mixture of butter and olive oil, with nutritional yeast and ground pepper. I love nutritional yeast on popcorn, it lends such a savoury flavour!
I came across microwaveable silicone popcorn poppers in this video where the guy was talking about how they can be used for more than just popcorn. Piqued my curiosity so I got one.
It makes excellent popcorn. I enjoy the popped kernels as-is, with no oil or flavoring. They turn out crunchy and taste "fresh" — if that makes sense.
It's also dishwasher safe.
Haven't made it myself, but Brian David Gilbert's Pepcorn video definitely looks like one of the tastiest popcorn recipes I've seen. Uses a wok, gochugaru, and Lao Gan Ma so it's gonna have some heat to it.
I've made it a couple of times, he's 100% correct it is very tasty. The Lao Gan Ma doesnt add a ton of spice so if you're looking for spicy popcorn make sure to add that gochugaru
I’m not an expert but I know someone who is and she just pops it in the microwave. No oil or anything. Just in a ceramic bowl, plate on top as cover, and that’s it. Stops the microwave when it stops popping. It makes good popcorn and there is one of that battery mess or oily texture that we dislike.