Popcorn!!

[laborcat]

My grandfather used to make the most delicious popcorn for football watching with my dad on Sundays. I've been missing them, and got the taste for the popcorn so badly that I gave it a shot.

I've never popped corn on the stovetop before. But I checked the internet for the proportion of corn to oil to salt and it was damn near perfect. I did it!! And I ate the whole bowl I can feel my arteries clogging as I type. His secret was to pop the stuff in bacon grease. Emily is a happy, happy, very full person right now. I need to conquer more fears before I turn 45.

[Greenday]

I got into stove top popcorn a couple years ago. You gets so many more kernels for your dollar. It's a lot healthier.

I basically add just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan, put in half a cup of kernels and I'm good to go a few minutes later.

[Kogarashi]

I've always found that stovetop popcorn ends up a little too dense for me, no matter what I try.

I actually like the texture of microwaved popcorn, but I don't buy the bagged microwave stuff from the store because it's too expensive and the butter proportion isn't always right for me. Instead, I got myself a microwave bowl for popcorn (that exact one, actually). I had the idea because my parents had a microwave bowl when I was a teen that we used a whole bunch and it worked quite well.

So now when I have a hankerin' for popcorn, I just put about a 1/4 cup of kernels in the bottom of the bowl and pop it in the microwave. I have a separate bowl to scoop the popped kernels into, so I can re-pop the ones that didn't go the first time 'round and end up with maybe ten unpopped kernels at the end. Then I use a small stoneware mug to melt some butter to pour over top, toss it, and then add either salt or a store-bought flavor topping (white cheddar is my favorite at the moment).

And it's way cheaper than constantly buying the microwave bags, plus potentially healthier (if I make sure not to overdo it on the butter).

[darkroxas45]

Did someone say popcorn? *starts bouncing on a trampoline*

[taxguykarl]

His secret was to pop the stuff in bacon grease.

Not a surprise. As one famous chef would say: Pork fat rules.
Seriously though, the last time I did stove top (well, technically campfire) popcorn was my Boy Scout days. I have to give that a try. Quite a few farmers' market regulars offer popcorn.

[AccountingDrone]

We do it in a wok, using olive oil [you have to watch it so it doesn't burn] and salt and garlic powder it. We frequently pull out a batch and toss it out to the geese unflavored/salted [salt and garlic are not good for geese]

[Ophbalance]

My family has always had one of those home poppers with the sweeper arm forever (eg since far as memory goes back). I've owned several myself since moving out and starting my own family almost 20 years ago now. Is it that much different on the stove?

[XCashier]

A friend of mine popped popcorn in peanut oil, which gave it a very nice flavor.

[Food Lady]

I don't have a popular view: that it's not the fat that's the problem but the glucose-raising, insulin-eliciting mass o' starch in the corn.

That said, coconut oil (refined, not cold-pressed) is the best oil for popping corn if you're going to do it.

Also, I'm not a huge fan of popcorn, but Doc Popcorn is so good that I paid $4--FOUR DOLLARS--for a very small bag. *sigh* It's right outside the door of my job. I'm in trouble.

[Kogarashi]

I don't have a popular view: that it's not the fat that's the problem but the glucose-raising, insulin-eliciting mass o' starch in the corn.

Out of curiosity, what source do you have for that info? From what I've looked up, popcorn (unseasoned, of course) doesn't significantly impact sugar levels.

[Food Lady]

Out of curiosity, what source do you have for that info? From what I've looked up, popcorn (unseasoned, of course) doesn't significantly impact sugar levels.

My blood.
The GI is 72. http://www.diabetes.ucsf.edu/sites/d...ic%20Index.pdf Adding fat should bring that down, which was my point. I stopped eating stuff like that and my reactive hypoglycemia is just...gone, along with 25 lbs. That's all I need to know.

[Kogarashi]

Fair enough. And I ended up asking my husband too, since he's actually a scientist working on corn, and he confirmed what you said. Still not necessarily a high amount, compared to other things (like sweet corn), but enough that diabetics for instance should pay attention.

And heck, who am I to discount anyone's personal experience when they're applying it to themselves?

[lordlundar]

I'm partial to fat popped corn myself. With it being more dense than air popped it has a moister feel on the tongue. The added flavour from the oil also helps.

As for compariso to microwave, well there is no comparison. Hell, I will take air popped over microwave any day. To add, the oil popped is actually done faster than microwave.