Author Topic: Thoughts On Popcorn  (Read 4189 times)

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Offline trapeze

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Thoughts On Popcorn
« on: September 08, 2013, 11:35:27 PM »
I'm gonna be upfront with this right away: Popcorn is my absolute favorite snack food.

I cannot go to the movies without buying a large popcorn with butter or whatever that oily yellow stuff is that they squirt all over it. I don't get the enormous size (the one that comes in a gallon bucket and ought to have straps on the side that go around your ears so that you can just submerge your head in it and eat hands free like a horse feed bag), I get the size just under that one. It's big enough to get me through about a third of the movie and not so big that I'm sorry I consumed it.

But most of all I like to make my own. I have tried innumerable methods and combinations over the years starting in my childhood. I remember creating those early batches by putting some vegetable oil in a big frying pan with a lid and shaking it back and forth over a stove top burner until the popping stopped.

I remember the first air popper I ever used and thought, "Wow, popping corn with a hair dryer." I liked the unattended nature of an air popper...just set it up with a load in the hopper and a bowl underneath and then go do something else. That was pretty convenient.

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention Jiffy Pop. I can't tell you how many of those things I have ruined over the years...they are so easy to leave on the heat too long and end up with a layer of burned black popcorn on bottom that pretty much ruins the whole thing with the smell. Plus, Jiffy Pop just has mediocre seasoning. It's advertised as a complete popcorn solution...just add heat...you can even eat right out of the package that you use to make it. But, it just isn't very good. Not movie theater quality, or baseball park quality...just kind of bland. It's a novelty, especially for kids, to see that foil dome puff up but other than that there's just not much to it.

But I digress...

As much as I liked the convenience of an air popper, though, it never really produced great tasting popcorn. The cooking process itself is utterly without taste. The flavor has to be added after the fact...throw some butter on it and add some salt. An air popper makes some very dry popcorn and if you don't get a few spatters of butter on it then it stays dry and kind of tasteless.

So what I have moved to in recent years is a dedicated oil popper. I particularly like the ones that have a motorized stirring stick in them to move the kernels around while they are being heated. I honestly don't know if it makes a real difference or not but it makes me feel that it does. During the later years of my childhood (before the air popper days) our family had an oil popper and it was deep and had no stir stick. It worked okay but I can't say that it was a great popper. It didn't seem to be any better than a covered frying pan that we started out using.

Anyway, as far as the mechanical stuff...what is being used to actually cook the popcorn...I think that I am at the end of the line with the oil cooker and the motorized stirring stick. If you look at the commercial units that the theaters and stadiums use they are pretty much larger versions of this type of popper so I guess that means something.

What I ended up with, though is the quest for the perfect combination of ingredients to use with an oil popper to produce decent homemade popcorn.

This stuff is divided into four areas:

- the popcorn itself...the kernels,
- the oil,
- the butter and
- the seasoning

I remember the first time that I saw an ad for Orville Redenbacher "Gourmet" Popcorn and, being young and impressionable, it made total sense to me. Here is this really odd looking guy who was more obsessed than me with making good popcorn and he says he's done all this research and work to come up with some kind of super duper hybrid popping corn that is so incredible it takes the top right off of the popper where as the "ordinary" popcorn just wouldn't do it. It had to be true. You saw it happen right there on television. And it was pretty good popcorn as far as that went. More about this later.

I went through other cheaper brands of popcorn and it sure seemed to be the way old Orville said it was...that they were just inferior.

In my quest for better homemade popcorn I even ordered up a few cases of semi-commercial grade stuff from a restaurant supply house. Maybe you've seen that stuff. It comes in neat little plastic packages with the three basic ingredients: the corn, the oil and the seasoning. Well, I found that corn to be all over the map as far as quality goes. Sometimes it would pop up nice like Orville's stuff and sometimes it would be really bad...barely popped, half popped...and really crappy tasting. I was stumped as to why the quality was so variable.

SIDE NOTE: Microwave popcorn

I was never really satisfied with any microwave popcorn at all. The convenience was great, of course, but the taste was never as good as oil popped. Then I found one brand that was as close as I have ever seen to the real deal. That would be Pop Secret Homestyle brand. Not perfect but pretty darned good. For microwaved.

Okay, so back to the corn. The kernels. I liked Orville Redenbacher's popcorn but I didn't like the price of the stuff. One of the things that I found especially annoying in the later years was that the container had an absolutely enormous dimple in the bottom of the thing that gave the illusion that you were getting more of the stuff than you actually got. I hate that kind of fakery. But what I wanted was Orville Redenbacher quality popping corn at store brand prices. I figured that the "Jolly Time" would be a decent brand but it didn't seem to be very good in the big scheme of things.

I finally think, though, that I figured it out...that I might actually know what Orville's secret is. I think that it's all about moisture retention in the kernels. Popcorn pops because when you heat it the moisture trapped inside of the kernel flashes to steam at some point and the result is a big fluffy piece of popcorn. As long as that moisture is there you are pretty much guaranteed to get a decent result. I think that Orville figured out that if he could keep his kernels moisture level consistent then it would always pop up big. His secret to accomplishing this? The jar. I think that if you were to take his kernels out of the jar and allow them to sit around for several weeks the stuff would pop up just as poorly as any store brand. And conversely, that's why store brands and even the medium brands like Jolly Time don't have great results...they are sold in plastic bags which don't seal up after they are opened. So, they lose the kernels moisture as soon as the bag is breached. In fact, the plastic bags are not very good to begin with and even if left on the shelf in a sealed bag I think that they lose the moisture after a while and the result is small, crappy tasting popcorn.

So here is what I have been doing: I buy a relatively cheap bag of Jolly Time (about half the price of Orville's) and when it gets home I immediately dump the entire bag into a clean and empty 2-liter soda bottle and cap it. I have been doing this now for quite a while and damned if the stuff doesn't pop up huge and taste great every time. The secret to decent popcorn popping performance is a hermetically sealed popcorn container.

Okay, next is the oil. I had no idea that there was anything to the oil until I heard Rush Limbaugh tell the story about the food nazis at the Center For Science In The Public Interest's campaign to get rid of the palm oils that included the coconut oil used by movie theaters and other commercial outlets like ball parks. This was a revelation to me. I had no idea that the oil made a difference. I remember searching all over the place for coconut oil and ended up ordering some from a restaurant supply house. That was a long time ago and now you can find the stuff in most grocery stores. Apparently, enough people like me were asking for it that the demand eventually was met by grocery store managers. And, yes, it does make a huge difference in the finished product, the taste of the popped corn. I know this because I have gone back and done blind taste tests and, for me, it's indisputable as to which oil produces the best tasting popcorn.

Butter is butter and that's about all there is to it. Margarine sucks and that orange bottle of Orville Redenbacher popcorn "topping" is just too creepy for me to use. I've tried it and have found that it just isn't that good and the fact that it's some kind of mystery oil just seals the deal. I won't use it. No, butter is it for me. I will use pretty much any decent grade of butter...the brand seems to be not a factor. I like a butter that is "lightly salted" or "salted" because, I don't know, I just think it tastes better. Your mileage may vary.

Seasonings are all over the place. Personally, I like salt. Not table salt but rather the extremely fine ground stuff that is sold as popcorn salt. It's like powder so you get the taste of salt without the granular texture of table salt.

So that's it for me and homemade popcorn. I have, I believe, reached the end of the road. I've hit the wall, achieving what is for me the ultimate homemade popcorn: Oil popped with coconut oil using kernels kept in a sealed container, flavored with real butter and popcorn salt.

Does that end the discussion?

No, not really. As I mentioned earlier there are so many variations of popcorn that I could go on for a lot longer. There are any number of pre-popped bags of popcorn in various "gourmet" flavors that you can buy these days and perhaps I will go into them when the mood strikes me or others can chime in with their own popcorn stories and opinions. Kettle corn. Cheddar popcorn. Carmel corn. Cracker Jacks. The list goes on and on and on. And how many dozens of seasonings are there? I am a traditionalist and I like salt but mrs. trapeze insists on the fake cheese sprinkles on hers. And the fake butter sprinkles. Go figure.

And then there's those big tubs that come out around the winter months that have "butter," and "caramel," and "cheese," flavors in them...I almost always go through a couple of those a season.

And what about popcorn as a diet food?

So, if anyone else wants to take a shot at this I would say there is a lot more to this subject than just my particular journey, experiments, etc.
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Online Pandora

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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2013, 12:44:20 AM »
Coconut oil.  Real melted butter.  Salt?  Pfft.  Just use the shaker, and then shake.

And I'm not looking for a rebuttal nor an argument.  Just do what makes you happy and so will I.

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Offline Libertas

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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2013, 06:50:47 AM »
Mmm...hot buttered & salted popcorn, yum!

Now, about the only thing I do not like about popcorn is gettin' those little thingies stuck in the gums!

But a toothpick takes care of that!   ::thumbsup::
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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2013, 07:01:27 AM »
Quote
I was never really satisfied with any microwave popcorn at all. The convenience was great, of course, but the taste was never as good as oil popped. Then I found one brand that was as close as I have ever seen to the real deal. That would be Pop Secret Homestyle brand. Not perfect but pretty darned good.

^^^
That. We tried the air popper too. Same thing; taste was bland. Need the oil in the popping process. Never ventured into pan-popping. Use jiffy pop for novelty when camping, always burns; always gets thrown away.

When we have popcorn at home these days it is usually Pop Secret Homestyle microwave. Stuff tastes good, and it's ready in 2:10, almost every kernel popped, with a few yummy "old maids" to boot.
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Offline trapeze

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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #4 on: September 09, 2013, 09:45:37 AM »
Coconut oil.  Real melted butter.  Salt?  Pfft.  Just use the shaker, and then shake.

And I'm not looking for a rebuttal nor an argument.  Just do what makes you happy and so will I.



If you haven't tried coconut oil it is worth a shot. I've been using it for several years now and when I run out and have to use vegetable oil the difference is very noticeable.

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Offline LadyVirginia

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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #5 on: September 09, 2013, 01:46:35 PM »
I was never much of a popcorn fan until I started popping it with coconut oil.  Been doing that for years.  I usually have fine sea salt in the pantry and I use that for seasoning. I guess it's similar to the popcorn salt in that it's very fine. Have to salt it as soon as the popcorn is done and still hot to get it stay on the popcorn because I don't use butter.  I don't like it buttered. 

I have one pot that I use.  It's 6 cups I believe with a glass lid that has a tiny air hole to let out steam.  The "recipe" for my size pot that I found works best is 2 T oil and 1/4 cup of corn.  But I've been doing it so long I just wing it now.  So I just spoon out some oil and cover the bottom of the pan with a nice generous layer of kernels.  If the right amount is in there it will pop up high enough to lift the lid which the kids love seeing.  Of course, if there's too much corn in there they won't all pop.

This combo works for me.  When I've used other sized pots the results weren't as good.  Too small a pot and the kernals have no room and too big and the air doesn't warm up fast enough to pop them before it starts burning.

The coconut oil also makes popcorn easier to store once popped.  I have made it advance for when the kids got home and it wasn't stale.  I keep it in a big glass container I bought at the Container Store that I also use as a cookie jar.   I know it's weird but my family won't look in a jar to see what's in it. So my cookie jar has to be see through. 

I store my popcorn in a glass canning jar whether I get it in a plastic bag or at the bulk aisle.

added:  about to make some right now and decided to measure it out-- and realized I wrote the wrong amount--it's 3/4 c not 1/4 c of corn
« Last Edit: September 10, 2013, 02:21:18 PM by LadyVirginia »
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Offline Predator Don

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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #6 on: September 09, 2013, 02:49:09 PM »
I'll try the Pop Secret homestyle brand. I'm too lazy to pop it myself.
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Offline LadyVirginia

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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #7 on: September 09, 2013, 02:56:06 PM »
I'll try the Pop Secret homestyle brand. I'm too lazy to pop it myself.

My daughter recently bought a bag of already popped that she said was pretty good (and she likes mine the best--so that's her standard).  I'll have to ask her what brand.
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Offline warpmine

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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #8 on: September 15, 2013, 07:31:40 PM »
And to think we were using 1500 mile used motor oil from Pennzoil. It did have an interesting flavor and the smell was that of a mechanic's garage. ::hysterical::
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Offline AlanS

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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #9 on: September 16, 2013, 01:28:17 AM »
And to think we were using 1500 mile used motor oil from Pennzoil. It did have an interesting flavor and the smell was that of a mechanic's garage. ::hysterical::

I was fond of 30 wt. Lots better than 10w-40.
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Offline warpmine

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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2013, 05:57:36 AM »
And to think we were using 1500 mile used motor oil from Pennzoil. It did have an interesting flavor and the smell was that of a mechanic's garage. ::hysterical::

I was fond of 30 wt. Lots better than 10w-40.
We've found that it's not the viscosity but the state of tune of the engine.
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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #11 on: September 16, 2013, 06:06:24 AM »
As a kid, my Mom never bought Jiffy Pop.  It was expensive in comparison to a bag of popcorn (no microwave stuff as a kid because . . . no home microwaves).  I never got into Jiffy Pop because of the storage problem; those pans were huge in comparison to a bag of popcorn.

I used microwave popcorn, for convenience, but always hated having all those unpopped kernels.  Here's a trick I was told to stop that -- and it works:  When popping a bag of microwave popcorn, raise the bag off the turntable a little bit; I used an inverted microwave safe Corning Ware broiling dish that was about 1 1/2 to 2" high.  Works like a charm.

Now I use my lidded wok and bagged popcorn; it can make a huge amount at once.  It also allows me to control the oil and the salt.  I'll sometimes add melted butter (always unsalted as that is all I buy, again, to control the salt), but it's not a requirement.

As for the yellow goop in the theaters, that stuff is scary.  And notice they never give napkins when they sell you a bucket of the stuff; it should come with towelettes.  Greasy is being kind.

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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #12 on: September 16, 2013, 09:37:24 AM »
...I used microwave popcorn, for convenience, but always hated having all those unpopped kernels...

That's one of the things I love about Pop Secret. I've got it down now, where 2:10 in our microwave pops all but the last couple stubborn kernels. I'll end up with about a dozen unpopped, and about half of those are perfect old maids, which I love.
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

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Offline LadyVirginia

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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #13 on: September 16, 2013, 10:03:28 AM »

As for the yellow goop in the theaters, that stuff is scary.  And notice they never give napkins when they sell you a bucket of the stuff; it should come with towelettes.  Greasy is being kind.

^^Another reason I don't like it. Plus it tastes more like the flavoring than corn. My way I can taste the corn.
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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #14 on: September 24, 2013, 09:22:56 PM »
 ::thinking:: ::thinking:: ::thinking::
 ::popcorn:: ::popcorn:: ::popcorn:: ::popcorn:: ::popcorn:: ::popcorn::
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

- Thomas Jefferson

Offline Libertas

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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #15 on: September 24, 2013, 09:48:00 PM »
Yeah what's not to like?  Most of my t-shirts have all sorts of food stains...not sure how that happens...  ;D
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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #16 on: September 24, 2013, 10:28:41 PM »
Oink-ee. 

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Offline Libertas

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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #17 on: September 24, 2013, 10:29:39 PM »
(snort!)
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Re: Thoughts On Popcorn
« Reply #18 on: September 24, 2013, 10:49:36 PM »
That's ::snort:: to you.

/gotta teach y'all everything?
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