Popcorn
Shannon and I watch a lot of movies. We recently signed up for Zip (the Canadian version of Netflix) and now we’re almost ritualistically watching as many movies as possible to make our membership fees seem like an even better value. More movies than we can comfortably watch in a month costs us less than the price of a night out to the theater.
When we do make it to the theater, a comparatively rare occasion for movies that seem to have real merit, I am a total stickler at the concession stand. I joke about how, when we have kids, she’s going to take them to get popcorn and they’ll refute with, “No way! That’s how they get you!” and ramble on about inflated prices and sodium levels, forcing you to drink over-priced beverages as a consequence. (I’m fun.)
The same issue would arise at the rental outlets, standing in line and eyeing the microwave popcorn. That stuff’s not as bad as the movie theater variety (do you know how much fat is in that stuff? I’ll give you a hint, it’s more than a Big Mac!) but it’s still typically loaded with hydrogenated palm oil and a bunch of other unnecessary additives.
So, I make popcorn at home. A pound of popcorn kernels, purchased in bulk, costs me less than $2 a pound, and a pound of popcorn kernels produces a lot of popped popcorn. I’m not much of a snacker, but popcorn is my go-to snack if I feel like being a glutton and totally stuffing my face with something without much consequence. Popcorn isn’t the least bit filling, but it’s fairly high in fiber and low in calories, providing it’s not close to deep-fried.
For the longest time, we would add Splenda to our popcorn, in an effort to duplicate the flavor of kettle corn. I’m a sucker for salty and sweet combinations (Peanut Brittle, for example) and this satisfied me for a while. Tonight, I decided to figure out exactly what real kettle corn was and how to make it. Not surprisingly (at least to me), kettle corn originated from Dutch settlers in Pennsylvania, who used Dutch ovens (“kettles”) to make it over a fire. The first three recipes I found on the Internet all had the exact same ingredients and method, so I tried it. Let’s just say that the results yielded more smoke than edibles and you can’t trust the Internet. After a couple of tries, I found a winning combination. Maybe it just tasted better because it tasted like victory, but oh man, fresh kettle corn is heavenly! I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go back now.
A while ago I had a revelation that using ghee (clarified butter) for making popcorn would give popcorn a buttery flavor without having to add more butter on top of the oil it was popped in. Tonight I learned that the first invention of a popcorn making machine used a combination of clarified butter and lard to pop the kernels in. Sometimes, left to my own devices, I can be onto something – even if I’m only on to the techniques of early 19th century America.
Finally, for those of you that would rather just pop a bag in the microwave and set a timer, a recipe to do just that. Aside from eating, popcorn does have other uses, like being used for makeshift strings of garland to hang on Christmas trees, but since squirrels just ravaged our Jack-o-Lanterns this week, I think I’m going to think long and hard before I put up edible decor in the future.
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Heat a cast iron Dutch oven (or similar heavy bottomed pot) over medium-high heat with lid on, containing the oil and a couple of popcorn kernels. When you hear the kernels pop, the oil is ready.
- Remove the lid, add the remaining popcorn kernels and sugar, stirring quickly with a wooden spoon to coat. Put the lid back on and, shaking occasionally to prevent sticking, continue to cook over medium-high heat until popping reduces dramatically.
- Remove the lid and sprinkle over the salt. Put the lid back on, give the pot a shake and then dump the contents into a bowl for good eating.
For ease of clean up, when the pot has cooled (to avoid cracking), fill it with water and bring to a boil and scrape off any caramelized sugar with a wooden spoon. Since the sugar adds so much depth on its own, it is unnecessary to use very much salt to bring out the flavor. Add a couple of honey roasted peanuts in there if I’m coming over.
- 1/4 cup clarified butter (ghee) or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Heat a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat with the lid on, containing the oil and a couple of popcorn kernels. When you hear the kernels pop, the oil is ready.
- Remove the lid and add the remaining popcorn kernels. Put the lid back on and, shaking occasionally to prevent sticking, continue to cook over medium-high heat until popping reduces dramatically.
- Remove the lid and sprinkle over the salt. Put the lid back on, give the pot a shake and then dump the contents into a bowl for good eating.
Yes, this is just a small variation over the recipe above. So what?
- 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
- Coat the popcorn kernels with oil and place in a brown paper lunch bag. Omit the oil if you are not adding salt, it is merely to give the salt something to cling to.
- Fold the flap of the bag over twice to seal and place, standing up right, in the middle of the microwave.
- Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, or until popping begins to subside. Remove from the microwave, carefully open the bag and sprinkle with salt, if using. Reseal, shake to distribute salt and enjoy.
Since microwaves vary greatly, you may need to experiment with how long and how much power to use to make your popcorn.