Popping popcorn in the microwave is fast, easy and puts on a show like Jiffy Pop! Here's the easiest and most entertaining way to pop your satisfying snack.
I store my knitting needles in a Pringles can. That pretty much sums up my love of the potato chip. I love them with all of my heart.
In fact, I like chips so much that I can no longer have chips in the house. I just can't. I cannot be trusted with a cupboard filled with salty, crispy goodness that fits neatly into a bowl and makes my mouth water just thinking about them. Because if I have chips in the house I eat the chips in the house. All of them.
I just put a reasonable amount into a small bowl, close up the bag and put it away in the cupboard. I do this over and over again until all the chips are gone which usually takes about half an hour.
So I've had to move on to another snack that I can eat while I'm pretending to watch a movie at night. I say pretending because what I'm usually doing is half listening to a movie while I work on my computer or creep people's Facebook pages. When someone makes a movie that's more interesting than some of the weirdos I know on Facebook, then I'll watch it.
Enter popcorn. My new snack of choice!
Which I don't really like.
I mean let's face it. There's no comparison between the crispy goodness of a potato chip and a styrofoamy mouthful of popcorn. Luckily I've found if you put even just a tablespoon of butter on popcorn it improves it immensely. And salt of course. Because salt is the spice of Gods.
I was buying bags of microwave popcorn and using those but I didn't really like the fake butter popcorn. I also bought prepopped bags of popcorn which were O.K., but still not great. Plus the bags of popcorn were expensive.
So on a whim I bought a bottle of Orville Redenbacher's popcorn and brought it home with me. Since we all like to live in a world where we do things the cutest, most Pinterest-worthy way possible I immediately pulled out a pot and some oil and tried to stove top pop my popcorn.
All I ended up with was a pot I had to scrub burnt oil from and 3 popped kernels. So that's how that went. And it went that way several times. There's apparently a bit of a trick to getting popcorn to stovetop pop. I tried all the tricks and I was never satisfied with the popcorn. Plus I had to stand there and shake the pan, which looks great in a Pinterest photo, but in real life I don't want to spend any more time on a crappy snack I'm not even going to enjoy because it isn't potato chips, than I have to.
I didn't have any paper bags in the house so I couldn't pop it in the microwave.
Or could I?
Yes. Yes I could. I have no idea how I came up with this but I might have invented the greatest way to pop popcorn ever. Especially if you have kids.
IT'S LIKE JIFFY POP YOU CAN WATCH!
Once the popcorn is done popping, I add a tablespoon of butter onto the plate on top, which is hot enough to melt the butter, then I just tip the melted butter into the popcorn. Add salt. And enjoy.
When I say "enjoy" I mean eat. Popcorn is eaten. Potato chips? Potato chips are enjoyed.
Have a favourite popcorn topping for me? Lemme know!
Traci
Gah! We have been on a popcorn hiatus because it is a choking hazard for the little guy...it is such a great snack though!
mbaker
I like mine with salt, fresh-ground black pepper and rosemary. I usually skip the butter when I do this, but there's no reason you couldn't add a little.
Mary MacDonald
In the butter you intend to put on top, add rubbed rosemary needles and some cayenne powder. After your corn is popped, pour half the butter and toss, then pour the other half and toss some more. Then, add some nutritional yeast flakes. So so good!
Higher protein and waaaay less salt, so I can be snacky but still virtuous about the low sodium thing.
karin
ooooooh, I like the sparkly snow flake background....
oooooooooooooooooh, I LOVE the shirt you're wearing, when will it be added to the shop? cause I would buy that and I'm sure I'm not alone.
call me a heathen but I don't care much for chips, I do love popcorn though and will definitely try that out.
have a great day.
Karen
Hi Heathen! Thanks, I'm happy someone finally mentioned my snowflake background! I was hoping to get tee shirts up in time for Christmas but I don't think that's gonna happen I'm afraid. They *will* eventually be for sale but I'm going to have to relinquish control and have them printed at a professional shop as opposed to screen printing them myself. I just plain old don't have time. ~ karen!
Jessica
The snowflake background doesn't exist for me. :-(
holly
I don't have snowflake background either...fyi.
Karen
Hey Holly. You won't see the snowflakes if you're looking at it on too small of a screen. Like a phone. ~ karen!
Tracy
Totally, totally addicted to popcorn! Go to the movies....WE get a bucket and "I" eat it before the trailers have ended. Hello, Refill!
At home, I throw some kernels in a paper bag, roll down the top and pop. Pour into a bowl and toss with spritz of Orville Redenbacher's popcorn oil and popcorn salt. THEN....hit it with some ghost pepper salt from ( http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/blends/ghosts.html ) and snarf.
Have been know to shake parmesan cheese on it, too.
And, welcome to the club. I'm also a Can't Have Chips in the House kinda gurl.....sigh.
Jane
Since nobody mentioned this combo....try a tblsp of coconut oil and a tblsp of honey melted together and drizzled over the top....yummy!
Kate
Hmmm.... Popcorn toppings?.......
Idris Elba? Does he count?
I'd definitely drop him for a heavenly, salty, tangy, salt & vinegar crisp anyday though.
Luther's coming back soon. :)
Karen
Are you KIDDING?! LUTHER'S COMING BACK??? ~ karen!
Kate
I know! I actually thought of you the second I saw the trailer. Ha ha! ....... But then it took me about a week to actually get around to sending a link for it to you, sorry about that. I have no idea when it'll be available to view in canada either. But at least you know it's coming.... one day.
Lauren from Winnipeg
I had heard that there was going to be a Luther movie that was based on his life prior to the series. I would prefer just more seasons of Luther, but I'll take what I can get. Excellent show.
Lauren from Winnipeg
Yes! Ruth Wilson is returning. Loved her character.
Karen
That's GREAT news Lauren! I was hoping she'd be in the series but didn't have time to Google if she was. Plus didn't want to be disappointed when she wasn't. You made my day! ~ karen!
Jenifer
Salt and vinegar...popcorn???? I am DEFINITELY trying this soon!!!
(Along with some butter and cinnamon sugar...suppose I'll have to watch a movie now so the family worry about me!)
Thanks for the ideas!
Pat
We used to do the pot on the stove with oil. Then we went to the microwave popcorn package routine but then realized how bad it is with all the additives. Then we bought a Whirly Pop popper, which is a pot with a lid that has these prongs attached to it that keep the popcorn flying around in there...add oil, heat, add popcorn and turn the top handle to whirl it around. Perfect popcorn everytime. While my husband does that, I gently heat various combinations of olive oil with balsamic vinegar, a bit of curry powder, or whatever catches our fancy in the spice cupboard that night. You need to experiment a bit with the flavours you like. There are suggestions out there. Much better for you than, sigh, chips. Then we consume a very large bowl before it gets cold.
Jack Ledger
Why are there not that many jokes about popcorn?
Because they are corny!!
I am old and losing touch.........don't blame me.
Debbie from Illinois
Thanks for the chuckle!
Karen
LOL! If you're browsing blogs and commenting you can't be that out of touch. Just corny. ~ karen!
Ruth
I can't keep chips in the house... neither Pringles potato nor Soldanza banana chips. I once fooled myself into thinking I could buy these things in bulk and have them last a month or two. That did not go well.... AT ALL.
My family loves what you North Americans call 'kettle' corn -- crunchy, sweet and a bit salty, all at the same time. It's not chips, but it stops a gap. I've done a spicy popcorn with turmeric, cayenne and salt OR nutritional yeast and cayenne OR just sea salt and cayenne (there's a recurring cayenne theme here) -- for the days when the popcorn needs a kick.
We don't own a microwave or I could try your version. What we use is a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot with glass lid, on a low flame, and coconut oil instead of butter.
Those CHIPS though... nothing compares. Chips, chips, chips...
billy sharpstick
One word: smoked paprika. Okay, that was two words.
Chip tangent: I like pita chips, and made a large vat of clam dip for a party. I was going to buy the chips. They are not with the regular chips. Pita chips are now superhip gourmet food and are sold in the deli department near the hummus, another superhip gourmet food. I inspected the prices. It turns out that pita chips, usually with superhip gourmet spices added, are about four times the price of fresh pita bread. Apparently "superhip gourmet" is semantically equal to "overpriced overhyped". I cut the pita in eighths, separated the two layers, spread out on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at about 250 until they were crisp(about twenty minutes?)
About those legal price per unit requirements. You still have to carry a calculator(they call them "cell phones" now. Take an eleven year old child with you to operate it.) with you to figure them out. They are stated in cents per ounce, cents per unit, cents each, cents per cubit, etc.
Okay, no more coffee for me this morning. (BTW, I get up at six, see your new posts that always come at exactly 12:03 am EST, think I am the first one to read it, scroll down and see forty comments already. Don't you people ever sleep?!)
Karen
I sometimes wonder the same thing Billy. ~ karen!
Margaret K.
But Midnight EST is only 9 pm PST. So there are all these West Coast AoDS junkies waiting for the stroke of EST midnight to read and comment!
Kathleen in Fl
I rarely comment, but that video was too freaking funny. Thanks for my first belly laugh of day. I hate popcorn. Totally love chips which I refuse to buy. Have a great day, and thanks again.
Monica
I too had to quit buying chips after accidentally discovering the best snack EVER!!!
Dipping Wavy Lays potato chips in Nutella. You know the awesome goodness of sweet and salt together....you're welcome.
Since I was well on my way to needing all new pants, we are a popcorn house now. While my popcorn is popping I melt equal parts butter and olive oil in a little pan. Drizzle on top, then sea salt and black pepper. Sometimes the simplest is also the best.
Sandra Lea
This is the way I usually make my popcorn because it's fast and easy and healthier, I skip the butter. But I do agree with the others who mentioned the Whirley Pop, there's nothing that makes popcorn better.
Leanne
My favourite popcorn topping is olive oil and Sriracha. Cock sauce improves everything. Especially popcorn.
Jenny W
My name is Jennifer, and I have a potato chip addiction - hangs head in shame ;)
Truth is, I would look like a supermodel if it weren't for Ruffles BBQ chips, and that would not be fair to my four, much older sisters, so I snack on!
I am Canadian, and I too, have a box of KD in my pantry. It's for emergency purposes only, of course, like snowstorms, hangovers and laziness.
Karen
Ha! ~ karen
Sylvia
My future mother in law decided that I needed a popcorn popper. I live in a fifth wheel..... It's in storage, now, since the first 3 times I used it, I ended up with popcorn all over the living room.
DON"T USE A PLASTIC BOWL to pop popcorn in the microwave. I tried that. It popped the corn, but I ended up with divots all over the bowl.
I have pretty good luck making it on the stove or in the microwave with a glass bowl. Just watch it closely, and then dump "an ungodly amount" of butter (as another commenter said) into it. YUM.
Sylvia
Oh yeah, I forgot to add this: When I was a kid, my Mom made popcorn on Sunday nights as part of our dinner. She would also make chocolate pudding.... Salted, buttery popcorn dunked into chocolate pudding is THE BEST THING EVER.
Ev Wilcox
My husband is a pop corn junkie. After a meal fit for a king (well, a jester, actually) he still makes up a bunch of popcorn on the stove, ruining further a nice Farberware pan that I have totally given up on. The outside of it looks like a poster-pan ad for pan-abuse! Since it was part of a set that was a wedding gift for us almost 50 yrs ago, oh well. My daughter has tried to turn him to the dark side of kettle corn, but he is content to ruin away with a ton of butter and maybe some Parmesan. Sigh....
Lindy
Ah I am of your tribe Karen. Potato chips are FORBIDDEN to darken my door. I would easily scoff a family pack before I've even thought of getting out a natty bowl. And don't get me started on wasabi crisps... crack cocaine for the modern age.
In fact the only time I permit myself chips are when we have houseguests. Because the poor things would need some chips on our aperatif tray. I positively twinkle down the chips and nuts aisle in the supermarket. They think I am beaming with delight to see them come to stay. Little do they know that is the secret smile reserved for the woman who is about to launch herself into a vat of potato chips. Utter bliss.
Danee
For me, popcorn is the snack of choice. Always! My favorite meal that my mom made when I was a kid was Sunday night, popcorn night! We didn't eat a roast on a Sunday, it was a huge vat of popcorn with hard cider to drink (with 6 kids, my mom was a little liberal in looking for ways to knock us out early and quickly so she and dad could eat steak!) Here in Spain they serve popcorn salted but with NO butter so I am slowly introducing butter on popcorn over here and it's taking off. In the interest of health sometimes I use a olive oil with garlic spray but the best is butter, real butter. Karen I think it was you who did a tutoral on toasted lemon zest (NOTE, YOU CAN ACTUALLY TOAST IT IN A HOT AIR POPCORN POPPER!) so topping of choice is butter and a spice mix of sea salt, toasted lemon zest, chili flakes and pepper (thrown together in a reused pepper grinder) with some parmesan cheese thrown over while it's still hot.
It's 7 in the morning here, now I want popcorn for breakfast!
Mary W
I have a hot air popper, a lemon, a love of lemon, and diabetic so popcorn is the snack of choice. I don't have instructions for toasted lemon zest nor have I ever heard of it. Can you please let me know how? Sounds delicious.