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!
Trissi V.
My favorite thing on popcorn is Albukirky Seasoning's Casa Seasoning or Green Chile Rub...I always use that stuff when I pop popcorn on the stove or sneak it into the movie theatre. The Casa went on my breakfast burrito this morning, before I stuffed it in my mouth in three bites...Good stuff.
Berry
Use a microplane grater to shave fresh lemon zest into the butter before melting it. Toss the popcorn with the butter, add fresh cracked papper, a little salt, a tiny bit of garlic powder, a tiny bit of grated nutmeg, and a heaping lot of parmesan also grated on the microplane.
Melt butter with maple syrup and fresh rosemary tips. Sprinkle in fresh cracked pepper and coarse salt while tossing the popcorn and butter mixture. (also super good if you then bake it to make a hard coating.)
Butter, honey, cinnamon sugar, and salt. Or better yet, cardamon and powdered ginger.
Coconut oil mixed with like 3 drops of sesame oil plus salt. Also delicious when sweetened.
Do you like chai? Sometimes I take a chai tea bag and put the contents through a spice grinder, then mix it with vanilla sugar and a little salt and sprinkle that on popcorn. (Minus the salt, it also makes amazing sugar cookies.)
And because tis the season, make your favorite version of cranberry butter, then melt that and put it on your popcorn with toasted pecans.
For some reason I'm hungry for popcorn...
Sheila
I am unfortunately a stranger to popcorn in all the guises mentioned here...having been brought up in haggis land where no popcorns were running free through the heather! However your many variations on a theme have whetted my appetite to such an extent that my boring old cheesy biscuits have just been donated to the dog! o that I was able to taste all the salty and saucy flavours! I'll never do it - it's like an inaccessible dream! I loved Gloria's description of the lady in rhinestones!
Rachel
Popcorn gets stuck in my teeth. I hate that. But I find it comforting with butter and melted chocolate and I love to gross everyone out by licking the liquid butter and chocolate left in the bottom of the bowl. Nasty yes, but so tempting. I have a habit of eating popcorn with a chocolate wafer bar at the movies and as a child in the 70s when we went to the "cinema" in Trinidad, the most popular one called the "Globe" in Port-of-Spain, they had popcorn and a local wafer bar called "Tunnox" that I would consume together alternating bites while my sisters watched me with scorn and shame. Now I see there is available the chocolate laced potato chip. And chips don't get stuck in my teeth. This video was funny though, as no self respecting Trini would ever make popcorn in a microwave but always in a well conditioned century old iron pot handed down from great granny. I have less self respect and time so this method suits me fine. And since I was never allowed to string popcorn for the Christmas tree as my mother thought it would attract unwanted insects, I think this a greaseless and quick way to get it done. Thanks Karen!
Allison
Some friends gave us some buffalo (as in wings, not bison) seasoning and it is delicious on popcorn. I may need some for a snack this afternoon. . .
Jennie Lee
I once had a roommate who had many excellent virtues. One was that she made delicious enchiladas from scratch. But the one you've prompted me to tell you about is her popcorn secret. This is not a healthy popcorn secret. This is a wicked but delicious popcorn secret. She used bacon grease instead of oil, when making shake-the-pot type popcorn. It is absolutely wonderful. When a lucky person eats this popcorn, in my experience, they don't say "Hmmm. Bacon.". They just say "OMG! What did you do to make this popcorn taste so good!". So if you want to avoid a lecture about the evils of bacon, just smile mysteriously and tell your guests it's a secret.
Mindy
I'm totally trying this!
Mondo | I bake he shoots
Sriracha, onion powder and salt...that's the ticket!
Teresa Jennings Richardson
Question...How does the Glass gem corn pop up? I bought some seed those past spring and planted it, but only had 3 nubbins of ears to grow so I'm gonna save those to give it one more try. I prefer corn popped on top of the stove. I get my cast iron skillet out and put it on the stove with the eye on high to preheat. I get out the popcorn, butter, oil, and the lid that fits that skillet. Then I put half a stick of butter and a tablespoon or so of oil so it doesn't burn in the skillet with a coupe kernels of popcorn and put a half cup of corn kernels in my measuring cup. While waiting for the 2 kernels to pop, I put everything back up. After the kernels pop, I add in the 1/2 cup and put the lid on. I let it sit on the burner about 15 to 20 seconds, pick the skillet up, give it a shake and set it back down til it starts to pop. I turn the eye down to medium then. I pick the pan up to shake it every 15 to 20 seconds briefly til the corn it all popped. I take off the lid sprinkle on salt--very light for me, heavy for the hubby. So I pour mine into my bowl before I salt his and pour into his bowl. I pour us both a glass of Crystal Light lemonade and take him his and go back to get mine. He takes the empty bowls back to the kitchen and washes up. Popcorn is usually hot and crispy straight from the skillet.
~JackieVB
Kale chips! They're a great alternative to potato chips they're crispy and salty no Styrofoam consistency here. Massage some olive oil onto the leaves, sprinkle on some chili powder and some cumin and bake at 350 until crispy and a little bit darker than they started. You'll have to stir it once while cooking to get all sides crispy. Not exactly fast though since you have to make sure the kale is dry and removed from the stem but oh so good.
Laura
Do you have a recipe for All-Dressed seasoning? Because I think would would be brilliant on popcorn.
Ron
Not sure if it's been mentioned but the best way to store unpopped kernels is to store them in the freezer. This will keep the kernels moist. Kernels may take a bit longer to pop but I always get 99%+ of the kernels to pop in my microwave by following these instructions:
1. Add 1/3 cup of kernels to Nordicware Corn Poppe
(http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00004W4UP?ref_=CA_XB_DPT_79)
2. Microwave using popcorn setting (2 min. & 40 sec on my microwave).
3. When time is up, give bowl a shake & microwave for one minute more.
4. Remove from microwave and remove all popped corn.
5. Return container with uncooked kernels to microwave and microwave for 1 minute more.
Different microwave ovens will require different times.
martha
I love popcorn and make it almost every night! This is the popcorn maker I have. I use coconut oil and add salt after popping. The lid is the serving bowl.
Christina
I discovered a few years ago that you could pour 2 Tbsp of kernels into a plain, brown lunch bag. Fold down the top of the bag a little, lay it on its side in the microwave, set the microwave for 2 minutes on high, and voila! Hot, delicious, crunchy popcorn (improved immensely, as you noted, with a little butter and salt). I felt like such a chump for ever having thought I needed the plasticky, chemical-y, odorous prepackaged bags of "microwave popcorn". All popcorn, it turns out, is microwave popcorn.
Liz
a friend of mine used to make all types of crazy popcorn. Her best was definitely, bit of butter, salt, cracked pepper, and grated aged white cheddar tossed in. Unreal.
jainegayer
I eat pound cake like you eat potato chips. I swear I only cut the very skinniest piece of it when I go into the kitchen (every 10 minutes or so). I am so amazed at the end of the day when the plate is empty. I mean who ate all that pound cake and why can't I zip up my jeans? I will try your microwave popcorn method. Looks as easy as slicing a skinny piece of cake.
Sabina
I have my grandmother's old popcorn popper, an aluminum saucepan that has a bar attached the lid that scraps the bottom and sides of the pan while you turn the lid itself, no crank like the whirlypop. In my "pinterest" enthusiasm I also purchased an air popper this summer to make a salted carmel corn recipe that has now been added to my Christmas cookie repertoire. I like both for their separate reasons, can't beat the sentimentality of grandma's pan though. But I like chips much better, salt 'n vinegar. I, too, cannot keep them in the house because I will eat them until they're gone and the insides of my cheeks are raw from the vinegar...and then I'll have nightmares...
Laura Bee
Yep, chips are evil. They vanish too quickly. I love my popcorn. Although, this last bag has been popping only half the kernels. It shoots at least 1/2 cup unpopped out into the bowl. Then some will pop & fly all over. My daughter like to try and catch them. I even bought a different popper, because I thought that was the problem. I think a Whirly-Gig is in order, so they can't escape before they pop. I used to buy the white cheddar & dill pickle shakey stuff from Kernels. And an obscene amount of butter always.
Kelly
Supreme popcorn inspiration! Don't have a microwave so have been using the whirlypop for years. It is the greatest. Kids all got one when they moved out. When they were younger and had friends over and saw no microwave, the first question was "So you don't eat popcorn?" What, of course we do! There was life before the microwave, and great snacks.
zippy
I like adding salt and pepper, but when I'm too lazy to do that I'll just use Montreal steak spice (it's one shaker instead of a shaker and a grinder... some nights that's just too much work)
One advantage of the whirly pop style of popcorn maker: you can pop the kernels in bacon drippings.
Kim from Milwaukee
Now you're talking...bacon drippings, yum!
connie
When we were kids we'd go to the variety store to buy those small individual sized pack of chips. And it was enough. Now I seem to have no problem plowing thru a full size bag, haha! I too can't have them in the house- I start off with good intentions and put a small amt. in a bowl but ending up going back for more .. and more... I love plain rippled chips nestled on a plate beside a small bowl of soft butterscotch ice cream as my dip;) Luv the salty and sweet combo! For my popcorn I sprinkle it with nutritional yeast and pepper (not sure if that's the same as brewer's yeast) Or chili powder and lime zest, or onion powder and dill
(YUMM)