Popcorn is one of those foods I cannot resist. If I smell it, I must eat it, regardless of whether I’m hungry or not. I have been known to make a meal out of it but I suspect I’m hardly unique in that regard.
In the 1960s when I was little we mostly made popcorn on the stove top in a pot that I can still see in my head, although sometimes we had Jiffy Pop which was both a special food treat and a magic show all in one. I can still see my mother, Betty Draper, shaking the tin foil pan while smoking a cigarette, drinking a martini and quietly fuming about her Ivy-League education all culminating in this pathetic mis-use of her time and talents. What a waste of $4,000.
Then, for the longest time, my mother used a pre-packaged, pre-measured product (TV Time?) that featured a divided plastic pouch, one side with popcorn and salt and one side with oil (does anyone else remember this stuff? I can’t find it on the almighty Internet).
College (1980s) was the age of the electric popcorn popper,
which you could make a surprising number of other foods in –fried chicken, grilled cheese, fondue (I’ve never tried that one but it’s an intriguing idea, no?). The popped kernels flew around in a little plastic igloo and it was kind of like a bouncy castle for popcorn. You flipped the plastic part over when it was done and that was your serving bowl. Then you put it back on the shelf under your hot rollers and “forgot” to wash it for the rest of the semester.
After you achieved your “Freshman 10” you would, of course, switch to the air popper. If there is a sadder compromise of a food than air-popped popcorn I don’t know what it is. The technology here is not unlike cooking popcorn with your blow-drier, and just as appealing! Notice the little cup on the top; that was to melt butter so you could completely negate any calorie savings. Kind of like having a Diet Coke with your Double Down.
Then came the Amana Radarange and popcorn was never the same.
(We had this very model).
I bet if I did an exhaustive Google search I could find documentation for my completely arbitrary claim that 84% of the food cooked in microwaves is popcorn. Not wanting to fall down that research rabbit-hole I’m just going to declare it a reasonably educated guess and move on. It sounds right, doesn’t it? Popcorn and Hot Pockets.
If you have been eating microwave popcorn exclusively since the 1980s let me implore you to make it from scratch, just once. I think you will be amazed at what you’ve been missing all these years. It’s not hard and it’s much, much cheaper than those compressed bags of sodium and dubious chemicals trying to impersonate butter. And your kids will probably be highly entertained.
Real Popcorn
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup popcorn
3 tablespoons salted butter
salt
I sometime use a dutch oven to make popcorn and the size is right but it’s much easier to use something with a handle. So, even though it’s not quite big enough, I use my 3-quart saucier (one of my all-time favorite pans).
It’s kind of fun to see it pop the lid off the pan.
Heat the oil and popcorn in your pan of choice, covered, over medium heat until you start to hear popping (while you’re waiting you can melt your butter in the microwave, so it doesn’t feel completely neglected). Then begin shaking the pan with consistent vigor but never move it too far off the heat. When the popping slows down, remove from heat and let it rest for a just a few seconds to let the last few kernels pop.
Transfer to a large bowl, drizzle butter over and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat.
I actually have a stove top popper with a crank. Other than at work, don’t think I’ve ever used microwave.
And only 3 tablespoons of butter? I use a whole stick.
I love this post. Not just because my partner has made me a popcorn addict by showing me the magic of using oil, but also because the history you present here is fascinating. Awesome photos. 🙂
We have been making real popcorn lately, but I like more butter on mine. What brand of popcorn do you like? We have a lot of hulls in our store brand popcorn.
Kathy, I use Orville Reddenbacher. I’ve used the store brand and had the same experience as you did. I’ve also used Amish kernels that I bought in Ohio but I still like Orville the best. And this is supposed to be easy.
Karen, glad to hear you’re a convert!
OK — are you ready for the ultimate hybrid? I have ruined too many stove-top pots to risk my All Clad on popcorn. Somehow the oil never comes out of the inside.
So I have resorted to popping real popcorn in canola oil — in my microwave. I do it in a large ceramic dutch oven with a glass lid. My microwave has a rotating carousel. This is key. 2 tblsp. oil + 2 tblsp. popcorn. Shake, before bake. It takes about 4 -5 minutes on high. I scoop out the popped kernals, leave the unpopped, add some more and continue. Easy!
Drizzle melted butter, salt, garlic, whatever you like! Yum.
I actually found organic cold pressed corn oil and have been using it to make my popcorn recently. I usually use a 4-quart All-Clad Stainless Steel pan with two helper handles instead of one long one, put oil in the bottom, strew the kernels on top of the cold oil, put the lid on askew (letting the steam out makes the popcorn stay crisp), and turn the heat up until the popping stops. Every kernel usually pops with no burning of the popped corn. Then I just add salt, no butter – not because I’m avoiding butter; I LOVE butter. I just like my popcorn crunchy. Next time I am definitely going to try my 3-quart saucier. I never thought about using it for popcorn, and it’s my most-used pan.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a recipe that says it’s okay to put all the popcorn in cold oil, but it always works for me.
Have a great holiday week.
Orville’s is good, and actually, Dominick’s Gourmet Popcorn was good, when it was around. But by far, the best and most reliable is the popcorn sold by the Boy Scouts every fall. Seriously. Believe me when I say I’ve tried them all!
Kathy, I loved this article. I call myself a popcornaholic. I once had a popcorn tasting “party”. I bought every brand of popcorn on the market, invited some friends over and popped each batch of popcorn exactly the same, then we rated them to find the best one. It was really great fun.
Sue
I really want to make some real popcorn and then the caramel corn. And my grandparents had that same model microwave, too! I used to stand and stare into it while it was working. That’s supposed to be bad for you but I believe the first models like this only had about 200 watts of power.
just emerged from a google quest to find pictures of the divided plastic pouch popcorn style from the 60s/70s. much tougher than i thought it would be. pretty sure the two major brands were TV time pre-measured (scroll down) and Jolly Time All-in-One. found 5 or 6 contemporary versions — several sold here.
Thank you Charley! It was, indeed, the TV Time. Thanks for looking that up — seeing the box brought back some great memories!
I buy a locally grown Amish purple popcorn. It is almost completely hulless. It is delicious. I make my popcorn in a crank popper, but will be transitioning to an induction cooktop. I will have to try the 3 quart saucier. Thank you for the advice.