MASTERING THE ART OF STOVETOP POPCORN
It’s convenient to buy marked up bags of popped-a-while-ago stuff when you’re craving a warm, movie theatre-esque snack. But if you have 15 minutes and the foresight to buy some kernels, everything will change. The best part of homemade popcorn? Crunchy little half popped pieces at the bottom of the bowl.
FIRST, LET'S TALK KERNELS.
Yellow Popcorn Kernels
The most popular kernels around. They’re inexpensive and widely available—you can find them at almost all supermarkets. They pop in big, dense pieces and have a slight yellowish buttery-looking hue—I'd guess this is why they’re the kernel of choice at movie theaters.
White Popcorn Kernels
As the name suggests, these kernels pop more white in color and have the most neutral flavor—a true blank canvas for toppings and flavorings. They’re also a bit more tender than yellow kernels.
Red, Blue, and Black Popcorn Kernels
These are the heirloom strains. My fave! Unlike yellow and white popcorn, these have a thin hull that mostly disintegrates when they’re popped and although they pop white, they have hints of beautiful color and are a smaller size that yields big flavor and lots of crunch.
NEXT, FAT.
The best popcorn popping oils are those that perform well under high heats and have good flavor. When the kernels explode in your hot pot, the first flav they’re exposed to is the oil they were popped in. So pick a good one.
Ghee: Arguably one of the best options because of it’s high smoke point and flavor. Ghee is butter that’s had its water and milk solids removed, so it doesn’t burn at high heats.
Refined Coconut Oil: Be ready to commit to a slight coconut aroma.
Any neutral oil: Opt for canola, grapeseed, avocado etc.
Olive oil: Proceed with caution as olive oil has a low smoke point and if your pot gets a little too hot it’ll turn your apartment into a smoky nightclub and make your popcorn bitter. Olive oil is a great popcorn finishing oil.
HOW TO MAKE IT:
The most successful vehicle for stovetop popcorn is a dutch oven because of the way it’s able to conduct heat, but if you don’t have one a heavy soup or stock pot with a lid works, too. The rule of thumb: for every ½ cup popcorn kernels you plan to use, you'll need roughly 3 tablespoons of your desired oil.
1. Add your oil to the pot, off heat (3tbsp for every .5 cup kernels). Then, add 2 or 3 single tester kernels to the pot, cover it and place it over medium heat. The key here is listening as your ‘corn will burn if you neglect it!
2. Once those tester kernels pop, carefully remove the lid, use tongs to pull them out, and then pour in the rest of your kernels. Immediately cover the pot, increase the heat from medium to medium-high, and listen.
3. When the kernels start popping, use towels to pick up the pot (lid closed) and shake it up and down to move the kernels around. Continue cooking while shaking periodically until the kernel popping slows down and you can only hear 1 or 2 pops every couple seconds—that’s when it’s time to remove the pot from heat and carefully crack the lid so steam can escape. When you hear the popping slow down, it’s better to remove the pot from heat sooner rather than later, so it doesn’t burn.
4. After 30 seconds to 1 minute of cooling with the lid cracked, carefully pour your popcorn out onto a large rimmed baking sheet or into a big, wide bowl. Now toss with oil, butter etc. and toppings! The sooner you add the toppings, the more apt they are to stick. Lots of recipe ideas below, and here.
