Making Popcorn Tips and Tricks

Popcorn is a excellent, nutritious snack and can be even better when you know how. This guide is making popcorn tips and tricks.

Solutions: Making Popcorn Tips and Tricks

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Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Why pay the outrageous extra cost for prepackaged microwave popcorn when all you need for this simple and inexpensive popcorn recipe is a paper lunch bag!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup popcorn kernels
salt to taste
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, or more if desired

Directions:

Place popcorn in a paper lunch bag. Tightly seal by making several small folds at the top of the bag.

Microwave on high until the popping slows to where the kernels are only popping about every 3 seconds (about 2 to 3 minutes total time depending on the wattage of your microwave).

Carefully open the bag, drizzle with olive oil, close bag, and shake well. Add the salt, close the bag again, shake well, and enjoy your treat.

By Deeli

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Cooking Loose Popcorn in the Microwave

My loose popcorn microwave method: 1/4 cup corn in 2+ quart Pyrex measuring bowl. I preheat bowl with 2 = 3 kernels corn, covered with saucer.

While preheating, I also heat a mug of water in a separate container, providing a load for the microwave. As soon as any corn pops, I add 1/4 cup corn, and set timer for 1 minute. If still popping at end, I add 1/2 minute.

After pops slow down, I count slowly to 5 after last pop, starting over with each additional pop. I may add another 15 seconds, if still popping at end.

I use the mug of hot water to melt coconut oil (liquefies at 75-80 degrees F) in a small juice glass, and pour over popped corn.

Note: Organic virgin expeller-pressed coconut oil is very beneficial, and is a good source of Omega 3. It has a high smoke point (180 degrees C/360 degrees F), making it excellent for cooking; but no need with popcorn, just liquefy and pour.

USA banned coconut oil in popcorn machines in theaters, but this was a mistake.

Only the processes that chemically treat, or over-heat, or homogenize, cause coconut oil to be unhealthy.

Coconut oil has many benefits when used topically, including dry skin and other cosmetic uses, and has healing & anti-fungal properties.

In the USA, good coconut oil can be found in Spanish markets, Trader Joe's, and some other grocery stores.

By Jason from NY

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Old-Fashioned Stove Top Popcorn

This is the old-fashioned way of making popcorn. It is easy to make and tastes so much better than microwave popcorn. This is the way my family makes popcorn. Nearly every kernel pops and it does not take that long to make.

Getting More POP Out of Your Popcorn

You don't have to buy gourmet popcorn. When making popcorn, I have found it is better not to heat the oil on a high heat at first. I know this may sound stupid, but the kernels get more more heat distribution if you start out slow.

Think: You don't cook prime rib steak on blazing heat from the get go; you'll end up burning parts and other parts will be undercooked. After hearing the first few kernels pop, turn up the heat. Cook as normal.

I think you will find less kernels than before. I have and I buy store brand. My friends wonder why there are so little kernels left. They think I have used gourmet popcorn like ORVILLE REDENBACHER. HA. HA. HA.

It's like my grandma letting the city cousins think they were drinking delivered milk when all she was doing was putting the family cow's milk in a bottle she found!

By the way, I don't ever use a popcorn machine.

By Tim from Science Hil, KY

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Fat Free Popcorn

Get away from the microwave for popcorn. Cook the popcorn from the popcorn in a jar, using a Teflon pot and a cover. This way, you have nothing fattening in your popcorn. Then if you'd like to add something for a little flavor, that's all you have to worry about.

Here's some ideas for topping:

Romano or Parmesan Cheese
Garlic or Onion Powder

By LRP from LWL, MA

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Questions

Here are questions related to Making Popcorn Tips and Tricks.

Coloring Popcorn

How do you color popcorn? I have seen colored popcorn (unpopped kernels) in catalogs for sale, and it's rather pricey. Apparently when popped the popcorn is multicolor. I'd love to figure out how to do this.

Rose from MO

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Most Recent Answer

By jimsjunque01/05/2010

Just picked up a small cookbook 'Kool-aid[soft drink mix]Comes OF Age'. Page 37. Popcorn Balls 9 cups popped popcorn 1 cup light corn syrup 1/3cup Kool-aid sugar sweetened soft drink mix, any flavor Place popcorn in a lightly buttered bowl. Combine syrup and soft drink mix in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until mixture will seperate into hard threads when dropped into very cold water[or to a temperature of 270*] .Remove from heat and pour over popcorn, mixing quickly to coat well. Spape into 1-1/2 inch balls. Makes about 3 dozen. You wouldn't have to make this into balls, you could just place on a cookie sheet, cool and break into pieces. Colored and flavored too! Enjoy jimsjunque

Making Popcorn in a Halogen Oven

How do you make popcorn in a halogen oven? I have a halogen oven (like the Nu Wave ovens) and want to try to make popcorn in it. The instructions in the book I have said to preheat the oven. How do you preheat one of these ovens? Then it said to put on high rack for 6 minutes and let it rest for 5 minutes after the timer went off. I did everything the book said and I still had lots of kernels that didn't pop even after letting it rest. Does anyone have one of these ovens and can tell me how to make popcorn in it? Any information would be helpful. Thank you.

By Linda from Brighton, MI

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Cooking Loose Popcorn in the Microwave

I just received two large tins of loose popcorn. How do you cook popcorn in the microwave oven? Do you add oil? How much popcorn to oil?

Sandy from Vermont

RE: Cooking Loose Popcorn in the Microwave

You'll need to purchase a popcorn popper especially for microwave use. They are cheap and can be bought most anywhere; Walmart, Target, or even Menards/Home Depot. You don't use oil when microwaving popcorn. Hope this helps. (02/16/2006)

By Lori

RE: Cooking Loose Popcorn in the Microwave

It's healthier if you use a plain brown lunch bag, and the kernels, no oil. Pour enough kernels to cover the bottom of a brown lunch bag, then refold bag, and roll down the top a few times to close it, and heat on high for 1-2 minutes (sometimes longer depending on the microwave itself). (02/16/2006)

RE: Cooking Loose Popcorn in the Microwave

Just put a handful of popcorn kernels in a brown, paper lunch bag. Fold it over 2 or 3 times, and microwave for several minutes, until you hear it almost stopped popping. Don't need to add a thing to it. (02/16/2006)

By Judy

RE: Cooking Loose Popcorn in the Microwave

Don't use any oil, and just put enough popcorn to cover the bottom of a lunch style brown bag and set the timer for anywhere from a 2 minutes to 2 1/2. Sit back and enjoy! (02/16/2006)

By teatimelady

RE: Cooking Loose Popcorn in the Microwave

Yes, you need a Orville Reddenbacker popper made for the microwave. It makes very good popcorn and you can add oil or not as you wish. Have had one for many years. Much better than regular microwave popcorn (02/16/2006)

By Jan.

RE: Cooking Loose Popcorn in the Microwave

I have always done popcorn this way. I take about 2 handfuls (you will have to see what yours does,, how good it pops) and put in a brown lunch bag. Fold ends down and turn the microwave on. Can't really tell you how long. You can hear about when it stops popping, and also see when the bag is full! I eat mine just out of the bag, no butter, no nothing. Very good! (02/16/2006)

By Shirley

RE: Cooking Loose Popcorn in the Microwave

Or you could cook it the old fashioned way on the stove in a pan with oil.

Cover the bottom of a 2 quart pan with oil and heat. Add a kernel. When it pops, cover the bottom of the pan with corn. Shake vigorously until popping almost stops.

YUM! Pop-corn (02/17/2006)

By Diana

RE: Cooking Loose Popcorn in the Microwave

I always use a Microwave Rice cooker to pop my corn in. Its a good size plus it has a lid. So any Microwave cooker with a lid is fine. Or you can just use a paper bag. And there's no real need to use oil when popping corn. Takes about one and half to two minutes to cook. But you can hear when the corn has stopped popping. Happy Popping. (02/17/2006)

By Kiwi Pom.

RE: Cooking Loose Popcorn in the Microwave

I do the lunch sack method. Quick and easy. Then I put the popped corn in a bowl, drizzle with a good olive oil and a smidgen of garlic salt. Delicious! (02/19/2006)

By Beth

RE: Cooking Loose Popcorn in the Microwave

I worry about the fumes from the glue in the paper sack. My mother baked turkeys in a brown grocery bag and they came out nice and browned but I worried about the glue that keeps the bag intact. Anyone know the dangers? (03/19/2006)

By June (Guest Post)

RE: Cooking Loose Popcorn in the Microwave

My method is to make a butter icing type mix, then rub the popcorn kernels through it, then microwave with a plate over the top, same principal applies with salt. (08/17/2008)

By Alex