Movie-Style Popcorn At Home!
If you are anything like me, you gravitate toward the movie theater when you smell that delicious, fresh popcorn. You'll gladly pay $4.00 for 2 cups of the stuff. And you couldn't go without some yummy buttery topping. (What is that stuff anyway?) Even though it's overly-salted, you love it!
Because microwave popcorn is entirely inferior, and air-popped is just too tasteless, I hope you'll join me in making Movie-Style Popcorn at Home.
Materials: 12-cup saucepan with cover, range, tablespoon, 1/2 cup measure, knife, potholder(s)Ingredients: 2 tbsp of oil*, 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels, 4 pats (20g) of butter, salt to taste.
Quick Procedure: Heat oil in pan, add popcorn and shake. While popcorn is popping, add butter.
Step by Step
1. Fire up your range to just a little above low. The heat level is very important here. You don't want to burn your popcorn!
2. When the pan is a little warm, add the oil to the pan and cover.
3. After you think the oil is warmed to the level of the pan, add three kernels of corn, and cover. If the oil is hot enough, there should be little bubbles all around the kernels.
4. Shake the pan so that the kernels can move around in the oil. You may need to increase the heat by increments. Do not go above medium-low. After a while, the three kernels will pop. If you have a clear pan cover, this is really fun to watch!
5. At this point, temporarily remove from the heat, and add the rest of the popcorn kernels to the pan.
6. Bump the butter in on top and cover. Shake the pan around to mix it all up. Put it back on the heat.
7. Diligently move the pan around the flame. You can shake it in a circular pattern, you can shake it back & forth, and you can even blast Outkast from your speakers and "shake it like a polaroid picture."
It's important to keep the pan moving so that you will not burn the butter or corn. Keep the cover on, unless you want popcorn all over your kitchen!
8. After a short while, you'll hear the reassuring popping sound. Keep that pan moving. After a few minutes, the entire pan will be popped. When this is done, or when you are worried that the remaining kernels may burn, remove from heat and dump your booty into a big ol' bowl.
9. Salt to taste and enjoy a movie with your friends. Yuuuum!
*Any kind of oil will work, but my sister and I have found that Avocado Oil is da bomb! (Of course we haven't seen this outside of Mexico.) Canola oil is great on popcorn, and of course, Olive Oil is a culinary standby.
Recipe Yields 12 cups
Nutritional Information (Calories, Fat, Fiber)
for batch (12 cups)
Popcorn = 341 cal, 4.3 fat, 17 fiber
Oil (Avacado) = 248 cal, 27.6 fat, 0 fiber
Butter = 144 cal, 16.4 fat, 0 fiber
Salt = 0 cal, 0 fat, 0 fiber
Total = 733 cal, 48.3 fat, 17 fiber = 15 "points"
Serving = 1 cup
Info per serving: 61 cal, 4 fat, 1.4 fiber, 1 "point"
Additional benefits: Avocado oil is rich in nutrients, and tastes AMAZING!
