# Popcorn



## Eddie_T (Dec 18, 2021)

Is there a preferred way to make popcorn at home? I have tried most of the microwave stuff finding it convenient and edible but not good like theater popcorn or even the Christmas popcorn that comes in tins. I used to have a popper but my results from it weren't anything to write home about. Any suggestions out there?


----------



## Flyover (Dec 18, 2021)

I've made it 3 ways: one is in a pot on the stove (that comes out well but has cleanup), one is in the microwave in a paper bag, one is in the microwave in a silicon bowl specially designed for that purpose. I've found the same as you, that the results are never quite like movie popcorn or tin popcorn, but still yummy if you're in a popcorn mood.


----------



## bud16415 (Dec 19, 2021)

We watch two little boys 3 and 4. They love popcorn and had never seen an air popper and being old I happen to have 4 of them for some reason. I convinced them that to make the corn pop you had to pound on the top of the island saying POP-CORN POP-CORN until it popped. So I put the corn in and turn it on with the big bowl and me ready with melted butter and as it heats up we chant pop-corn. When we hear the first pop they yell its working and step up the pace. The corn mostly goes in the bowl but a fair amount shoots around the room also great fun for them. Once it is done and the pounding on the table top is done we make each their own bowl way more than they can eat and they can eat a lot. We go into my movie room with a 110” projection screen and near total light control and put on one of their favorite movies. The Shrek movies are high on the list. I crank up the sound so the room shakes just a little and they never move cramming as much corn in their mouths as they can.



When their mom picks them up she says they never watch movies at home I don’t get it.

Not sure if popcorn taste is a product of how you make it as much as how you eat it. The salt and butter might not be good for you but sure adds to the enjoyment.


----------



## Eddie_T (Dec 19, 2021)

Flyover said:


> I've made it 3 ways: one is in a pot on the stove (that comes out well but has cleanup), one is in the microwave in a paper bag, one is in the microwave in a silicon bowl specially designed for that purpose. I've found the same as you, that the results are never quite like movie popcorn or tin popcorn, but still yummy if you're in a popcorn mood.


I ordered a silicone microwave bowl from Amazon for $8.61. The price varied from $8.61 to $10.19 depending upon color.


----------



## EddigG (Dec 19, 2021)

Microwave popcorn is perfect; the problem is the oil they use in the bag. Every brand is different. You have to try different brands. Aldi buttered popcorn is very good; 6 bags for $1.29!!! The sea-salt version isn't good.

1) DONT Overpop it. As soon as rigorous popping stops, stop the microwave. You'll trade off some unpopped kernels for no burned popcorn
2) Pour half the bag into a bowl, spray with olive oil spray (PAM or other)
3) Pour out the rest, spray again with oil

I also add salt with each spray. I like it salty. To me it's better than movie theatre. Nothing like fresh, hot popcorn.


----------



## oldognewtrick (Dec 19, 2021)

Air fryers work well for popcorn if you happen to have one.


----------



## CindyFixIt (Dec 19, 2021)

oldognewtrick said:


> Air fryers work well for popcorn if you happen to have one.



um, how would that work?


----------



## oldognewtrick (Dec 19, 2021)

CindyFixIt said:


> um, how would that work?


Heat the fryer to 400 degrees, line the tray with foil, add a little oil if you desire, add popcorn and wait.


----------



## CindyFixIt (Dec 19, 2021)

oldognewtrick said:


> Heat the fryer to 400 degrees, line the tray with foil, add a little oil if you desire, add popcorn and wait.



That wouldn't be smart. You've actually done that? The corn would pop into the element, you'd have popcorn flying all around and getting stuck in the fan. What a mess.


----------



## Eddie_T (Dec 19, 2021)

I have already tried most all microwave popcorns from cheap to most expensive. I am going to try popcorn kernel brands in a microwave bowl to see if that does any better. If not I have an induction burner and may try a cast iron frying pan (shrouded with aluminum foil) or maybe a dutch oven. Movie theater popcorn seems to have a softer hull and larger pop so it may be the kernels rather than the method of popping.


----------



## oldognewtrick (Dec 19, 2021)

CindyFixIt said:


> That wouldn't be smart. You've actually done that? The corn would pop into the element, you'd have popcorn flying all around and getting stuck in the fan. What a mess.











						The Best Popcorn Ever -- And It's Made in Your Air Fryer!!
					

Air Fryer Popcorn pops up wonderfully light and fluffy popcorn with a tasty slightly roasted flavor that everyone will love! It's sure to be your new favorite popcorn! #bakeitwithlove #airfryerpopcorn




					bakeitwithlove.com


----------



## CindyFixIt (Dec 19, 2021)

There's a disclaimer about the mess it is cleaning up. You're going to get oil and popcorn in your element and fan. And the kernels are going to blow around. The air fryer is great for many things but the bag is fine for me.


----------



## Eddie_T (Jan 1, 2022)

I am almost there, my silicone microwave popper did a fine job on the popping. I used 1 tsp of oil, a pat of butter and some salt in the mix. I may go heavier on the butter and lighter on the oil but it's good as is and I can eat it from the bowl. I don't know if parmesan would work in the mix or not. It might be safer to try it after popping.


----------



## Blue Jay (Jan 1, 2022)

As a kid we would use a heavy pan put a little lard in the pan turn on the heat, after the lard has melted put in heaping 1/2 t salt when it just started to smoke pour the popcorn in just covering the bottom of the pan and put the lid on, shake once in a while till it starts to pop  the keep shaking every couple of seconds till it quits remove from heat and pour in a bowl.


----------



## oldognewtrick (Jan 2, 2022)

Here's one for sale about 10 miles from me. If I had a theatre room, this would be cool.


----------



## Flyover (Jan 2, 2022)

oldognewtrick said:


> Here's one for sale about 10 miles from me. If I had a theatre room, this would be cool.
> 
> View attachment 27263


One of those things that, like a theater room, would probably take up space and not get used much. 

Most people when they want to watch something and have the free time to do it flip open their laptops and sit in bed or on the couch. And can you imagine firing up that popcorn machine (and later, cleaning it) just to make yourself a bowl of popcorn?

Some people are collectors of course, or movie fanatics, or have eccentric decorating tastes. I've also seen the weird thing where people get an urge to replicate commercial spaces in their private homes: a facsimile of a local bar in the garage, a movie theater in the basement, I've recently even seen a gas station (complete with working traffic lights) in the car port.

File it under "not how I'd recommend anyone spend their money but to each their own".


----------



## Eddie_T (Jan 2, 2022)

Years ago it was trendy to replicate a bar in ones family room. It might be OK if one entertained a lot, otherwise a waste of space.


----------



## Guzzle (Jan 2, 2022)

I just had brkst & I'm already hungry.  
How be me gonna lose 6 lbs by the end of dis month??


----------



## bud16415 (Jan 2, 2022)

Flyover said:


> One of those things that, like a theater room, would probably take up space and not get used much.
> 
> Most people when they want to watch something and have the free time to do it flip open their laptops and sit in bed or on the couch. And can you imagine firing up that popcorn machine (and later, cleaning it) just to make yourself a bowl of popcorn?
> 
> ...


In my old house I had a home theater and in this house I call it a home media room. The difference being in a home theater it was more what you mentioned duplicating a commercial movie theater experience without the expensive cost of buying a ticket and popcorn and drinks and of course not having the annoying jerk in front of me on his cell phone. The primary purpose of a home theater is cinema. A home media room is less about duplicating anything and more about multi usage for music, streaming media and TV, along with hard media cinema.



We have a 32” TV in the kitchen built in a 55” living room TV a 40” bedroom TV and a 110” front projection mini IMAX with all the sound trimmings in the media room.



We could live life just fine with the 32” in the kitchen and to be honest it gets the greatest playtime. The rest are luxury items and the media room is 100% a hobby. I have never had the space for a roll around vendor popcorn vending machine. If I did I most likely would have bought one and not minded cleaning it up. The cool factor would have made it worth it. Instead my sister bought me an air popper that looks like a mini vendors model and it sits on a shelf not getting used much.

I have a friend that waxes the bottom of his hot rod at least once a week. I have trouble understanding that, but it is his hobby.

 Most hobbies are hard to justify and the reward sometimes is in the doing more than the end result. My media room is both it was fun to build and fun to enjoy. I actually feel it has health benefits as with our long cold winters I can crank up something tropical and take a trip without leaving the farm. As they used to say.


----------



## Guzzle (Jan 2, 2022)

More & more I think that TV is a harmful distraction from trying to figure out why I lived the life I did, but distraction is sometimes necessary, anyway.

Lately I distract others by doing improv at the cash registers but I'm not ready for prime time.  Gotta' watch I don't make a fool of myself.

Regarding popcorn, do you deliver?


----------



## Flyover (Jan 2, 2022)

Eddie_T said:


> Years ago it was trendy to replicate a bar in ones family room. It might be OK if one entertained a lot, otherwise a waste of space.


Always reminds me of that song "I'm Gonna Hire A Wino". Makes me assume the backstory in that song is at play in whatever house I'm looking at.


----------



## Eddie_T (Jan 2, 2022)

With HDTVs one can sit close so if I don't have a group watching TV a smaller screen can serve well.


----------



## BuzzLOL (Jan 2, 2022)

I have a thermoplastic bowl with lid for making dry popcorn in the microwave... but I prefer corn oil in a little S.S. sauce pan for making popcorn to my taste... with melted real butter and salt added... 
I noticed that if you use too much heat, the popcorn is only half as big and half as fluffy as using lower heat and it taking longer to pop... 
When I helped out in a kettle corn business, they stirred sugar into the oil in the big vat kettle... I was surprised how fast that freshly being made popcorn sold at flea markets, swap meets, etc... they probably took in $1200/day... and that was about 15 - 20 years ago...


----------



## BuzzLOL (Jan 2, 2022)

Eddie_T said:


> I have already tried most all microwave popcorns from cheap to most expensive. I am going to try popcorn kernel brands in a microwave bowl to see if that does any better. If not I have an induction burner and may try a cast iron frying pan (shrouded with aluminum foil) or maybe a dutch oven. Movie theater popcorn seems to have a softer hull and larger pop so it may be the kernels rather than the method of popping.


I quit using microwave bags of popcorn after reading about workers in the factory that make it getting cancer from breathing in the artificial butter powder dust... 

Slowly cooking popcorn in oil over low heat gives vastly better results than cooking fast over high heat!


----------



## BuzzLOL (Jan 2, 2022)

Eddie_T said:


> Years ago it was trendy to replicate a bar in ones family room. It might be OK if one entertained a lot, otherwise a waste of space.


Don't know if they still do it but we used to build new houses with a Coca Cola themed room in the basement with a red bar and refrigerator and red and white or red and black floor tiles in a checkerboard pattern... 

Have pull down room darkening shades on my living room windows so can use the 200" projection TV in the daytime to watch Ohio State college football games... but don't generally watch any other TV in the daytime... and currently boycotting pro sports... there's about 10 TVs around here altogether... 

Ohio State had a great Rose Bowl game yesterday vs Utah... but it was already dark here in Ohio since it started at 5 PM here and it was an overcast day... we got light snow in the middle of the night...


----------



## 68bucks (Jan 3, 2022)

I really don't like microwave popcorn. I'm not a butter guy either. I put a little oil on a pan, put the heat on and throw in 3 or 4 kernals. When they pop, pour in the rest. Pop till done and all a little popcorn salt. That is key, much finer salt so it sticks to the kernals well. In the food industry they sometimes call it flour salt.


----------



## Sparky617 (Jan 3, 2022)

Probably the biggest problem with home popped pop corn is the moisture created in the popping can make the popped kernels soggy.  This is true in a microwave or on a stove top.  In theater poppers the popped corn exits the kettle before it gets wet from the condensation.  Air poppers eliminate the water problem, but the popped corn lacks any flavor.   I find the stove top method to be the best, but it still won't produce theater grade popcorn.

I'm curious about an air fryer, we have a rotating basket with ours, I wonder how that would turn out?  It would certainly contain the corn both popped and unpopped while allowing the steam to escape.


----------



## 68bucks (Jan 3, 2022)

Sparky617 said:


> Probably the biggest problem with home popped pop corn is the moisture created in the popping can make the popped kernels soggy.  This is true in a microwave or on a stove top.  In theater poppers the popped corn exits the kettle before it gets wet from the condensation.  Air poppers eliminate the water problem, but the popped corn lacks any flavor.   I find the stove top method to be the best, but it still won't produce theater grade popcorn.
> 
> I'm curious about an air fryer, we have a rotating basket with ours, I wonder how that would turn out?  It would certainly contain the corn both popped and unpopped while allowing the steam to escape.


You're right yiu have to crack the lid a little to let the steam out. I tried an air proper, seemed like a cool idea. Problem is with no oil the salt won't stick all ends up in the bottom of the bowl.


----------



## bud16415 (Jan 3, 2022)

68bucks said:


> You're right yiu have to crack the lid a little to let the steam out. I tried an air proper, seemed like a cool idea. Problem is with no oil the salt won't stick all ends up in the bottom of the bowl.


When we air pop we spritz the oil on as the bowl is filling. we have a bunch of popcorn flavors for those that like them and also salt. My favorite is I sprinkle on (Slap your Mama) little bit goes a long way. 



			Robot or human?


----------



## Eddie_T (Jan 3, 2022)

I may try making some powdered salt. Maybe runs some salt through a coffee grinder.


----------



## BuzzLOL (Jan 3, 2022)

Sparky617 said:


> Probably the biggest problem with home popped pop corn is the moisture created in the popping can make the popped kernels soggy.


Never noticed that problem... maybe because the lid bounces up a little when each kernel pops... and eventually the popped corn raises the lid like on a theater popper...


----------



## Sparky617 (Jan 4, 2022)

BuzzLOL said:


> Never noticed that problem... maybe because the lid bounces up a little when each kernel pops... and eventually the popped corn raises the lid like on a theater popper...


Home popped on the stove is pretty good, but I'm thinking that might be why good theater popcorn is better.


----------



## Eddie_T (Jan 10, 2022)

Ran some salt though the little Braun electric coffee grinder, melted some butter in the microwave popper, added the salt. stirred in the kernels then popped it. The results were pretty good.


----------

