Stove Top Popcorn *Recipe Alert*

In my previous post I mentioned that there is an equally easy, yet much healthier way of making microwave popcorn than the PFC-laden bagged stuff that you can buy at the store. It's called Popping Popcorn Yourself.

Well, isn't that what I'm doing, you ask? Buying bags and popping it myself?

No, it's not quite the same. I'm talking about buying plain, simple, unpackaged popcorn kernels. Go to your local Whole Foods and you can find them in the bulk foods section. Fill up a container and voila! You will probably end up with more kernels, and at a cheaper price, then buying a box of 5 indivdually wrapped, artifically flavored other stuff.

There are two ways of cooking this popcorn. The most healthy of which is to just put it in a brown paper bag, throw it in the microwave, and pop it like you would normally. Or, if you don't have brown paper bags, put it in a bowl and loosely cover. But not too loosely: my first attempt landed a ton of pieces of popcorn all over the microwave. That was tedious to clean up... and by clean up, I mean eat straight out of the microwave.

The second way is much tastier, almost as easy, and you get fewer unpopped kernels when you're done. In fact, we've made it on more than one occasion where there were no unpopped kernels at all. (It's strange how excited we got: it was like we won the gold medal in popping. Yes, we're nerds.) Granted, it's not quite as healthy as the air-popped version since it involves oil, but it's healthier in that you don't get bag chemicals leeching into the food. Also, the flavoring is all Au Naturale, as opposed to "butter flavored topping". I hate those qualifiers. They make me shudder.

So without further ado, below is the recipe, if you can call it that. More like a technique. And if you're the kind of person who likes their popcorn adulterated, like us, I've included tried-and-true topping methods. Go pop a pot and enjoy.

Stovetop Popcorn

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. of peanut oil (or other high smoke-point oil)

1/3 cup organic popcorn kernels

3 Tbsp. butter

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp. paprika (optional)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)

1. In a 3-qt. pot heat the oil on medium-high.  When heated, put three individual kernels of popcorn in the oil and cover.  Once you hear all 3 pop, your pot is hot enough.

2. Turn off heat, pour in the remaining kernels and cover.  Remove from stove and gently shake back and forth while counting thirty seconds. This insures the kernels are all evenly dispersed and coated in oil.

3. Turn heat back on to medium-high, place pot back on stove and wait for popcorn to pop.

4. After popping has stopped, pour popcorn in to large bowl slowly, sprinkling with salt to taste periodically during transfer. 

5. When pot is empty but still hot place butter inside to melt.  Pour butter over popcorn.  Add paprika and/or garlic powder if desired.  Cover with saran wrap and shake to distribute butter, salt, and paprika more evenly.