Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Maren's Popcorn

I'd like to share my experience doing homemade microwave popcorn. I've done it many times and there is a bit of trial and error involved since microwaves' power varies so much, but it's tasty and well worth experimenting with.

I got better pop--that is, more kernels successfully popped--using a bit more oil: more like 1 Tbsp. (although mostly it was an eyeball measurement). I didn't try the jalapeƱo seasoning, but I've tried just salt, salt and fresh ground pepper, and salt and garlic powder (or you could use garlic salt). I like all those but just with salt is probably my favorite. I definitely recommend using popcorn salt (as the recipe suggests). I've tried regular table salt but it really doesn't distribute over the popcorn as evenly.

My dad made popcorn on the stove for me and my siblings all the time while I was growing up, so this popcorn's flavor really rings true for me. But I never could get the kernels even close to being as big and fluffy as commercial-popped; they always came out smaller and crunchier. I like crunchy kernels pretty well, but overall they don't look as nice as the fluffy ones.

1 comment:

Danielle said...

Oh, by the way, I remember from a separate Good Eats episode (probably the popcorn episode) that he says you don't have to go out and buy popcorn salt. You can just make your own by putting kosher salt (or any kind of salt probably) in a food processor.

I'm glad you've made this successfully many times. I'm excited to try it!