Yummy Popcorn!

A few yummy popcorn recipes to try!

Note ~ 1 cup of unpopped popcorn kernels will yield about 2 quarts of popcorn.

Perfect Popcorn Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Tbsp canola, peanut or grapeseed oil (high smoke point oil)
• 1/3 cup of high quality popcorn kernels
• 1 3-quart covered saucepan
• 2 Tbsp or more (to taste) of butter
• Salt to taste

METHOD

1 Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan on medium high heat.

2 Put 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan.

3 When the kernels pop, add the rest of the 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds. (Count out loud; it's fun to do with kids.) This method first heats the oil to the right temperature, then waiting 30 seconds brings all of the other kernels to a near-popping temperature so that when they are put back on the heat, they all pop at about the same time.

4 Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once. Once the popping starts in earnest, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. Try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper). Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl.

With this technique, nearly all of the kernels pop (I counted 4 unpopped kernels in my last batch), and nothing burns.

5 If you are adding butter, you can easily melt it by placing the butter in the now empty, but hot pan.

6 Salt to taste.

Makes 2 quarts, a nice amount for two people, or for one hungry one.

Additional tips: From the comments section

a If you add salt to the oil in the pan before popping, when the popcorn pops, the salt will be well distributed throughout the popcorn.

b Fun toppings for the popcorn - Spanish smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, cayenne powder, chili pepper, curry powder, cumin, grated Parmesan cheese.

Carmel Corn

Caramel corn is quite easy to make, just don't attempt to make it (or any candy) on a humid day. Be careful as the caramel sauce is quite hot; as a safety precaution do not have children running underfoot while making this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 4-5 quarts popped popcorn (a double batch of this popcorn recipe, unsalted, unbuttered)
• 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 Tbsp molasses
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups salted peanuts (optional)

METHOD

1 Heat oven to 225°F. Place popcorn in large roasting pan; set aside.

     

   

2 Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, molasses and salt in a thick-bottomed, 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer reaches 250°F or small amount of mixture dropped in ice water forms a hard ball (about 12 to 14 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. The caramel will foam up a little and turn a lighter color when you add the baking soda.

 

3 Carefully pour hot mixture over the popcorn in a large roasting pan. (If you would like peanuts with your popcorn, sprinkle the salted peanuts over the caramel sauce at this point.) Using a wooden spoon, stir until all popcorn is coated. (Be careful not to let the caramel touch you; it's very hot.) Place in oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, stir to more evenly coat the popcorn with the caramel sauce. Return to oven. Continue cooking for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Immediately spread caramel corn out onto waxed paper. Let cool completely. Break into bite-sized pieces. Store in tightly covered container.

Makes about 5 quarts.

Roger's Carmel Corn

1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. butter
1/3 c. water
2-3 bags of microwave popcorn, popped (I use lite butter)

Directions:
Mix and boil the first three ingredients on medium, stirring continually, until reaching the "softball" stage. Once the carmel is ready, pour over the popped corn and distribute the sugary goodness evenly by stirring with a wooden spoon. If you can't possibly wait a minute longer, dig in immediately! However, I find the popcorn tastes a bit better once the carmel has cooled and set (about 30 minutes). 

Popcorn Balls

12c air popped popcorn
1/4 c butter
1/2 c sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 c corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt

Microwave the butter, sugar and corn syrup 3-4 min. on high. Stir in vanilla and salt, then pour over popcorn and form into balls.