When my wife first moved in she made me watch all of Little House on the Prairie. Ever since then popcorn has become a regular thing here. It’s a perfect low calorie snack.
My standard is peanut oil and popcorn and a little bit of koshi salt on top once it’s done. I just use a standard pot for making mine because I’m not about to deal with a popcorn maker.
Sometimes we’ll shave some red dark pepper chocolate just sprinkle on top. Sometimes my wife wants Raisinets in hers.
Rarely I’ll use Bacon fat instead of peanut oil. On extra rare occasion I might use duck fat.
We never put butter on it because we don’t tend to stock salted butter, although that is changing now that I’m making more sourdough. So maybe I will add some water to it in the near future.
What are you doing with your popcorn?
Cost per person: 38¢
When I’m making it to eat hot, I generally prefer yellow butterfly popcorn. If I’m making popcorn to eat cold - like when I’m making caramel corn balls or something (or stringing them for the Christmas tree), I prefer white mushroom popcorn. In either case, I prefer hull-lesd over hulled popcorn - I have cracking my teeth on them. I tend not to like popcorn mixes (mixed red, blue, yellow and white kernels) - they’re very pretty, but I have enough trouble timing the pops without adding in complexity between the kernels.
I know the different types taste different, but not enough that I really notice much - that’s likely a function of the added toppings, even if it’s just something as simple as butter and salt. Popcorn-on-the-cob is a fun thing for the kids or a friend.
I usually run through the start of a bag of corn, then stop because I get tired of it, and when I start again, the moisture content has dropped enough that I’m no longer getting y the big puffy corn I like, which is usually the sign to pop the current bag into popcorn balls and start a new bag for movie viewing.
If you’re using old kernels, I recommend lowering the heat to 4. It will take longer for the kernels to pop but you will regain some of that fluffiness.
For old kernels, add a teaspoon or two of water to a gallon of seeds. Shake thoroughly and let sit for a couple of days.