There are many recipes for popcorn, but few are as tasty as this one. We will show you how to make the best popcorn in only a few minutes.
If you really like great tasting popcorn, you have probably given up on air poppers or the popcorn that you find in movie theaters that is covered with the greasy goo that they call “topping.” The secret to making the best popcorn requires a special kettle designed just for popping corn. The idea is to choose a kettle that keeps the corn in motion while heating it in oil. That prevents scorching. Scorching destroys the flavor.
Choose a popcorn popper that is made of stainless steel and has a capacity of 6 quarts or more. That makes enough popcorn for 2 to 4 people. It needs to have a crank and a stirring mechanism to keep the popcorn in motion. Here is a good model we found on Amazon for less than $40: Cook N Home 6.5 Quart Stainless Steel Stovetop Popcorn Popper. This is the type of stovetop popcorn popper that you will need. You can find other models like this in most kitchen stores.
After you have the correct type of popper, choose your favorite type of popcorn. Most people think that you need to use expensive gourmet popcorn brands to make great popcorn, but if you try this recipe, you will see that you can make great tasting popcorn with almost any brand. Just choose a brand that pops well. We use Jolly Time white popcorn.
The third component for making the best popcorn is the oil. You could use vegetable oil, canola oil, peanut oil or olive oil. This recipe calls for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. If you are not familiar with olive oil or do not like the taste of olives, you might be saying, “Yuk!” However, I can assure you that popcorn made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil does not taste anything like olives. Olive oil not only produces healthier popcorn, but also popcorn that tastes very good. The flavor cannot be described until you try it.
Have 1/2 cup of popcorn ready.
Preheat two tablespoons of olive oil in your popper over a medium flame or medium heat setting on the stove. Watch the oil carefully. As soon as it starts to smoke slightly, add a kernel or two and cover the kettle. When they pop, you know your oil is ready. Add the rest of the kernels, cover the kettle and start turning the crank. Stir the crank continuously while listening to the kernels popping. As soon as the popping slows down to one or two pops per second remove the popper from the burner and empty the popcorn into a large bowl.
You can add salt and melted butter to suit your tastes. If you want to keep this a healthy snack, you can skip the butter. We just add a little salt.
This popcorn recipe only takes a few minutes and produces lots of great tasting popcorn. Try some of the different types of oil that we mentioned for a great taste variations.