You can easily cook popcorn on a stove top. Pour some popcorn and oil in a pot, once is starts sizzling shake a bit, once it starts poping shake a lot. Take it off when the pops slow to about once a second and pour into a bowl. Add salt as desired.
Heat the oil sufficiently before adding kernels. Drop a few kernels into the oil as a gauge. When two of them have popped then you can pour in the rest and give it a vigorous shake.
And for the sake of completeness, be sure the pot has a lid!
So much better. It also lets you imitate movie theater flavors if that’s your thing, with refined coconut oil and some Flavocol. As a bonus you can find the kind of popping corn you prefer. For me, I love the smaller “hullless” varieties, they’re sweet and you don’t get stuff in your teeth.
It is Magic, and a single container will last for so many rounds of popcorn you wouldn’t believe it. I found as a trick you add the falvacol to the popcorn and oil before popping, not after for the best results. Bonus? House smells like good, fresh theater corn!
Oh, and if you like buttered corn, add a teaspoon or two of clarified butter to the mix. Like kettle corn? Add some sugar to taste before popping. Like it cheesy? Buy some freeze dried cheddar and add it immediately after popping. If you’re feeling fancy, try some freshly grated parmasean. Cinnamon sugar also works well, as does powdered peanut butter, a bit of cocoa, and some confectioners sugar.
add a teaspoon or two of clarified butter to the mix
I make mine in a special bowl in the microwave (because I'm lazy) using ghee, so yeah...
add a teaspoon or two of clarified butter to the mix
To save some calories I add a bit of splenda afterwards (heat seems to destroy splenda, so it's got to be after the fact). Not as good, but better than nothing.
"Microwave Susceptor". Its a super thin layer of aluminum or graphite that absorbs microwaves and gets really hot. Its in the bottom layer of the bag and the reason for "this side up".
Wow, I assumed similarly - that there's something in the bag that helps the air inside heat up. I guess maybe moisture in the corns is enough. I learned something new and useful today, thanks!
Guess how early (70s) microwave cookbooks told you how to make popcorn, before Orville Redinbacher got involved. Yet my wife, same age I am and read the same cookbooks, buys pre-packaged unflavored microwave popcorn from the store. </shrug>
I've used hot-air popcorn poppers for decades. They draw a lot of power (they're pretty similar to hair-dyers, electrically speaking), but they work well.
