You know, I have never been a popcorn fanatic. When I would go to the movies with my family I always got licorice instead. Until I discovered Kernels‘ Dill Pickle Popcorn. That changed EVERYTHING. And now you can get these flavour packets (and I know, super bad for me but I really don’t eat popcorn very often) and I can have sour cream and onion, ketchup, salt and vinegar… How exciting!
But what if I do not want to go out to the movies for popcorn? I have been quite a homebody lately and watching a lot on TV and this week I just had to have some popcorn. It was Friday night, I was watching Harper’s Island on PVR and needed a munchie. I refuse to eat microwave popcorn (don’t get me started on the bad health issues there) so I taught myself how to make it at home on my stove. It’s easy!
You want a big pot and yes, you need to cover the bottom with oil. Not a ton of oil but enough to coat the bottom. I used a combo of the healthy all natural coconut oil and some vegetable oil. You want an oil with a high smoking point so do not use butter or olive oil. Turn the stove up to medium heat and while it is warming up, add three popcorn kernels and cover the pot. Wait until you hear the three pieces pop and add the popcorn. For one serving I put in 1/4 cup and then leave the lid askew on the top. If it seems to be taking too long, turn up the heat a little. Once the popping really slows down, turn off the heat and move the pot off the burner. I like to wait a while in order to avoid sudden popcorn messiness!
Oh happy movie days! From here you can melt your butter and add salt and pepper or add the terrible-for-you flavouring that makes me actually enjoy eating popcorn. To finish it off last night I followed Bohemian Mom‘s advice and added 1 can of lemonade concentrate to my iced green tea:
So refreshing! Nice balance of tart and sweet to go with my dill pickle popcorn. I told you I love big flavours!
I hope you replace your microwave popcorn with homemade stovetop popcorn! It is so delicious and not at all difficult. These companies make us think that making food from scratch is such a burden but it really isn’t. It’s easy, you can do this!
We have an air popper to make popcorn at home. I like to put a little olive oil on it so it has that movie theatre popcorn texture. Yum! I’m kind of in the mood for a movie and a bowl of popcorn now.
Do you know Gypsy/jennifer at Barefoot in the Sand is looking for recipes to cocreate a cookbook? I know your not blog hopping, but I thought you may be interested in that.
I just got back into hot air popped popcorn after making a couple batches on the stove. A friend of mine found me a hot air popper at Value Village for $5. – so exciting! My first batch out of it I my own “smartfood” – a bit of melted butter and real parmesan cheese… mmm. good and addictive.
So nice to see you again 🙂 I hope you are well and happy.
I would love to have you contribute. In the next few days I will be posting an email address and more information about contributing to my new project and if it seems like you would be interested just let me know.
Wonderful post! Now, off to make some popcorn 🙂
OMG! We used to make popcorn like that in a heavy pot while I was growing up! I despise microwave popcorn! When I watch movies with my brother, we still hunt down “jiffy pop” whenever we can!
Dill pickle? hmmmm…may have to check that out!
Love the green tea/lemonade shout-out!
I’m a great fan of popcorn and I like to sprinkle brewster yeast on mine.
Also I’m a fan of dill flavoring now after reading your post I want to try sprinkling dill on my popcorn.
We usual do our on the stove top
I use an air popper now, but when I was a child we always popped it in a pan with a little oil like this. That’s how I learned to make popcorn. Such a happy childhood memory. I love to use a little Lowry’s seasoning salt on my popcorn– that’s something I learned as a kid, too!
Love, love popcorn. I have an old popcorn maker, I use it. So much healthier to make it yourself. Cuts down on the fat and salt of microwaveable popcorn.
I hadn’t made pop corn on the stove in years util I saw Alton Brown (on the Food Network) make it in a metal bowl covered with tin foil with a few slits cut into it. It was sorta like jiffy pop, lol! How can you not make your own if you can do it jiffy pop style?
I would have never thought dill for popcorn, but I’m so going to try it. I LOVE dill!
We love popcorn!!!! Lucas could eat a big bowl alone if we let hin! LOL And homemade is the best. We don’t have a microwave, so it’s always made by ourselves. I love that smell in the air, and our movies bbecome special! We’ll try dill next time!
Kisses!
That’s the way I learned to make popcorn as a child, too, but we always shook the pan across the burner so the kernels wouldn’t stick and burn. Don’t you need to do that anymore?
Hi Joan! Yes, it is a good idea to shake the pot every now and then. Especially at first to coat the kernels so they don’t burn. I don’t do it all the time, as long as the temperature is warm enough to make them burst and not burn, I am not super vigilante about it.
Thank you sooo much…I am not a popcorn eater at all, but now I think I might be…a much healthier version. Can’t wait to try it!!
Pam