[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”2598″ align=”right” size=”medium”] Hey, want some really good buttered popcorn that isn’t so yucky dripping that your fingers gross up the remote control on family movie night? Or have you ever added melted butter to your popcorn to have it all shrivel up with the wet butter?
A friend of mine clued me in to doing popcorn on the stove top like her mother did for years, no gadgets required! I found a nice balance to the making and today I share it with you 😉 I use my huge stock pot, heavy duty, and crank the heat under it to high (but keeping the gas flames under the pot). Then I put just a bit of oil on the bottom. I don’t use olive oil because of the residue flavor it leaves.
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Next, I toss in a stick of butter for the amount I make for my large family. You can certainly cut this down or out if the fat or dairy are an issue.
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A quick word on popping corn: the kernel makes all the difference in the popping! I have found that a bigger popcorn kernel is necessary when cooking popcorn on the stovetop (example below on the left). Notice how the kernel on the left is bigger? The large kernel on the left is best for stovetop popping. The smaller, white kernel on the right is best for air popping. My favorite stovetop popping corn is below on the right.
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I sprinkle my corn kernels over the bottom lightly. You don’t want to over crowd the bottom of the pan. Over crowding leads to ‘old maids’ and some being burnt at the bottom.
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I stir the seeds around just a bit with a touch of salt. You can omit the salt if you used salted butter. I don’t have salted butter, so I salt it at this point. I stir to make sure all the seeds are sitting happily at the bottom of the pot, touching the heated bottom.
On goes the lid for safety. Those kernels get pretty happy 😉
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Pull the pot off the heat source as soon as you hear the popping reduce to a few seconds in between pops. You can also crack the lid at this point to let the popcorn cool a bit. I shake the pot a bit with hot mits on to get some of the unpopped kernels down to the bottom. You can even shake some of the popped corn out of the top into a bowl to make more room for the ‘old maids’ still needing popped.
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Your popcorn is ready to eat!! While the popcorn is still warm and slightly moist from the popping, top it with your favorite flavor or just enjoy buttery flavored popcorn that won’t grease your hands all up! Enjoy!
Kay's Little Korner 