Popcorn
Popcorn, also known as popping corn, is a type of corn (maize, Zea mays var. everta) that expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Popcorn is able to pop because, like amaranth grain, sorghum, quinoa, and millet, its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. Pressure builds inside the kernel, and a small explosion (or "pop") is the end result. Some strains of corn are now cultivated specifically as popping corns.
There are various techniques for popping corn. Along with prepackaged popcorn, which is generally intended to be prepared in a microwave oven, there are small home appliances for popping corn. These methods require the use of minimally processed popping corn.
A larger-scale, commercial popcorn machine was invented by Charles Cretors in the late 19th century.
Depending on how it is prepared and cooked, some consider popcorn to be a health food, while others caution against it for a variety of reasons. Popcorn can also have non-food applications, ranging from holiday decorations to packaging materials.
History
Popcorn on the cob before shelling.
Popcorn was first cultivated thousands of years ago by the people living in what is now Peru. It is one of the oldest forms of corn; evidence of popcorn from 3600 B.C. was found in New Mexico, while even older evidence was found in Peru. It is estimated that these remnants date from as early as 4700 B.C. Purple popcorn was found in the early 1900s.
The legend that English settlers, who came to America in the 16th and 17th centuries, learned about popcorn from American Indians has been proven to be a myth. No evidence exists from colonial times to support the claim that natives of North America's east coast even knew of, or, for that matter, grew popcorn.
During the Great Depression, popcorn was fairly inexpensive at 5–10 cents a bag and became popular. Thus, while other businesses failed, the popcorn business thrived and became a source of income for many struggling farmers. During World War II, sugar rations diminished candy production, and Americans compensated by eating three times as much popcorn as they had before.
At least six localities (all in the Midwestern United States) claim to be the "Popcorn Capital of the World": Ridgway, Illinois; Valparaiso, Indiana; Van Buren, Indiana; Schaller, Iowa; Marion, Ohio; and North Loup, Nebraska. According to the USDA, corn used for popcorn production is specifically planted for this purpose; most is grown in Nebraska and Indiana, with increasing area in Texas.
As the result of an elementary school project, popcorn became the official state snack food of Illinois.
Perfect Popcorn
Posted by Elise Bauer on
Making popcorn from scratch can be tricky. Not only do you want as many kernels as possible to pop, but you also want to keep the kernels from burning at the bottom of the pan. Until my mother showed me her way of cooking popcorn, I usually took the easy way out and used (gasp!) microwave popcorn, which by the way, is not that good for you.
Mom’s method of making popcorn not only pops almost every kernel, it also prevents the kernels from burning. She took it off of a Jiffy Popcorn box, she thinks. Here’s how it goes:
Perfect Popcorn
· Cook time: 10 minutes
· Yield: Makes 2 quarts, a nice amount for two people, or for one hungry one.
Ingredients
· 3 Tbsp canola, peanut or grapeseed oil (high smoke point oil)
· 1/3 cup of high quality popcorn kernels
· 1 3-quart covered saucepan
· 2 Tbsp or more (to taste) of butter
· Salt to taste
Method
1 Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan on medium high heat.
2 Put 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan.
3 When the kernels pop, add the rest of the 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds. (Count out loud; it's fun to do with kids.) This method first heats the oil to the right temperature, then waiting 30 seconds brings all of the other kernels to a near-popping temperature so that when they are put back on the heat, they all pop at about the same time.
4 Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once. Once the popping starts in earnest, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. Try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper). Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl.
With this technique, nearly all of the kernels pop (I counted 4 unpopped kernels in my last batch), and nothing burns.
5 If you are adding butter, you can easily melt it by placing the butter in the now empty, but hot pan.
6 Salt to taste.
Additional tips: From the comments section
a If you add salt to the oil in the pan before popping, when the popcorn pops, the salt will be well distributed throughout the popcorn.
b Fun toppings for the popcorn - Spanish smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, cayenne powder, chili pepper, curry powder, cumin, grated Parmesan cheese.
Preparing Perfect Popcorn
For Teachers > Teaching Guide > Preparing Perfect Popcorn
Not only is popcorn tasty and economical (for mere pennies you can enjoy a quart at home), it's also easy to prepare. Whether you choose to pop popcorn in an electric popper, on the stove or over an open fire, follow these tips for perfectly popped popcorn:
- First, warm the popper, heavy pan or skillet. If oil popping your corn, add 1/4 cup of cooking oil to the pan. Allow the oil to heat. The best popping temperature is between 400 and 460 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil burns at 500 degrees. If your oil starts to smoke, it's too hot. Any cooking oil will work provided it can retain the proper temperature. The less saturated the fat in the oil (like corn or sunflower), the less calories you add to your snack.
- Don't pop popcorn in butter. Butter will burn.
- Test the heat of the oil by dropping in one or two kernels. When the kernel pops or spins in the oil, you're ready to add the remaining popcorn. Pour just enough kernels to cover the bottom of the pan. Shake the pan to be certain oil coats each kernel.
- Kernels that do not pop are known as "old maids." They do not have sufficient water contained within the starch to create the build up of pressure needed to pop the kernels.
If your popcorn does not pop into fluffy, crunchy kernels, it may have lost some of its moisture. Rejuvenate popcorn by filling a 1-quart jar 3/4 full with popcorn. Add one tablespoon of water. Cover and shake every five to 10 minutes until all the water is absorbed. In two to four days it should be perfect for popping.
5 Ways to Totally Screw Up Stovetop
Popcorn
5:00 pm / October 8, 2013 / Written by Jasmin Sun / Photographed by Levi Brown /
KEYWORDS: Common Cooking Mistakes, Popcorn
Ah, popcorn. It’s an endlessly customizable snack that’s
quite simply fun to eat. Make it with bacon and cashews if you’re feeling like
something salty,or mix it with caramel and almonds to satisfy a sweet tooth.
Toss it in togarashi for cocktail hour, or grate some Parmesan over it for movie
night. And while you don’t need a microwave to make good popcorn, you do need to
follow a few rules. Bon Appétit‘s senior food editor, Dawn Perry, was reminded
of this herself when she burned a batch the other night.
So, in honor of Dawn, here are the things you are doing wrong—so stop doing
them!
1. Only a High-Smoke-Point Oil Will Do
It might seem like only a peanut, canola, or grapeseed oil will work for
popcorn, but actually, flavorful oils like olive or coconut oil—or even
ghee—will work just fine. That’s because of no. 2:
2. High Heat = Faster Cooking
You want to get things popping quickly, but you don’t the kernels to burn. As
soon as you hear the first pops, turn your stovetop down from medium-high to
medium or medium-low heat. This way, you’ll give the kernels a sufficient amount
of time to pop without burning the ones that opened up quickly. (And the lower
heat means the oil won’t smoke or burn either.)
3. Set It and Forget It
Popcorn will not take care of itself. Every minute or so, give the pot a shake
to make sure that by the end of the process, all of the kernels have gotten to
opportunity to hit the heat (and, thus, pop!).
4. Cast Iron All the Way!
While it’s important to use a heavy-bottomed pot, you want to steer clear of
enameled cast iron. It simply gets too hot if you’re trying to pop corn, which
can end up damaging the pot itself. Trust us on this—senior associate food
editor Alison Roman ruined a rather expensive Le Creuset enamel pot this way.
5. One Pot Is All I Need
Whether it’s Parmesan, togarashi, or just plain salt, you want to season your
popcorn right away—so the heat will help the seasoning stick. But if you do it
in the pan, a lot of the seasoning will adhere to its hot surface, not to the
popcorn. So: remove lid, pour popcorn into bowl, season, toss, enjoy.
How to Make Popcorn in a Pan
Edited by Madlilnerd, Maluniu, Jonathan E., Bo and 36 others
Steps
1
Buy a bag of dry maize kernels. You can get this from most supermarkets
nowadays, and it's easy to find at ethnic stores too. The bigger bag you buy,
the more money you'll save in the long term.
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2
Select your biggest saucepan with a lid (a see - through one makes all the
difference!), put it on the stove and drizzle a small amount of oil on the
bottom. If you have an oil spray pump, spray the sides too.
3
Work out how many kernels you'll need. Remember how big your average piece of
popcorn is and use that to work out how many will comfortably fit in your pan.
4
Add your kernels to the pan (about 2 small handfuls is usually about right) and
turn the stove to medium heat.
5
Put the lid on quickly.
6
You will soon begin to hear the kernels popping and hitting the sides and lid of
the pan. DO NOT TAKE OFF THE LID WHILST THE HEAT IS ON AND POPCORN IS POPPING.
When the noise dies down to only 1 or 2 pops every few seconds, turn the heat
off and remove the pan from the stove.
7
Carefully take a peek under the lid. Your popcorn should be good and done, so
take off the lid. You will smell the buttery aroma.
8
If you want sweet popcorn, take sugar or Splenda and sprinkle it over the
popcorn (still in the pan). Put the lid back on and give it a gentle shake. The
oil should allow the sugar to stick well to the kernels.
9
If you prefer cheddar flavoring, do the same thing as you did with the sugar!
10
Serve.
11
Finished.
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Tips
If a lot of the corn didn't pop, chances are you didn't put enough oil in,
used too low a heat, or put too much corn in.
Popping in stainless steel cookware can be tricky to get the heating right
without burning, so its best to test a small sample in the pan first, or use a
heat diffuser.
If you want butter, melt the butter in the pan first instead of using oil.
If you want salty popcorn, do the same as you would for sweet or cheddar
popcorn, but use salt instead.
Warnings
If you take the lid off whilst the pan is on the hob, hot, oil - covered popcorn
will fly all over the place.
Don't try to make toffee popcorn at home. Chances are you will not succeed in
anything but setting the kitchen on fire.
Don't make a second batch in the pan if you put sugar or salt in there.
Hot oil and hot pans and cooker hobs are hot. Be especially careful if you're
making the popcorn for children.
Things You'll Need
A big pan
A big pan lid
Make microwave popcorn that is healthy and cheap
Posted: 09/03/2013
By: Daphne Munro
I love popcorn! I think it truly is one of my favorite foods. It can be a
fattening, high calorie food or it can be a very good source of fiber and low in
calories if made the right way, plus super cheap.
The healthiest way to get the best bang for calories when eating popcorn is to
avoid cooking it on oil and topping it off with tons of melted butter. Microwave
popcorn is better, but it is still not ideal and not cheap to buy.
The easiest and healthiest way to cook popcorn is use nothing to cook the
kernels, air-poppers are great. You just pour the kernels into the air-popper
and let it pop with heat. If you want some flavoring, you can spray on some
olive oil that is dispensed in a spray can. Then grab some sea salt and lightly
sprinkle it on or better yet, some of the flavored popcorn toppings like Kernel
Season’s popcorn toppings. They have natural ingredients and come in several
different flavors like nacho cheese, white cheddar, butter flavor and more. Now
you have a yummy, healthy, good source of fiber, and a low calorie snack that is
inexpensive.
What if you don’t have an air-popper? Well, I have a simple solution for that.
Grab a medium sized paper bag and pour a 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels into the
bag. Then fold the top of the bag shut just a tiny ½ inch fold. You need to
leave room for the kernels to pop so you don’t want to fold it too much. Then
stick that bag in your microwave for about 2 to 3 minutes. Of course pop times
will vary and be careful that you don’t burn your popcorn. The popcorn will be
done once you hear about 2 to 3 seconds between pops so stop the microwave. Let
the bag sit in the microwave for a few minutes to cool off so you don’t burn
yourself. Then open up the bag and pour the popcorn in a serving bowl. You are
all done with your air-popped corn without an air-popper.
Another simple little gadget I found that makes good fluffy air-popped corn is
Nordicware popcorn popper. I think I am failing in love with their different
cooking gadgets. It is a bowl that you pour your kernels into, cover with the
lid and then put in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. It will pop those kernels
into popcorn. Plus you can use the bowl to serve the popcorn. It cost $8.99 at
Target stores and Amazon.com.
All three of these ways will get you some yummy, healthy, low calorie, guiltless
popcorn that was cheap to make too.
Why Microwave Popcorn Is An Absolute Health Nightmare
By Food Babe
If you or someone you know is still eating microwave popcorn, listen up! I can’t tell you how many countless times I used to eat microwave popcorn when I worked in an office. My co-workers would buy one of those packs from the vending machine in the break room and pop that sucker right into the microwave and the whole floor would smell DELICIOUS! I just couldn’t help myself. It was the one thing in the vending machine that always had to be refilled week after week – way before the stale peanuts.
I’m so glad I stopped that habit, when I finally gave up my use of microwaves, because let me tell you, this stuff is horrible for your health and here’s why…
The Bag
The bag almost all microwave popcorn varieties come in is lined with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). This chemical is the same toxic stuff found in teflon pots and pans. It can stay in the environment and in the human body for long periods of time. This chemical when heated has been linked to infertility, cancer and other diseases in lab animals. No long term studies have been conducted on humans, but the EPA lists this substance as a carcinogen.
The Contents
Here’s a snapshot of several popular popcorn brands and the ingredients they contain.
Even though there are no sources of genetically modified popcorn kernels being produced (that’s saved for other varieties of corn), there are several other GMO ingredients in the form of oil or emulsifiers to be found in these popcorn flavors. GMOs have never been tested long term on human beings and are linked to a slew of health issues that are rising in this country. All of these brands do not use organic corn either, so you can be sure they contain harmful pesticides.
Brands like PopSecret and Jolly Time still use trans fat, which is considered one of the most deadly fats available because it is associated with 20,000 heart attacks a year and over 7,000 deaths according to the CDC.
Proply Gallate that is found in PopSecret is one of those ingredients that’s being phased out in the rest of the world, but still being used here for a preservative in food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. It’s linked to all sorts of health issues like skin rashes, stomach issues and breathing problems.
TBHQ that is found in Smart Balance, stands for “Tertiary Butylhydroquinone.” It’s a dead giveaway that you shouldn’t be eating this, if food companies have to use an acronym for a long chemical name on the ingredient label.
TBHQ is a chemical made from butane (a very toxic gas) and can only be used at a rate of 0.02 percent of the total oil in a product. Why is there a limit to this? Maybe because eating only 1 gram of this toxic preservative has been shown to cause all sorts of issues, from ADHD in children, to asthma, allergies and dermatitis to dizziness and even has caused stomach cancer in laboratory animals.
Limiting TBHQ to a certain percentage, is the same logic the FDA made when allowing a product to still contain 0.5 grams of transfat and be labeled “transfat free.” If you are consuming processed foods, eating at fast food restaurants or chains that use processed foods you are consuming an overload of preservatives and other chemicals. The accumulation of eating all these different preservatives and man-made chemicals at once has not been studied by the food companies or the FDA for safety.
The Hidden Ingredients
Even though natural flavors and artificial flavors are listed on the ingredient label of microwave popcorn, we have no way of knowing what’s actually in these ingredients. Food manufacturers won’t tell you and they hide things in there like MSG, beaver’s anal glands and diacetyl butter flavoring. What’s so wrong with a little bit of artificial butter flavoring? Well a lot. This stuff is seriously toxic, which forced Conagra Foods to remove it from their Act branded Microwave popcorn recently because it causes lung issues in workers. This ingredient is also linked to brain issues which cause Alzheimer’s Disease too. Dr. Mercola reports:
“Researchers conducting test-tube studies revealed that diacetyl has several concerning properties for brain health. Not only can it pass through the blood-brain barrier, which is intended to help keep toxins out of your brain, but it can also cause brain proteins to misfold into the Alzheimer’s-linked form known as beta amyloid. It also inhibits mechanisms that help to naturally clear the dangerous beta amyloid from your brain.1
It’s not known at this time whether eating diacetyl-containing foods (it’s used not only in microwave popcorn but also in other snack foods, baked goods, pet foods, some fast foods and other food products) increases your risk of Alzheimer’s, but the finding that it may contribute to brain plaques linked to Alzheimer’s at very low concentrations is concerning, to say the least.“
Orville Redenbacher’s label explicitly says they do not use this flavoring anymore, but there are popcorn varieties that still do, so watch out, if you see the words “artificial flavor” on the label of any processed food, back up far away!
Make Your Own (It Takes 5 mins!)
Making your own popcorn from scratch is so EASY and you can avoid all of these health pitfalls. If you need to take some to the office or where ever you are going (like sneaking it into the movie theatre), I recommend making it in advance and throwing it in a reusable bag.
This recipe takes 5 mins. The extra 2 minutes (over microwave popcorn) is time definitely worth committing to.
I call this recipe “Superfood Popcorn” because it contains three amazing ingredients:
· Coconut oil that is great for your metabolism
· Hemp seeds that are full of omega 3 fatty acids
· Red palm oil that contains the highest amounts of vitamins A and E of any plant-based oil
I have to say, the red palm oil took this popcorn from about an 9 to an 11 on a scale from 1 to 10. It looks and tastes like yummy comforting butter (and the color matches that movie theatre popcorn without all the added chemical ingredients). Also, the added texture of the hemp seeds combined with sea salt is so good and crunchy.
I made a bowl of this last week and it was heavenly! It’s seriously amazing – I can’t wait to hear your reports.
Please note red palm oil is different from palm kernel oil (that is grown in SouthEast Asia and killing orangutans). Red palm oil comes from Ecuador and harvested sustainably. Dr. Oz does a great job of explaining the difference between red palm fruit oil and palm kernel oil here if you’d like to learn more.
4.2 from 33 reviews
Food Babe’s Superfood Popcorn
Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
5 mins
Total time
10 mins
Serves: 2
Ingredients
· ¼ cup dry popcorn kernels
· 1 and ½ teaspoon coconut oil
· 2 tsp red palm oil
· 1 tbsp hempseed ground
· ¼ tsp celtic sea salt
Instructions
1. In a pot, stir together coconut oil and popcorn kernels and heat pot on stove to high
2. Cover pot with lid and let popcorn pop until you hear less popping per second
3. Once popcorn is done popping, remove from pot into a bowl
4. Using a blender or food processor, blend hempseed and salt until fine
5. Top popcorn with melted red palm oil and hempseed salt mixture
Notes
***Please buy all organic ingredients if possible.***
3.2.2124
Microwaves were never thoroughly researched before adoption
in the United States. The microwave oven was developed more than 80 years ago,
and in WWII German solders were given these ovens to warm meals. Germans
conducted several studies about the biological effect of using microwaves, which
were transferred to the United States for further scientific investigation, but
were never researched thoroughly before these ovens were mass produced for the
general public. The FDA even states today that there have been no long term
studies on the effects of microwaved foods on humans; however, the studies that
the Germans produced are actually some of the same ones Russia used in issuing
their temporary ban of microwave ovens in 1976 (it was lifted after a change in
political power). The studies produced indicated that several of the German
soldiers developed cancers of the blood and that microwaves voided nutritional
content of the food.
Microwaves destroy the nutrient value of your food. Live, healthy, and
nutritious foods can become dead in a matter of seconds when you use a
microwave. We are the only species on the planet that destroys the nutrient
content of our food before eating it.A study published in the November 2003
issue of the Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture found that broccoli
cooked in the microwave lost up to 97 percent of its antioxidant content.In the
book “Health Begins in the Colon” – Dr. Group says that a microwave oven decays
and changes the molecular structure of the food by the process of radiation. The
radiation breaks down any vitamins and minerals in the food and changes its
natural structure. Your body cannot handle these irradiated molecules and they
eventually weaken your immune and digestive and don’t provide you with proper
nutrition. Also, it is widely known that vitamin B12 becomes completely inactive
once heated in a microwave. This is a critical vitamin for plant based eaters,
since our soil has been depleted of this important vitamin over the years. Dr.
Mercola quoted one study where it was discovered that microwaving can destroy
the essential disease-fighting agents in breast milk that offers protection for
your baby. The study found that microwaved breast milk lost lysozyme activity,
antibodies, and fostered the growth of more potentially pathogenic bacteria.
Microwaves create carcinogenic compounds in your food. Heating meat,
dairy products, plastics and paper have all been shown to create carcinogens.
The Nutrition Action Newsletter reported the leakage of numerous toxic chemicals
from the packaging of common microwavable foods, including pizzas, chips and
popcorn. These chemicals included BPA, polyethylene terpthalate (PET), benzene,
toluene, and xylene. Microwaving fatty foods in plastic containers leads to the
release of dioxins (known carcinogens) and other toxins into your food.The
summary of Russian investigations published by an Educational Center in
Portland, Oregon showed carcinogens were formed in virtually all foods tested
and no test food was subjected to more microwaving than necessary to accomplish
the purpose, i.e. cooking, thawing, or heating to insure sanitary ingestion.
Microwaves provide unnecessary daily exposure to radiation. I cannot
knowingly use a microwave considering they are slowly destroying my
cells.According to the book Cancer is Not a Disease – It’s a Survial Mechanism,
“when you stand in front of a radar device you will start perspiring/cooking
from the inside out, just like food is cooked in the microwave oven. The heat is
generated by the rapid movement of molecules and the breaking down of molecular
bonds. Each year millions of birds are killed when they get too close to, or sit
on, cell towers. And apparently, the same can happen to the human body when it
is exposed to this type of radiation on a regular basis. After all, human cells
are made of molecules and molecular bonds are broken and destroyed when exposed
to radiation.”
Microwaves can create severe health issues. The massive adoption of the
microwave and the increase in obesity can be linked. The microwave has made it
extremely easy and convenient to eat processed foods and then further destroys
its little nutritional content. The more dead food people eat, the more calories
they consume trying to get the nutrition their body so desperately needs.A Swiss
clinical study conducted by Dr. Hans Ulrich Hertel found significant and
disturbing changes in the blood of individuals consuming microwaved milk and
vegetables. Eight volunteers ate various combinations of the same foods cooked
different ways. All foods that were cooked in the microwave caused changes in
the blood of the volunteers. Hemoglobin levels decreased and overall white cell
levels and cholesterol levels increased. The doctor in this study was actually
able to cure people who were diagnosed with chronic fatigue by having them
literally throw out their microwave.
Last by not least, Dr. Masaru Emoto, who is famous for taking pictures of
various types of waters and the crystals that they formed in the book called
“Hidden Messages in Water,” found water that was microwaved did not form
beautiful crystals – but instead formed crystals similar to those formed when
exposed to negative thoughts or beliefs. If this is happening to just water – I
can only imagine what a microwave is doing to the nutrients, energy of our food
and to our bodies when we consume microwaved food. For the experiment pictured
above, microwaved water produced a similar physical structure to when the words
“satan” and “hitler” were repeatedly exposed to the water. This fact is probably
too hokey for most people – but I wanted to include it because sometimes the
things we can’t see with the naked eye or even fully comprehend could be the
most powerful way to unlock spontaneous healing.
If you know someone who is still consuming microwave popcorn, please do your part and share this post with them – especially if they are your co-workers
Together we are changing the way our families and friends eat and I love that!
Hooray to healthy popcorn!