I have always wanted to try making my own popcorn on the stove, but thought there was some kind of mystery behind it - something that would make it impossible for me to successfully accomplish. I'm pretty inept when it comes to things cooking-related, so I often miss out on trying something just because I think it will be too hard (shame on me, I know!). So I'm very excited to see these easy instructions on cooking up some fresh, homemade popcorn on the stovetop from three wheels turning. She also gives some great tips on perfecting the popping process. It looks like it would be loads of fun to do with the kids on a family movie night.
Don't waste money on a hot air popper! I got one because they make healthy oil-free popcorn, but stuff comes out NASTY, makes good packing matierial though.
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was thinking that next would be 'tips on how not to screw up a peanut butter sandwich'.
yeah, i'm old. and -- what the he!! is wrong with us old folks, that we're not passing this knowledge along like we should be, so that the younger world can take this stuff as totally for granted as we do?
geez. now i feel like i've done nothing useful with my life. no *wonder* we have to start from square one teaching 'slavery is wrong', 'torture is wrong, expensive, and ineffective', 'debt will hurt you', and 'don't get close enough to a stranger that they could offer you candy'. we have totally dropped the ball.
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Ok, that makes me feel really old. I'm only 40, but when I was a kid there was no such thing as microwave popcorn nor air poppers. Stove top was about the only option, though what my mom did was pop it in the square electric fry pan. You'd put one hand on a side handle and the other on the lid's handle, and then slide the entire fry pan back and forth on the countertop to keep it from burning.
If you put a layer of popcorn kernels that covered the bottom of the pan in a single layer, the cooked popcorn exactly filled the pan and lid. That is, until they came out with Orville Redenbocker's, that stuff was evil and popped up twice as big, so if you weren't a good judge of what was half a single layer then your lid started to push off.
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I've also eaten only stovetop popcorn my whole life — as a child my gran would pop it that way. It was such fun, she'd even lift the lid and let some kernels pop out for the dog to catch! I now make popcorn this way for our friends' kids and they love it. Laughter abounds.
Would love to see an article on making fireplace popcorn sometime...
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you can actually just put loose popcorn into a brown paper lunchbag and pop it in the microwave. I just fold the open end of the bag over a few times to make sure that it won't spill popped kernels everywhere. Alton Brown staples it shut.
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Me too! Microwave stuff is bad for you anyway, and expensive! We've been doing the stove top thing forever and it works better on Gas than electric too.
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Seriously, you've never made popcorn on the stove before? Allow me to giggle a little ;) ... I've never owned a microwave oven and definitely no air-popper. Stove popped corn is the only kind I've ever had! The shaking is crucial! Burnt popcorn are yuck. ;D
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ow...that really surprised me. i have eat popcorn make that way my role life. one hint: keep the lid a little open so the popcorn doesnot get soft from the steam.
sorry my bad english...
=]
cheers from brasil!
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