Dumb popcorn questin...

[Richard]

Ok, I'm currently living in Jacksonville, FL. Wife/house/dogs/stuff are in Knoxville.

Had a hankering for some popcorn but don't have a microwave here. Then a bright idea hits me... why not buy a popper?!

Off to Walmart and I buy a $30 popper with a sweeper on the surface to mix the kernals.

I get some Orville popcorn, peanut oil and popcorn salt.

You should know that I view most foods more as salt delivery vehicles than anything else. I love salt.

I pop the corn to perfection, get the salt out.... start munching

It was rather hideous.

The popcorn itself, whose container was properly sealed, was kind of chewy. Not a huge complaint agasint it but I prefer the Pop-Secret "fluffyness" over what I experienced. Maybe I got a stale batch.

The popcorn was not greasy at all either. I mean that in a negative way. There was not enough oil on the popped kernals to allow the salt to adhere to it.

The salt simply worked its way to the bottom of the bowl (which I might add, I only ate about 1/4 of before I put it away thinking "blech"

I'm going to toss the remains of this popped corn.

Trying to figure out what I've done wrong.

I tend to NOT put butter on popcorn. I find I simply prefer it without.

I made the batch exactly per instructions. I think I used 1/2 cup kernals and 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil.

Thoughts on how to improve?

 

[rekees4300]

Thoughts on how to improve?

Replace the peanut oil with Mighty Pop oil and use popcorn salt (smaller grains) instead of regular salt.

 

[grsthegreat]

You have to be kidding...no butter. Popcorn needs LOTS of butter as a transport mechanism for the salt overload.

 

[Western]

You have to be kidding...no butter. Popcorn needs LOTS of butter as a transport mechanism for the salt overload.

Got to have my butter!! When I was a kid it was popped in a basket. In winter my grandfather would do it over a fire and I have never been able to do the same. My mom would do it on the stove in a 4qt pot, that worked good and was
easy.

The wife likes the sweetness of the "Kettle corn", I can't do it.

 

[TRR]

Peanut oil is the wrong oil. Each oil has it's own flavor that it imparts to the foods that are cooked in it. I prefer corn oil, mostly because that is what I grew up with. And the amount of oil (1.5 tblsp per 1/4 popcorn) seems really low, I thought it was more like 3 tblsp. Personally I use a hot air popper so I need to apply something to make the kernels hold the salt after they're popped - so I use butter, at least 1/4 cup butter per 1/4 cup unpopped popcorn.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Yep, the problem was definitely the oil. If you want to have a real popcorn experience, coconut oil is the place to start. Corn oil will work in a pinch, but it doesn't have the real flavor.

 

[ragkar]

Alton Brown (TV show) recommends 1/2 cup of corn, 3 tablespoons of peanut oil. After popping butter and salt (pickling salt) to taste. Popcorn is dry and without butter, the salt will not stick to it.

 

[brin]

My wife and I tried Orvile's popcorn and found it to be tough...We buy white popping corn in the bag at Kroger...Kroger's brand and use olive oil just covering the bottom of the pot then once the oil in the pot is hot enough and pops a couple of test kernels we add enough popcorn to again cover the bottom of the pot - then we cover the pot leaving the lid ajar enough to allow steam to escape and shake the pot back and forth on the burner until most of the corn has finished popping...then we take the pot off the burner and it is ready to salt , butter and eat. It is tender and melts in our mouth.

We had tried all the microwave brands and the old fashioned way is better...

 

[dieselbeef]

jiffy pop on the burner aint bad

 

[Thomas]

Could have been diet popcorn..yep diet popcorn,I had only one mouth full of that and.....
Maybe light carmel popcorn,try Jolly Time popcorn.