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I posted a bowl of popcorn on my Instagram stories a while ago, and today I'm here to answer all your corn questions! Popcorn is my favorite snack, and based on all the messages and heart-eye emojis you all hit me with, it's clearly yours, too. I grew up with microwaveable bags and aluminum tins of Jiffy Pop. I didn't get into popping my own until I was older, mostly because I was broke. Buying a pack of kernels is so much cheaper than those pre-seasoned and buttered bags. Now I'll never go back because popping your own is incomparably delicious, and I can make custom seasonings.
Besides several hundred folks dm-ing me "recipe, please!" there were a few big questions that kept popping up, and here I'll answer them all:
How do you keep the popcorn crunchy?
How do you get the seasoning to stick?
What do you season your popcorn with?
Step 1: Start with Fresh Popcorn
Since popcorn kernels look so dry and tough, it's easy to think they'll last forever in your pantry. In actuality, freshness is vital for cooking up crisp and light.
Every popcorn kernel has a tiny bit of moisture trapped inside. When you heat up the kernels, that moisture transforms into steam. The build up of steam increases the pressure inside each kernel while simultaneously softening the starches inside. Eventually, the pressure builds so much that the kernel explodes, turning the popcorn kernel inside-out, expanding and swelling the starch inside.
When your popcorn is fresh, it's filled with plenty of moisture. This means that enough steam will be produced during cooking to break down and burst those interior starches. Fresh popcorn pops quickly, evenly, and with few dense or dud kernels. As popcorn sits on a shelf for months, the amount of moisture inside slowly evaporates. The older your kernels, the less moisture it'll have inside, leaving you with a bowl of small, dense popcorn riddled with unpopped kernels.
Popcorn kernels will keep for 3 months stored in the freezer. After that, the quality will begin to decline. To ensure freshness, buy your popcorn online. My current favorite kernels come from Anson Mills.
Step 2: Making a Seasoning That Sticks
Do you know how powdered sugar gets on everything? Try to dust a cake without getting it all over your counter. That's because it's super fine and has a higher surface area than granulated sugar, giving it the ability to cling to surfaces.
Similarly, getting seasoning to grip tight to popped popcorn is making sure it's finely ground. I always blitz my seasoning in a spice grinder or blender (even if it's just salt) to make it super fine, ensuring full 360 coverage that won't fall off.
My Favorite Kool Ranch Seasoning
This is my go-to popcorn seasoning. It hits that perfect balance of lactic acid tang from dried buttermilk, deep savoriness from nutritional yeast, and that familiar herby kick thanks to dried dill. I make a large batch and keep it in a tightly sealed container in a cool and dry place. It's ready for popcorn, stirring into dips and dressings, or seasoning anything fried.
¾ cup nutritional yeast
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons dried dill
¼ cup buttermilk powder
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon MSG (optional)
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blitz on high speed until everything is ground into a fine powder. Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid and a desiccant (if you have one) and store until use.
Step 3: Keep Things Crisp
There are a few vital steps to making the tastiest, crispest popcorn. I swear by my Whirley Pop. It's built with vents that allow steam to escape (preventing sogginess!) and a crank to ensure even cooking. I have never had more success with any other popping method. If you are a chronic popcorn popper, you won't regret having it in your kit.
If you don't have a Whirley Pop, any big pot with a tight-fitting lid will do the job. Without vents, the steam released from the cooking corn can condense on the lid and roll back onto the kernels, making them soggy. To absorb that moisture and keep everything crisp, I wrap the lid with a clean kitchen towel before covering.
Another step where sog can happen is when you butter up those hot kernels. Even with clarified butter, where the milk solids have been removed, and the water is simmered off, tossing popped corn in the liquid fat inevitably results in some loss of crispness. Instead, I pop my corn in a generous amount of fat right from the start. This coats the kernels in fat while cooking, infusing them with flavor but staying light and crisp. (Don't pop corn with whole butter, which will burn.) Since it has a long shelf life, I make a big batch of clarified butter and keep it in the fridge so that I can make popcorn whenever the craving hits.
Self-Buttering, Extra Crispy Popcorn
¼ cup clarified butter
¼ cup popcorn kernels
finely ground kosher salt or popcorn seasoning to taste
Melt the clarified butter over low heat, then increase the heat to medium-high and add a couple of kernels to the pot. Close the Whirly pop flap (or cover with a lid wrapped in a dishtowel).
Once the kernels pop, quickly remove the tester kernels, add the remaining popcorn, and place the lid back on. Continuously crank the Whirly pop (or shake the pot) as the kernels pop. When the popping sounds stop, immediately dump all the popcorn onto a sheet tray. (The sheet tray allows steam to escape faster than a bowl, ensuring a crisper end result.)
Immediately season the popcorn with either salt or popcorn seasoning, tossing while sprinkling to ensure even distribution. Taste the popcorn and add more seasoning as needed.
Transfer to your preferred snacking bowl and try not to eat it all yourself.
By following these simple steps, you will never turn to a pre-popped bag of popcorn again. The crisp, airy, crunch of quality popcorn freshly popped in clarified butter fills me with more joy than a large bucket of movie popcorn ever could. But be warned: You'll quickly find yourself dedicating most of your freezer space to preserving popcorn kernels.
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coming back here to say, this has been a revolution in my home-popcorn-making. Thank you for your service to humanity. *deferential bow*
this is unbelievably delicious