Learn the secrets to making the best popcorn and how to get that movie popcorn experience at home!
Who knew there were so many kinds of popping corn to choose from?
So which one makes the best popcorn?
Good old-fashioned popcorn has certainly stood the test of time as snacks go! It is the stuff of warm memories of movie theatres, fairs and home movie nights.
But buying popcorn is not as straightforward as it used to be with so many varieties and qualifiers. So which one is best?
Jump to:
- Colour
- What's the Difference Between White and Yellow Popcorn?
- What About the Other Colours?
- What Does Hull-less Mean?
- Did You Know There are Different Shapes of Popcorn?
- What is the Most Popular Popcorn?
- Stovetop or Airpop?
- Why Do I Have All Those Unpopped Kernels?
- Is Gourmet Popcorn Worth the Price?
- How To Make Movie-Style Popcorn
- How to Store Popcorn
- Related Recipes
- FAQs
- The Key to Making the Best Popcorn (with movie-style instructions)
It depends on whether you want to munch happily on it with a bit of butter or fancy it up into something like this Amaretto Salted Caramel Corn.
Let's start with the first descriptor you are likely to see.
Colour
The most common differentiator is yellow or white. But just to add interest there are also red, blue, and purple, which mainly apply to the shade of the hull. Purple popping corn may have purple flecks after it has popped.
What's the Difference Between White and Yellow Popcorn?
Yellow popping corn is the most common and tends to be the least expensive. It pops up with a slight yellow tinge and may have a mildly nutty, buttery flavour. Yellow is typically more tender than white. Movie theatre popcorn is usually yellow butterfly popcorn (more on shapes later).
White popping corn is slightly smaller than yellow, has a neutral flavour, and may pop up a bit 'crunchier'. Since white popcorn is a bit sturdier it is better for making caramel corn or Kettle corn. And I can confirm it is very good for this Sweet and Salty Popcorn.
What About the Other Colours?
Red and blue pop white and are smaller and crunchy. Some suggest purple has the most flavour. It pops up slightly larger than red and blue and is pale yellow with small purplish flecks.
What Does Hull-less Mean?
All popping corn has a hull, which is the exterior coating that locks the moisture in so the kernels will pop from the steam when subjected to high heat.
What is marketed as hull-less is a thinner, more tender hull so that you don't notice it as much when you eat it. And you usually don't have to dig it out of your teeth!
Did You Know There are Different Shapes of Popcorn?
That's right...there is a breakdown by shape with a choice between Mushroom or Butterfly (sometimes also called Snowflake). Look carefully at the photo above.
Mushroom pops up round and fluffy and is the best choice for coating with caramel or chocolate.
Butterfly pops up smaller and more 'open' - kind of like a set of wings. Butterfly is what is used in movie theatre popcorn traditionally. Butterfly has lots of nooks and crannies to hold granular seasonings nicely.
What is the Most Popular Popcorn?
One measure would be that Orville Redenbacher has 53% of the US market share. It is also the best-selling variety through Amazon in both the US and Canada.
Stovetop or Airpop?
Trusted sources like Serious Eats and Cornpopper.ca recommend:
The Whirley Pop!
The Whirley Pop is a pot that heats up quickly and evenly over the kitchen stove. The crank keeps the kernels moving helping them heat up evenly. It far outperformed air popping and microwaving as far as unpopped kernels go in tests conducted by Serious Eats.
If you don't have a Whirley Pop then a big stainless steel or aluminum pot with a lid is the next best thing. Swirl the pot when you add the kernels to coat them all evenly and swirl a couple of times throughout the popping to prevent burning.
Why Do I Have All Those Unpopped Kernels?
Heating up quickly is an important factor here. If the kernels heat up too slowly moisture can escape from some hulls before they have a chance to pop. And you end up with a handful of unpopped kernels at the bottom of your bowl.
The ideal temperature for popping corn is about 380 degrees. And the more kernels that reach that temperature at the same time and at the right speed the more fluffy kernels you will end up with.
Pro Tip: When heating the oil in your pot add 2-3 kernels with the oil. When those kernels start to pop you know your oil is at the right temperature. Fish out those kernels before adding the rest of your kernels so they don't burn.
The other reason you may have a high percentage of unpopped kernels is if the kernels are older and stale. The kernels must have enough moisture in them to create enough steam to pop. Kernels lose moisture over time so older kernels may not pop.
Air Pop and Microwave
The advantage of the Air Popper is the ability to pop corn without any added oil or butter, which appeals to dieters in particular.
However, according to Cornpopper.ca mushroom popcorn doesn't pop very well in most home air poppers. Mushroom hulls are thicker and require higher heat before the steam builds up enough to pop. Most home air poppers don't produce enough heat to handle mushroom popcorn so they recommend the Whirey Pop as well.
The microwave's advantage is it fast and easy, without handling hot oil. It is a good option for kids but you have to be careful not to let the popcorn burn.
Both air-popped and microwaved popcorn were described by blind taste testers as tasting more stale and less fluffy. Both those methods left behind copious quantities of un-popped kernels.
The Answer: Either One
You want a neutral oil with a high smoke point such as canola or vegetable oil. Refined peanut oil is also good if you want the oil to impart a bit of nutty flavour.
If using butter it should be ghee (or clarified butter). Whole butter contains water, which can make unwanted steam, and milk solids that can burn easily. So if you don't have ghee use a cooking oil instead. If you have it, ghee butter will impart a buttery flavour without the high risk of burning.
Is Gourmet Popcorn Worth the Price?
Popcorn prices can vary from about $0.29/100g grams for Walmart's Great White to about .53/100 grams for Orville Redenbacher and even $5.29 for some Amish Country. If you want to get really gourmet you can get Whiskey, Rosé or Tequila Infused Caramel Popcorn for $12.99/100 grams!
If you read the reviews some popcorn lovers swear by their favourite brand over all others. A taste test conducted by the Amazing Fork team pitted Walmart's Great White against Canadian Super Store No Name and Orville Redenbacher. Subjective to be sure, but one tester could see no difference between the .29 brand vs the .53 brand.
The other tester had a slight preference for the more expensive Orville Redenbacher.
I suspect the kernels you start out with will lay the groundwork for a softer yellow popcorn vs a crisper white and after that it will depend on how well you create the optimum popping conditions and toppings. After that it will be a matter of personal preference.
How To Make Movie-Style Popcorn
It turns out that this is not as difficult as you might think. There are however a few very key elements.
- Use yellow, butterfly popping corn.
- Pop the corn in coconut oil.
- Add an ingredient called Flavacol (readily available on Amazon or from popping corn specialists) to the kernels while popping.
- Top with melted butter, preferably ghee.
Several companies will also sell you 'movie theater', 'buttery' coconut oil or 'buttery topping' designed to give you movie-style popcorn. There you have it folks. You can now make movie theater-quality popcorn at home.
How to Store Popcorn
I think it's a no-brainer that popcorn is best immediately after it is made but ... if you have a very large batch or want to make it ahead for some reason - read on.
An expert tip is to pop and top the corn using ghee or clarified butter. The process of making ghee or clarified butter removes not only the milk solids, it removes water as well. Not only do you get a more intense butter flavour, it helps keep the popcorn from going soggy once popped.
Popcorn topped with ghee and seasoning will stay crisp if stored airtight for a couple of days.
Popcorn coated with caramel will keep for a couple of weeks if stored airtight.
Related Recipes
FAQs
Yellow is the most common type and may be less expensive than white (or any of the other colours.) Yellow pops up slightly larger than white. The taste is very similar except some think that yellow may have a bit of a nutty flavour. Yellow may also be a bit more tender when popped. That makes white, which is a bit 'crunchier' a better choice for coating in caramel or for Kettle Corn.
Popping kernels come from a type of corn called Flint. It has a hard, moisture-resistant hull that surrounds a dense pocket of starch that will pop when heated. It looks similar to maize. Sweet corn kernels will not pop.
Popping corn kernels are small, hard kernels that, when heated, trap their moisture until it turns into steam. As pressure builds the kernels ultimately explode and the hulls are turned inside out.
Popping corn kernels need to have the right amount of moisture in order to pop. Moisture levels are crucial during harvest and storage. Popping corn is harvested when the field moisture level is between 14-18% (approx.). The kernels are dried after harvest to a specific moisture level before they are sold. (Exact moisture percentages are closely guarded secrets by the major corn producers.) As popcorn kernels age they lose moisture. So if the popcorn is old or has been stored usealed, allowing it to lose moisture you may have a percentage of kernels that do not pop.
Another reason that corn doesn't pop is that the kernels were cooked too slowly. That can allow the hull to release moisture and not create enough steam to pop. This is the reason you should heat the oil in your pan with 2-3 test kernels. When any of them pops remove them all and add the rest of your kernels. That means the oil is hot enough to start popping corn right away. Swirl the pan over the burner to coat the kernels with oil and help them heat evenly.
The freshest popping corn may be ready two weeks after harvest. Stored airtight in a cool, dry place kernels may last up to 2 years. (Do not store in the fridge or freezer.) Commercial or microwave popcorn sold in bags usually have an expiration date of about 8 months. You can eat popcorn older than 8 months if there are no signs of damage to the kernels but it may taste stale and have a high percentage of unpopped kernels.
Popcorn in its plain state is vegan because it is just the corn kernel. However, toppings may be non-vegan (butter) or flavourings may contain milk solids.
According to The Popcorn Board (Popcorn.org), ¼ cup of kernels should yield 7 to 8 cups of popcorn.
Recipes vary from 1-2 Tbsps of oil or ghee to pop ¼ cup of kernels. The less oil you use the drier the popped corn will be. (Many experts even like a bit more than 2 Tbsps per ¼ cup.)
This can be a matter of taste but most recipes call for 2 Tbsps of ghee or clarified butter to season 7-8 cups of popped corn. (Note that ghee has a stronger, nuttier flavour than regular, whole butter.)
Corn contains no gluten so popcorn is appropriate for most people with gluten allergies or celiacs. There is a small risk of cross-contamination that uber-sensitive people may react to.
Some popcorn producers use neonicotinoids in their corn production, which is harmful to bees. Pop Weaver, Pop Secret, and Preferred Popcorn have agreed to phase out the use of neonicotinoids, while others (like Orville Redenbacher) have not yet made the commitment. Buy popcorn labeled organic if you want to ensure you are not enabling environmental damage.
The Key to Making the Best Popcorn (with movie-style instructions)
Equipment
- 1 Whirley Pop or large aluminum or stainless steel pot with lid
Ingredients
- ¼ cup popcorn kernels
- 1-2 Tbsps oil or butter See Note 1 & 2 & 3
Topping
- 2 Tbsps ghee melted or more to taste See Note 4
- 1 teaspoon popcorn salt See Note 5
Instructions
- Add the oil or ghee to the pot with 2-3 kernels of popcorn. Heat over medium heat and wait for one of them to pop. Your oil is now at the right temperature to pop your corn efficiently. Remove the kernels; quickly add the remaining kernels, swirl and cover the pot.
- Whirley PopSlowly start turning the crank while holding the handle. You should start to hear popping within a minute or so and popping should continue another couple of minutes. Covered PotAllow pot to stand on the burner for about 1 minute until the corn starts popping. Shake and then repeat after another 30 seconds. Corn should stop popping after another minute or so.
- After corn popping has slowed to about one pop every 2 seconds or so, remove the lid and transfer popcorn to a bowl.
- Drizzle with melted ghee and sprinkle the salt. Toss to distribute evenly.
- Popcorn made with ghee will keep 1-2 days if stored airtight.
Notes
- The best oil to use is a neutral one with a high smoking point such as canola, sunflower, safflower or coconut. Peanut oil is good and may impart a slight nutty flavour.
- Some gourmet corn poppers prefer a bit more than 2 Tbsps of oil for popping, saying the result will be softer and have better flavour.
- If using butter instead of oil you must use ghee or clarified butter. The smoke point of ghee is about 465 degrees F (because there is no water in it). Regular butter's smoke point is about 350 degrees so it will burn before it reaches the ideal of 380 degrees for popping corn.
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