Popcorn is one of the only things you can eat because of an explosion.
~Unknown~
According to an email from The Popcorn Board, next Thursday, Jan. 19 is National Popcorn Day. I don’t know who made that up (people who sell popcorn, most likely) and I don’t care, because I’ve stumbled into a whole new world of popcorn making I somehow missed.
I’ve had air-popped popcorn, microwave popcorn, a terrible failed Jiffy-Pop experiment more recently, and now I’ve returned to the roots of popcorn production: stovetop popcorn made in a pan. Yes, you heard that right… stovetop popcorn is new to me.
The air popper was invented the year I was born, and microwave popcorn appeared in 1981. Jiffy-Pop came about in 1959. I’m not sure why I don’t remember having Jiffy-Pop as a kid, but my adult attempt with the little aluminum pan was a popcorn disaster.
A few weeks ago I saw a recipe for stovetop popcorn that looked easy — easy meaning little to no cleanup required, which is how I like all my recipes. I tested it and now I’m hooked. It’s almost as good as the stuff you get at the cinema, but probably a little bit healthier, as it uses coconut oil. It tastes better than air-popped, which is only good when it’s drowned in butter, and it’s certainly healthier and cheaper than microwave popcorn.
Sometimes going back to the “old-fashioned way,” whether out of curiosity or necessity, is a good reminder that just because something is new doesn’t make it better. Just different.
Anyway, here’s the recipe: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_popcorn/
Happy National Popcorn Day a week early!
By NIKI TURNER | [email protected]
Yes!!! It’s the best!!