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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2009 20:34:04 GMT
I like to make popcorn the traditional way (NOT microwave), and the oil one uses really makes a big difference. I used olive oil for years, but recently I have been using variable mixtures of Chinese chili oil, chive oil, garlic oil, ginger oil, etc., and some of the results have been spectacular.
I have never tried sesame oil (I'm not sure if you can heat it to high temperatures), but I would certainly appreciate it if somebody else would try and report back.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 27, 2009 20:43:25 GMT
Interesting. I'm a huge fan of popcorn (and we are emphatically not talking microwave here), and do a version of your flavored oil thing. I use regular tasteless cooking oil, put in the popcorn, then add a fresh or dried chile and a clove or more of garlic sliced down the middle. When the popcorn is done & the heat is turned off you can put the flavoring objects back into the empty hot pot and add a little more oil (or butter or lard or combinations), swirl till the sizzling stops, then drizzle the flavored oil over your popcorn before salting it.
I really think I'd prefer your straightforward approach, only being stymied by not having access to the flavored oils. (but will indeed try olive oil!) I suppose any oil could be gently heated first with the chile, chive, garlic, ginger or whatever in it, to be removed before proceeding with the popping process.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 27, 2009 20:48:09 GMT
Immodest, yes, but I pride myself on my popcorn.
My method: a heavy pot --calphalon, all-clad, or aluminum sandwich bottom. Put in the cooking oil & drop in the popcorn so it's in one layer and not swimming in oil. Turn on the heat while you make the top. (it really doesn't matter if you heat the oil before putting in the popcorn or not)
The heavy pot & the top are what make it come out crisp and movie-like. I use a metal mesh strainer and a cheap square paper napkin for the top.
Choose a strainer that will set either on the rim of your pot, or slightly overlap it.
Fold the napkin diagonally, main fold to opposing double fold, then fold it diagonally again. Scissor off the point made at the narrow end, then cut two or three tiny notches out of the folded side and a couple of slashes in the opposing side.
Open it carefully, then push it into the strainer so that the hole in the middle is in the middle of the strainer and all the rest of the napkin covers the sides of the strainer.
Carefully upend the lined strainer over the pot, weighing it down if need be.
The oil from the popping corn will be absorbed by the napkin and the moisture will escape through the holes. Furthermore, the dome shape of the strainer allows more movement and loft for the popcorn.
This is much easier to do than to describe. Please try it at least once.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2009 20:58:47 GMT
God, I hope so. The description made no sense to me!
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 27, 2009 21:40:56 GMT
Yeah, it does sound really complicated, but it's not. To simplify: take a regular paper napkin and fold and cut it as though you were making a "snowflake", but with fewer cuts. Use the now-perforated napkin to line a metal strainer or colander. You upend that over the pot in which you're making the popcorn. It keeps the popcorn in but lets the steam out.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2009 22:44:32 GMT
I scored an old fashioned Popcorn popper with the hinged lid at a recent yard sale for $2.00.Never been used.
K2,I would not use sesame oil,tried it once and it smoked to high heaven!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2009 22:59:27 GMT
That's what I was afraid of.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Mar 28, 2009 1:38:25 GMT
Doña Cuevas likes to pop corn with a few drops of sesame oil in regular tasteless oil. (I think it's a waste of good sesame oil).
She also eats pocorn plain, without even salt.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2010 16:30:22 GMT
Healthy or not? I keep getting conflicting views on it. I know that microwaveable pop corn with the butter added is probably not too good for us, because of the fat contact. But it does contain a lot of roughage does it not?
What's the best way to cook it do you think? It does taste a bit boring with butter though.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2010 16:57:39 GMT
I don't know if microwave popcorn makes any difference, but I read somewhere that it was a generally healthy snack because it has a lot of volume for not much content, so it is better than something like potato chips or peanuts.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2010 17:09:27 GMT
It's filling, which is good. With potato chips, it's easy to eat too many and of course with that comes the calories. The fat content of pop corn is a bit worrying. And the sodium content. I do have a pop corn maker as well. This can be used to make pop corn with the kernels, a lot more work doing it that way though.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Apr 13, 2010 1:33:07 GMT
Popcorn in the Cuevas' casa: A heavy bottomed old pot with lid. A little vegtable oil in the pot. A single layer of popcorn kernels. Bottom heat from the gas range. Crack the pot lid when the kernels start to pop. Shake pot a bit. As popping ceases, shake once more. Now pour into waiting bowls.
Mrs. Cuevas eats the stuff plain. I like smoked paprika, salt, and a shake of Parmesan cheese (the notorious stuff in the green cylinder with the added methylcellulose to prevent clumping.) (I haven't clumped in years.)
Nutritional yeast flakes can be nice on it, but we don't have it here, south of the border.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2010 5:18:34 GMT
Nutrition added to popcorn? What an odd idea!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2010 10:41:06 GMT
Don, that's how we used to make pop corn as a kid. I still remember it being done when I was living in India. So adding yeast flakes makes it more nutritional? That makes sense, I might try that. Kerouac, my kids like eating it, so might as well try and make it good for them as possible.
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Post by spindrift on Apr 13, 2010 16:00:38 GMT
I rather like toffee-covered popcorn.
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Post by gertie on Apr 15, 2010 2:30:59 GMT
Air popped popcorn is supposed to be the best, but I read that was due to the fact no fat is needed to pop in that manner. Long ago I had one of those electric air poppers, but it gave out some years ago. I pop my popcorn in a plastic corn popper without any added oil, so I think that is probably just as good. It is basically a plastic container with a lid with holes to let the steam out, and has a sort of screw into a click fastening. I have popped popcorn in a big old margarine tub with holes poked in the top with some success, although sometimes the lid pops off. Not a problem actually if your microwave is clean, just scoop it up. I have friends that use paper lunch bags with an all plastic clip on the open end with good luck, and someone told me if you get those zippy bags with the holes for airing for produce, they work well, or just poke some holes in a regular. I love toffee or caramel popcorn but would never make my own. I usually put nutritional yeast and salt on mine, though my worst guilty pleasure is popcorn absolutely slathered in butter. Just pop a pot, melt a stick of butter, then eat by dropping the popped corn in the butter and lifting to mouth with a fork. Not something at all healthy but sure is yummy!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2013 20:35:39 GMT
I like popcorn. Just plain with butter and a little salt. I remember as a little kid, back in the village in India, my folks would make pop corn by putting kernels in a deep pan with butter. This was corn that had been grown and picked in our own farm. We'd harvest it and then take the kernels off the cob, dry them and store them away. I remember watching and waiting in anticipation for this wonderful snack. A few years back, I bought a popcorn popping making. Like this one: It was so much fun watching the corn popping and filling up the bowl. My bowls were always a lot bigger than the one in the picture though. Nowadays, I just buy micro-wave pop-corn. Like this: So easy! It pops up very neatly in it's own little bag. A little advice, never buy microwave popcorn that tells you to add your own flavoring, which they put in a little sachet in the box. I tried it today and it was not good.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2013 22:32:12 GMT
I can't imagine getting butter hot enough to pop corn without burning the butter.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2013 23:19:56 GMT
It burns much of it. You just leave that bit at the bottom of the pan and throw it away later on.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2013 20:00:10 GMT
I like popcorn. Just plain with butter and a little salt. I remember as a little kid, back in the village in India, my folks would make pop corn by putting kernels in a deep pan with butter. This was corn that had been grown and picked in our own farm. We'd harvest it and then take the kernels off the cob, dry them and store them away. I remember watching and waiting in anticipation for this wonderful snack. A few years back, I bought a popcorn popping making. Like this one: It was so much fun watching the corn popping and filling up the bowl. My bowls were always a lot bigger than the one in the picture though. Nowadays, I just buy micro-wave pop-corn. Like this: So easy! It pops up very neatly in it's own little bag. A little advice, never buy microwave popcorn that tells you to add your own flavoring, which they put in a little sachet in the box. I tried it today and it was not good. Word to the wise: www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20120808/popcorn-butter-flavorant-linked-to-alzheimers
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2013 17:29:05 GMT
And I always thought it was the addition of nuts. Interesting info, casi.
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