Pop Pop Popcorn!

One of my family's favorite snacks is popcorn.  My kids learned to make themselves microwave popcorn as soon as they were old enough to reach the microwave.  Of course, being a sugaraholic, I always bought the kettle-corn variety.  Most days after school, my 8 year old son would down an entire bag and still claim to be hungry which was completely frustrating to me as a mom.

Around the same time that I was deciding that we needed to drastically reduce the amount of sugar in our diets, I also read a few articles about the dangers of microwave popcorn.  Everything from the chemicals in the oils to the chemicals in the bag itself scared me.  Not to mention that the added sugar was causing my kids to be constantly hungry.

Now, we no longer have microwave popcorn in our home.  Instead, we make popcorn the old-fashioned way -- on the stove.  I am amazed at how quickly a batch of popcorn can be whipped up and it tastes so much better. 

Here is how we make our popcorn:

Start with a nice sturdy pan 5 to 6 quart pot.  My favorite pan for making popcorn is this fabulous 5-quart  pot with lid that I purchased at Ikea for a great price and is pictured above.  The pan is nice and sturdy on the bottom and has a light-weight lid that is perfect for popcorn because it easily bounces around letting the steam out.  And you really can't beat the price.

Into the pan I add 2-3 tablespoons of a light olive oil and 1/2 cup popcorn kernels.  Cover the pot and turn the temperature on the stove to medium-high.  Using potholders, I give the pot a quick shake every couple of minutes.  Once you start hearing the kernels pop, keep giving occasional shakes and leave on the burner with the lid on until the popping slows down.  Once the popping is down to a pop or two every couple of seconds, then remove from the burner (just like the sound you listen for when making microwave popcorn).  I like to dump my popcorn into a separate bowl and then drizzle with butter and shake in salt.  For an added treat to satisfy my sweet tooth, I sometimes shake a little dextrose powder over my own bowl. 

We have tried various different types of corn kernels with universal success.  We started with a jar from our local grocery store and recently purchased some monster mushroom kernels from our local bulk food store that are fabulous.