Best Pop Corn Recipes

KETTLE CORN IN A WHIRLEY POP

Steps:

• Note that this recipe's cooking method is for a gas stove. You might have to monkey with the heat a bit on an electric one.
• Add all ingredients to the Whirley pop, and pop, using, on average, a medium heat: alternate between a lower flame and a high one. This is in order to send the heat to the outside edges, which is where the popper sends the popcorn!
• Be sure to remove from the heat quickly when the popping slows. Empty immediately into a big bowl, and stir around with a big spoon and/or your hands to break apart the kernals. (Careful - it's hot!).
• For an easier cleanup, put some water and a squirt of soap immediately into the popper to soak.
• After it has cooled thoroughly, keep in an air-tight container to prevent sogginess.
• Whirley Pop Notes:.
• I actually purchased mine because, try as I might, I just couldn't make great Kettle Corn in a pot on top of the stove. I tried a number of recipes. They all came out tough, and never fully popped, and the sugar always burned. And I am a pretty patient cook! To make matters worse, the cleanup of burnt sugar on my stainless pots was a significant chore!
• So, I bought a Whirley-pop. With all the great reviews on-line, I knew I would come to love it. I was right! It makes great popcorn, all kinds! Bonus is that you can use less oil than cooking in a pot, like only 2 teaspoons per 1/2 cup batch.
• So, this recipe is for a Whirley Pop, as I haven't personally had any success in a regular pot. If you don't have one yet, and you make popcorn a lot, I highly recommend one! Although they are mostly a "single-use" item, they are only about $23. And, personally, I recommend this Kettle Corn recipe over the one in the book.

CARAMEL POP-CORN BALLS!

Steps:

• 1. Pop 2 quarts of plain air-popped popcorn, & pop one bag of butter microwave popcorn. Combine all 4 quarts of popcorn into LARGE bowl to mix them two kinds of popcorn together.
• 2. In medium sauce-pan combine carmel squares, water, brown sugar, and marshmallows together on medium stirring often until melted. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 5 minutes. Pour carmel mixture over popcorn and stir with wooden spoon until popcorn is evenly coated. Let coated popcorn sit for 10 minutes and allow to cool a bit. You wont be able to form balls until it cools alittle bit and gets stickier! Once popcorn mixture becomes sticky, grease hands with butter or crisco and start forming balls. Place on waxed paper & store in airtight container! Enjoy!! :)

POP CORN

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan on medium high heat.
• Put 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan.
• When the kernels pop, add the rest of the 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds. (Count out loud; it's fun to do with kids.) This method first heats the oil to the right temperature, then waiting 30 seconds brings all of the other kernels to a near-popping temperature so that when they are put back on the heat, they all pop at about the same time.
• Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once. Once the popping starts in earnest, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. Try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper). Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl.
• With this technique, nearly all of the kernels pop (I counted 4 unpopped kernels in my last batch), and nothing burns.
• If you are adding butter, you can easily melt it by placing the butter in the now empty, but hot pan.
• 6 Salt to taste.
• Additional tips: From the comments section
• a If you add salt to the oil in the pan before popping, when the popcorn pops, the salt will be well distributed throughout the popcorn.
• b Fun toppings for the popcorn - Spanish smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, cayenne powder, chili pepper, curry powder, cumin, grated Parmesan cheese.