Popcorn suggestions?

[nancy324]

My first experiment actually worked pretty well. I used a standard size brown lunch bag. I mixed one half cup of fresh (this is key; they go stale rather quickly) Redenbacher kernels in a cup with a teaspoon of olive oil. I poured the mixture into the bag. Then I measured out one-half teaspoon of salt and threw that in the bag. Then I folded the top twice. It was a bit more popcorn than the bag could handle, and some spilled out into the microwave, but the taste is excellent, and the salt seems to be pretty evenly disbursed.

There's just a cup and a spoon for the dishwasher, and the calories are, I think, about 350. If I used one third cup of popcorn, the calories would be about 250. I'll use one third next time.

 

[morningstar]

I would just pop your popcorn in a big pot with a lid, using just 1 teaspoon of an oil with a high heat tolerance. Add a butter spray and some garlic powder and shake and you're done. I usually don't use the butter spray, but I do add salt. Pretty healthy, good fats, whole grains, lower glycemic index because you're having fat with your corn. It makes the popcorn incredibly light and fluffy. The key is to not use too much oil, or the popcorn gets tough.

 

[nancy324]

I would just pop your popcorn in a big pot with a lid, using just 1 teaspoon of an oil with a high heat tolerance. Add a butter spray and some garlic powder and shake and you're done. I usually don't use the butter spray, but I do add salt. Pretty healthy, good fats, whole grains, lower glycemic index because you're having fat with your corn. It makes the popcorn incredibly light and fluffy. The key is to not use too much oil, or the popcorn gets tough.

My problem is the "just add salt" that so many recipes mention. I assume that means sprinkle it on top, which makes the popcorn flavor inconsistent throughout. I'm trying to find a way to spread the salt around more evenly. The other thing is, I don't wash pots!

 

[morningstar]

My problem is the "just add salt" that so many recipes mention. I assume that means sprinkle it on top, which makes the popcorn flavor inconsistent throughout. I'm trying to find a way to spread the salt around more evenly. The other thing is, I don't wash pots!

Just use a big bowl and shake it. And if you're not willing to even clean an easy to clean pot for a great snack, how could the snack possibly be worth the calories?

 

[MAYNARDSMOM]

I eat Paul Newmans organic popcorn. Butter of course I hope thi sone is an ok one to eat

Sidenote question for you Nancy. In your picture what is that green thing in front of you? I always think a head of cabbage ????? Just curious.

 

[kathryn]

I eat Paul Newmans organic popcorn. Butter of course I hope thi sone is an ok one to eat

Is it microwave popcorn? Most microwave popcorns have hydrogenated oils in (aka: trans fats, the ones that many experts say we should not eat at all).

(And Nancy has a big bowl of salad in front of her).

 

[NinjaMom]

OH Nancy...tell me it isn't so Like you, I eat a mini bag of Smartpop almost every night. I just bought an industrial size box from Costco and now I'm concerned. I googled PFOA and read that companies plan to eliminate it from MW popcorn bags by 2015...well that doesn't help right now! So I googled reusable microwave containers and came across this:

http://www.vat19.com/dvds/catamount-microwave-popcorn-popper.cfm?adid=gbase

Looks interesting and since I have popcorn almost every night, it would eliminate the waste of paper bags. I'm going to search further to see if anyone else carries it as this site shows "out of stock".

 

[pixiesis]

Morningstar, thanks for the tip about using a small amount of oil. I think that's where I went wrong before with the stove-top method so I'll be trying this. As for Nancy not wanting to clean a pan, that's her business! She's clearly trying to replace her love of microwave popcorn, and her new method worked great for her, is much healthier, is *almost* as easy, and works in the microwave, so let's just be happy for her, ok? That doesn't mean that you can't clean pans all day long if you want to!

 

[pixiesis]

Oooh Judi, that looks like a cool gadget! And it's made of glass too!

 

[Gayle]

Just use a big bowl and shake it. And if you're not willing to even clean an easy to clean pot for a great snack, how could the snack possibly be worth the calories?

Well, you can't do that in most workplace kitchens.

I've seen Alton Brown use the paper bag method as well...with jalapeno seasoning!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/plain-brown-popper-recipe/index.html

 

[TeTe]

As for Nancy not wanting to clean a pan, that's her business! She's clearly trying to replace her love of microwave popcorn, and her new method worked great for her, is much healthier, is *almost* as easy, and works in the microwave, so let's just be happy for her, ok? That doesn't mean that you can't clean pans all day long if you want to!

Amy, thanks for saying it so nicely. I'll refrain.

And, Nancy, as a guy told a friend of mine when he came to pick her up and she apologized that her house wasn't all that tidy: "You are much too interesting a person to be worried about housework!"

 

[NinjaMom]

Oooh Judi, that looks like a cool gadget! And it's made of glass too!

I know! I thought so too but as I was reading reviews, I found it is 7 1/2" high and I don't think it will fit in my "above the stove" microwave

 

[kathryn]

My first experiment actually worked pretty well. I used a standard size brown lunch bag. I mixed one half cup of fresh (this is key; they go stale rather quickly) Redenbacher kernels in a cup with a teaspoon of olive oil. I poured the mixture into the bag. Then I measured out one-half teaspoon of salt and threw that in the bag. Then I folded the top twice. It was a bit more popcorn than the bag could handle, and some spilled out into the microwave, but the taste is excellent, and the salt seems to be pretty evenly disbursed.

I highly recommend trying coconut oil instead of olive. It's much more heat stable than other oils. (And it tastes MARVELOUS with popcorn! Just be sure to get the refined coconut oil for this purpose, unless you want coconut-flavored popcorn....which actually would be good for some things!)

 

[morningstar]

It's not that I love cleaning (my god, if you only knew!) I just figure that if I'm going to have a treat, it better be so damned good that the extra work is worth it. But popcorn is a treat for me, rather than a neccesity of life, so that may be the difference. I will admit that some other neccesities of life (chocolate!) don't require hardly any clean up at all!

 

[nancy324]

I eat Paul Newmans organic popcorn. Butter of course I hope thi sone is an ok one to eat

Sidenote question for you Nancy. In your picture what is that green thing in front of you? I always think a head of cabbage ????? Just curious.

Tami, unfortunately, it is likely that even Newman's uses the coated bags with the PFOA. It keeps the oil from showing through the bag. I regret having to report this to you. Why not send an email to the company to check though?

That's a Big Salad. Back in the day on these boards I was known for eating gigantic Seinfeld Salads, so it seemed an appropriate avatar.

 

[nancy324]

Morningstar, thanks for the tip about using a small amount of oil. I think that's where I went wrong before with the stove-top method so I'll be trying this. As for Nancy not wanting to clean a pan, that's her business! She's clearly trying to replace her love of microwave popcorn, and her new method worked great for her, is much healthier, is *almost* as easy, and works in the microwave, so let's just be happy for her, ok? That doesn't mean that you can't clean pans all day long if you want to!

That's it, Amy. I'm trying to recreate the experience of my Smartpop, which I ate almost every single day. It was perfect for me: low cal, whole grain, neat and tidy, nothing to wash, perfectly salted. I swear, I cannot watch even one of my most favorite TV shows, like Law & Order, without a bag of popcorn now. Guess I'm a creature of habit. It's funny, but I can deal better with big changes in my life than with small ones. It's the little things that matter most!

 

[nancy324]

I highly recommend trying coconut oil instead of olive. It's much more heat stable than other oils. (And it tastes MARVELOUS with popcorn! Just be sure to get the refined coconut oil for this purpose, unless you want coconut-flavored popcorn....which actually would be good for some things!)

Thanks, Kathryn! I'll definitely try it.

 

[nancy324]

I know! I thought so too but as I was reading reviews, I found it is 7 1/2" high and I don't think it will fit in my "above the stove" microwave

Aw, too bad Judi. It looked great. There's nothing safer, from a health perspective, than glass.

 

[LizO66]

[I've been eating a bag almost every day for several years now! (Don't even get me started on how useless the FDA is!!)

..I work for FDA, and the Agency really isn't useless - underfunded (until very recently) and overburdened with unfunded mandates. Truthfully, we work very hard for very little.

 

[nancy324]

It's not that I love cleaning (my god, if you only knew!) I just figure that if I'm going to have a treat, it better be so damned good that the extra work is worth it. But popcorn is a treat for me, rather than a neccesity of life, so that may be the difference. I will admit that some other neccesities of life (chocolate!) don't require hardly any clean up at all!

Anything that would require washing a big, greasy pot every day would only remind me how heartbroken I am over losing my Smartpop. For some reason, fussing takes the joy out of things for me, while I delight in things that are simple and stream-lined. The challenge is keeping things simple while still keeping them healthy and free from toxic chemicals.