We all love popcorn. It tastes great and is healthy too, as long as you don’t use too much oil and butter. A serving of popcorn has about 4 grams of fiber and is only 30 calories per cup. We are going to tell you how to make the best microwave popcorn.
Don’t use store bought microwave popcorn packages. You can make it better yourself and it will be a lot healthier and cheaper too. They tend to over salt the store brands and add all sorts of nasty artificial flavors you don’t want in your body. All you need is a microwave-safe glass bowl, a plate, salt, and some oil. However, there is a trick to making it taste amazing.
You first need to make popcorn salt. Put a few tablespoons of salt in a spice grinder. You can also use a blade coffee grinder. Keep grinding until the salt becomes powdery. You can store it in a small glass jar with a lid on it. Throw in a few popcorn kernels so you can shake up the jar in case the salt is clumping together. The powdered salt sticks much better to the popcorn and is important.
Next, get a large glass bowl. It should be big enough to hold your popcorn after it is popped. A 2 to 4 quart bowl should be good enough, but use a larger one if you make more popcorn.
Measure out some popcorn kernels (about 2 ounces, or 56 grams is good for 1-2 people). Any brand is fine, but you may find you like certain ones better. The popcorn can’t be too old or the kernels won’t pop well and you will be left with a lot of “old maids”. If you have any extra dry-pack silica gel desiccants (the ones that say “don’t eat”), throw it in your popcorn jar to keep the kernels from getting too much moisture. You can buy them, but many products have them, so just save them for later.
Next, add some oil to your popcorn. A teaspoon is good, but if you want lower calorie popcorn, you can use less. We like canola oil, but any type of oil is good. However, don’t use olive oil, since it can burn at a low temperature. You now want to add some of the powdered popcorn salt you made. 1/4 teaspoon per serving is good, but adjust it to your preference. You can always add more salt later. Use a spoon and mix well.
Cover the bowl with a large piece of saran wrap and secure it to the sides of the bowl. Next, use a sharp knife and gently put 8 holes in the saran wrap around the bowl. This will keep the popcorn from popping out and also let out excess steam.
Set your microwave to high power. Set the timer to about 8 minutes. If you are making more popcorn it might take more time. Longer is better, since you will be manually stopping the microwave when it is ready. After a few minutes the popcorn will start popping. Keep your eyes and ears open. Let it continue to run until the popping slows down to about 1 pop ever 2-3 seconds. Once that happens you are ready to remove the popcorn.
IMPORTANT: The popcorn will be very hot. You must use oven mittens or a big thick kitchen towel when removing it. Put the popcorn down on a table. DO NOT REMOVE THE SARAN WRAP WITHOUT PROTECTION. The steam is hot enough to cause serious skin burns.
You can now eat the popcorn right out of the bowl which keeps it warm for a long time. Add more popcorn salt if needed. If you want to indulge a bit, you can also add a little melted salted butter, but this popcorn tastes so good you might not even need it. If you want to control calories, but still want butter flavor, try melting some in a small cup and dip your kernels in it before eating. Having your butter on the side is a great way to cut extra calories while enjoying buttered popcorn. You can also use commercial butter spray, but we like real butter the best.
You now know the secret to making amazing tasting popcorn at home that is inexpensive and healthy.