Cheap: DIY microwave popcorn
I like popcorn. It tastes good.
Corn is cheap --- at least it was until the demand for ethanol skyrocketed.
I don't know why it costs so much to buy popcorn at the movies, but I don't buy it there because generally I can make it through the 80 to 120 minutes of most conventional films without a snack. It's not like you're running for two hours. Most movie watchers are just sitting still.
I like the way popcorn smells. Now, I'm not inclined to open a microwaved bag twice a day and take a big snort, but I don't buy microwave popcorn often, either.
Your run-of-the-mill supermarket carries a dizzying array of microwave popcorn options in differing flavors and levels of artery-clogging butter and even different sized bags. The last time I considered such a purchase I ended up calculating numerous cost comparisons of snack-size versus 100-calorie bags versus kettle corn (for that carnival feel in your own kitchen, without the festival food prices or the crowds) until I got so frustrated that I just walked away.
Several restaurants in Baltimore now offer gourmet popcorn on their menus, like Alexander's Tavern and Woodberry Kitchen, sometimes with fancy toppings.
Oh, I'm sure all you Consuming Interests readers read about this in the New York Times in 2005, or on Ask MetaFilter, or saw it on Alton Brown's Food Network show Good Eats or his book I'm Just Here for the Food. I had not.
And yes, you can make it on the stovetop. After all, the Native Americans who brought popcorn as their potluck contribution to the First Thanksgiving probably didn't have microwave ovens. But microwaves use less energy.
And then I realized I don't have a ton of paper bags lying around and wondered if I could just pop corn in a not-quite-airtight, microwave-safe bowl. The answer: you can.
No need to buy a microwave popper that doesn't work very well or an electric air popper that will clutter your countertop.
Now, armed with a little knowledge (and a 32-ounce bag of yellow popcorn that costs $1.99), I can make my own fresh kernels, in whatever size serving I like, with my own toppings enhancing this delicious snack treat. And at a cost of a little more than six cents an ounce, rather than an outrageous markup for carcinogenic seasoning and convenience.
High in fiber!
Tasty!
Frugal.
Alton Brown’s Plain Brown Popper (transcribed by Get Rich Slowly)
- 1/4 cup good quality popcorn
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or popcorn salt
- Sprinkle jalapeno seasoning mix
- Paper lunch bag
- Stapler
Toss the popcorn with the olive oil, salt, and jalapeno seasoning mix in the paper bag. Fold the top of the bag over and staple the bag twice to close. Place the bag in the microwave and microwave on high for 2 minutes to 3 minutes, or until there are about 5 seconds between pops.
(NOTE: Popcorn salt is a super-fine salt that is designed especially for sticking to food such as popcorn. It has the taste of regular table salt, but its granules are much finer.)
(photo: Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
Comments
I was recently told that popcorn is the number one cause of dental abscesses. Floss carefully!
Posted by: aeb | April 17, 2008 11:56 AM
Movies with no popcorn? Blasphemy!
Posted by: Sam Sessa | April 17, 2008 12:03 PM
Worse than beer in cans, Sam?
Posted by: Liz Kay | April 17, 2008 12:10 PM
Worse than beer in cans, worse than wine in boxes, worse than mold on brownies.
Posted by: Sam Sessa | April 17, 2008 12:43 PM
Worse than licorice?
Posted by: Liz Kay | April 17, 2008 1:24 PM
Did you just tell people to put metal staples into a microwave?
Yes. The sources I cited in the post say it is not dangerous. But if you are nervous, just fold down the top of the bag. --- lfk.
Posted by: owl meat gravy | November 20, 2008 4:09 PM