Popcorn revisited

[Pat]

Now that there has been slightly more evidence that has come out against microwave popcorn safety (albeit much less conclusive than the OVERWHELMING evidence against the safety of grilled and smoked food) I was getting interested in alternative popcorn preparation methodologies. I have done a couple large pans of popcorn on the stovetop but but am looking for a neater solution that can reduce the oil requirement.

Anyone out there who has any oil free popping machines other than the tried and true hot air popper like the Popcorn Pumper and such? I saw a popper which is a bowl you put into the microwave. It can be used with or without oil and the lid is the serving bowl. You pop a bowl full, invert the popper remove the base (now on top) and go for it.

Remember, It isn't the microwave itself that is the cause for concern but the chemicals in the packaging of "microwave popcorn."

Any user reports? Comments? Want to share low fat popcorn seasoning ideas?

I used to use Mrs. Butterworths buttery flavored flakes as a flavor enhancer on popcorn after it was popped as air popped corn is pretty bland most of the time but unfortunately it has too much salt content.

Finely ground New Mexico chili peppers has good flavor with little heat when sprinkled on pop corn. Gives a nice rich color too. Can temporarily stain your fingers.

Pat

[egon]

Out here I'm stymied on popcorn. We have tried two different hot air poppers with no success. Shaking a pan with oil in does not turn my crank either. Best may be a wok???

The microwave popcorn is all I can get to work and it has just a tad too much goodies in it for my liking. Tastes very good though and we do have some in the cupboard. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Egon, Once again great minds think alike... I too have popped corn in a wok!

I let us run out of microwave popcorn and still have an old supply of Orville R. in the plastic jugs. It pops very well on the stove top. I use a tall stainless stock pan with a thick layer of aluminum on the bottom for heat spreading purposes. I don't use a good fitting lid but one of those round screens on a handle instead. It doesn't knock oil out and it doesn't burn the corn when I don't shake the pan during the popping process. I depend on the agitation of the popping to do the job and it does darned good. Shaking it can't do much better because not shaking pops nearly all of them. I use a third of a cup of corn and table spoon of oil which I preheat in the pan till the 4-6 kernels I put in early swell up and look ready to pop. I don't wait for them to pop. Too much heat before adding the corn seems to tend to burn some of the corn. I don't throttle back untill popping is nearly done. The large layer of aluminum on the bottom undoubtedly holds heat for a while so I throttle back before it is quite finished popping.

I know that air popped will not taste good in comparison but I will find a way to jazz it up without adding too many fat calories. I have margirin that has no saturated or trans fat and some I can't believe it isn't butter in a manual spray bottle. One of those and some New Mexico chili peppers and it should be good enough. If it is wayyyyyyyyyyy to flat I can sprinkle some Molly Mc BUtter on it (has salt in it so will use in moderation but it gives a good butter flavor.

I ordered an air popper through Amazon.com a little while ago. It was so cheap it is no big loss if it can't satisfy me. It was only about $20 with shipping. For a few dollars more I cold have purchased the same thing with the side of it emblazoned with the signature of Orville R. Whoopee, big deal. Can you taste the difference?

Pat

[egon]

I have used olive oil on popcorn. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

We have a cast iron wok. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Egon, Authentic woks are hand hammered into the bowl shape. I suppose cast iron works OK, maybe a tad heavy.

I have used olive oil with ground New Mexico chilli pepper and Molly McButter to good effect. I have also "cut" extra crunchy peanut butter with olive oil (heat in microwave to make stirring and pouring easy) and drizzled it over fresh popped corn. The olive oil makes a good thinner for the heavy thick peanut butter we use. Our peanut butter is the old fashioned kind, only peanuts and a little salt with NOTHING ELSE. I have to exercise tremendous will power to make sure the topping is just used aparingly as a spice and not the main ingredient.

There are some BBQ spices in sprinkle on form for meat which I intend to try on popcorn.

Pat

[Bird]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Our peanut butter is the old fashioned kind, only peanuts and a little salt with NOTHING ELSE.

[/ QUOTE ]

Being a peanut addict, I used to buy raw shelled jumbo peanuts every year just before Thanksgiving by the hundred pound sack at the Lee County Peanut Company in Giddings, TX. I started that in the days before I'd ever heard of a microwave oven, much less owned one, so I had to roast my peanuts on a cookie sheet in the oven. Once we got our first microwave, we started using that. I guess my peanut butter was just almost, but not quite, as pure as yours because I roasted the peanuts first, then added just enough butter to make the salt stick, then salted them. I still do that to make my own roasted peanuts to eat, but haven't made my own peanut butter in a long time. When I did, I just dumped those roasted and salted peanuts in the food processor and turned it on; takes quite a long time for a food processor, but it'll turn those roasted peanuts into peanut butter that's just as good as any you can buy. Sometimes I added a little more butter to the food processor to make peanut butter that was a bit softer and easier to spread on the bread.

[Pat]

Bird, You can cut the thick peanut butter with a little olive oil with good results too. It is less likely to suffer for lack of refrigeration.

Pat

[egon]

Whatever is used on popcorn my preference would be for Real Butter mixed with garlic for just the right flavor. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

The cast iron wok is the first one I have ever seen. I got it for the camper with the propane stove. It works really well for roast potatoes in the oven. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Again I am biased. I feel all cooking pots and pans should be made from good quality cast iron and then well seasoned. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Pat]

I grew up on food cooked in cast iron mostly. A skillet, a deep skilet for baking corn bread, corn molds for fancy corn bread. Dutch oven in the coals of an outside fire.

Then adulthood and back packing to altitudes above 12,000 and NOT carrying cast iron! Now I have some of the same cast iron that fed me as a child plus aluminum with non stick coatings and HD stainless with heavy aluminum pads on the bottoms for heat distribution.

A well seasoned cast iron is good competition for modern non stick coatings. I have threatened to toss out the ultra nice stainless as I have stuff stick all the time.

Anyone know how to "season" stainless steel? It sticks so easily.

Pat

[egon]

Back Packing is a little different. One gets hungry enough to scape any food item off of anything! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]