There is hardly a person who has not tried puffed corn. It appeared in Russia in the 90s of the last century. But in America, sweet popcorn was made by the ancient Indians. When translated literally from English. popped corn means popping or shooting grain.
Popcorn at home has become a favorite treat. Prepares quickly and without hassle in a frying pan or in a saucepan. It just so happens that they eat it while watching a movie or reading books. The dessert is sold as a snack at holiday celebrations and public events. And all because eating it is a pleasure.
A salty, but especially sweet snack, it is quite nutritious and high in calories. Per 100 g of finished product, there are up to 407 kcal. But it doesn’t make you fat, only because from 50 g of grains you get a hefty cup of delicacy. Read what cereals are made from wheat.
At home, the treat turns out much tastier than store-bought. And it’s not that expensive, both in terms of money and time. Look, several options.
Homemade popcorn: making the famous popcorn at home
Popcorn has long become popular all over the world and has won the love of millions of people. This dish consists of grains of a certain type of corn, subjected to heat treatment. Due to exposure to high temperature (about 200 degrees), the liquid starch inside the grain explodes its shell, forming a foamy bulk mass that instantly hardens. The calorie content of “pure” corn without additives is 300 kcal per 100 g, and with the inclusion of additional ingredients it can reach up to 500 kcal.
This airy delicacy is immediately associated with relaxing in the park or going to the cinema. But often not entirely healthy components are added to its composition, so many people began to make their own popcorn at home. It's very simple and fast, and most importantly - harmless. Let's look step by step and with photos at how to make popcorn at home in several ways.
Popcorn Topping Options
I think most of you will agree - without spices, popcorn is boring. I advise you to add only spices and all kinds of additions when the flakes are still warm. That is, we took it out of the microwave, let it cool a little and flavor it with “flavors”. Try making it with the spices listed below, it will turn out really tasty.
Honey
If you like sweet popcorn, mix the popped popcorn with ½ tsp. salt without a slide and ¼ cup of honey. Do not pour in all the honey at once. First add half, cover the bowl and shake it. Then add the rest of the honey and do the same.
Chili with cheese
With this addition the delicacy will be irresistible. Mix 1 tsp in a bowl. chili, 0.5 tsp. salt and 100 g of finely grated cheese. Drizzle the puffed flakes with oil and sprinkle with the aromatic mixture. Then stir everything to coat the popcorn evenly with the spices. If you don't like it too spicy, you can reduce the amount of chili you add.
Matcha with dark chocolate
For this “aroma” you will need:
- 80 g dark chocolate;
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil (or butter);
- 1 tsp coarse sea salt;
- 2 tsp matcha tea powder.
Melt the chocolate and butter over low heat. In this case, the contents of the container must be constantly stirred. By the way, this can also be done in the microwave, just first read how to properly melt chocolate in the microwave.
Sprinkle the finished flakes with matcha powder and mix everything thoroughly. This additive will give the popcorn a slightly greenish tint. Then pour the chocolate mixture on top of the treat and add sea salt. Yes, yes, you heard right - sprinkle salt. The fact is that it helps dark chocolate stand out from other spices.
You can eat the finished delicacy right away – warm. Or you can put it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. During this time, the chocolate will cool down and the popcorn will be saturated with aromatic additives.
White chocolate cookies
Melt 300 g of white chocolate and 2 tbsp. coconut oil. Drizzle the buttery mixture over the puffed corn flakes. Then sprinkle the popcorn with crushed Oreo cookies (you will need 10 pieces) and mix thoroughly. It will turn out incredibly tasty.
The benefits and harms of popcorn
Puffed corn without third-party additives and spices has a relatively low calorie content, but at the same time is very nutritious. It contains B vitamins, which help maintain body tissue in tone, and also have a beneficial effect on the condition of nails and hair. Eating fried corn grains normalizes metabolism and heart function.
The product is rich in potassium, calcium and plant fiber, the benefits of which are to cleanse the intestines and fight extra pounds.
Unfortunately, in many retail outlets, popcorn is prepared with an abundance of flavor enhancers and other foreign substances that can harm the body. No matter how tasty such a delicacy is, you should not abuse it and consume large portions. It is recommended to eat this delicacy no more than 2-3 times a week and always on a full stomach.
Cooking a sweet dish
To begin with, opt for a frying pan with a glass lid. This will allow you to monitor the cooking process so that the grains do not burn, but open.
Odorless vegetable oil is poured into the bottom of the dish. It should cover the entire bottom. Pour in the grains and place the frying pan over high heat. It is better to pour out the grains in portions so that they are laid out in one row. Then there will be fewer burnt and closed grains.
Corn kernels are sprinkled with granulated sugar on top. Scatter carefully so that the sweet ingredient gets all over the corn. Then cover everything with a lid and wait. After a couple of minutes, the grains will begin to open and popping sounds will be heard. Now you need to shake the pan, and quite often. Then the grains will mix with sugar and butter and will not burn. When the interval between claps becomes three seconds, you can remove this batch, transfer it to a dry bowl and let it cool. You can add a new portion of grains. This is a simple recipe that shows you how to make sweet popcorn with minimal ingredients.
Who doesn't know about such a delicacy as popcorn? Probably there are no such people. It is often purchased at the cinema hall to enjoy the film while watching it. However, preparing such a delicacy yourself is simple and quite cheap. You need to purchase special grains for popcorn; they can be found in large chain stores or ordered online. Then you should try making sweet popcorn with granulated sugar and vegetable oil. It's quite simple. How to make sweet popcorn that is as good as store-bought popcorn? You need to spend a little more time and make a special caramel filling. This is not only tasty, but also aromatic.
Corn selection
Not all types of grains are suitable for preparing an airy delicacy. Corn for popcorn should preferably be from wild, uncultivated varieties, where the grains have a durable shell that can withstand high temperatures. An ordinary crop intended for cooking will not be suitable, as it will quickly burst without reaching the required degree of roasting. This is one of the main reasons why homemade popcorn may fail.
You can also purchase ready-made special grains for dry popcorn. The contents of the package can be easily and quickly prepared in a microwave oven, or in a dry frying pan. You just need to follow the instructions indicated on the pack itself.
Made it yourself - teach it to your child
Taking this opportunity, I recommend a microwave oven as one of the most useful devices in the family kitchen. And not only because it speeds up many kitchen tasks. More importantly, it eases the mental burden of everyday worries, since it brings an element of entertainment to household chores.
Because truth be told, everyday cooking isn't much of a recreational activity. Complex and creative cooking is similar to it, especially in its confectionery part. But it requires time and money. And breakfast, lunch and dinner every day is a routine. But using a device unknown to our ancestors makes the kitchen more fun without lengthening the time spent.
That is why, with the help of a microwave, you can teach a child to cook and cook. When instilling self-care skills in a child, you don’t want to simultaneously instill in him the idea that everyday chores are tiresome. Microwave cooking is easier to teach as a fun game. In addition, a microwave is safer for an inexperienced cook than a stove, because it does not heat up from the outside and does not burn with splashes.
Popcorn in a frying pan
To prepare popcorn using this method, you only need two ingredients and a minimum amount of time.
The cooking scheme is very simple:
If you like salted popcorn, immediately after removing the lid, sprinkle the corn with finely granulated salt, but you can also use regular or iodized salt. A sweet version can be obtained by sprinkling the hot treat with powdered sugar, which can also be additionally flavored with cinnamon or vanilla.
What can you add for flavor?
Popcorn, when properly roasted, has a very appetizing aroma. But it can be strengthened if desired. For example, it is important to use any citrus fruits for this. Add lemon, lime, orange, tangerine and even grapefruit juice to brighten the aroma. It is allowed to take only citrus zest.
Various spices are perfect for flavoring the treat. For example, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg. If the delicacy is planned not to be sweet, but salty, then you can sprinkle it with oregano, dried garlic, and basil.
Popcorn in the microwave
This method is particularly simple, so popcorn in the microwave is an ideal option for quickly preparing your favorite treat for a home movie show.
How to make popcorn:
You can also make caramel deliciousness. To do this, pour a glass of sugar and 30 g of high-quality butter into a small saucepan. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes on low gas, stirring regularly, at the end add two tablespoons of water and mix everything again. Pour the finished caramel into the puffed corn in a thin stream and stir well.
An even simpler option is to make popcorn from ready-made packaged grains. To do this, you need to carefully remove the bag without breaking the seal and place it in the oven with the picture down. You also need to make sure that when rotating the bag does not touch the internal walls of the device, otherwise some grains may not open or burn. You need to cook the yummy food for three minutes at maximum power. Once the cracking stops, the product is ready.
Peanut butter and chocolate popcorn
You will need:
- 8 cups popped popcorn
- 1 chocolate bar
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter/paste
- 1/2 cup chopped Snickers bars
- 1/2 cup chopped Milky Way bars
Preparation:
- Break the chocolate bar into pieces, mix with the peanut butter, place everything in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute. When melted, remove and stir again.
- Pour the finished popcorn onto a sheet of parchment, pour the resulting mixture on top, add Snickers and Milky Way.
- Place in the oven for about 20 minutes.
- Serve and eat immediately.
Popcorn in a special machine
The easiest and fastest way to prepare your favorite treat is a popcorn maker. But at the same time, this option is more expensive, and it is rarely possible to purchase the unit itself in ordinary household appliance stores. You can order it mainly in specialized online stores. In addition, it will be possible to purchase raw materials and additives for making popcorn.
Such devices are distinguished by a variety of sizes, functions, appearance, and accordingly have different performance and cost. Therefore, when choosing a device, you should pay special attention to all these parameters.
To make your favorite delicacy using such a machine, you just need to follow the instructions: pour in a little oil and pour out the required amount of grains. Additionally, flavoring and non-stick additives are added. The boiler is preheated to a high temperature, reaching approximately 300 degrees, under the influence of which the grains burst. In a word, everything is exactly the same as in a frying pan or in the microwave, only more automated.
How to dry popcorn seeds
The quality of any dish is influenced primarily by the raw materials. It is important to harvest corn, specifically for popcorn, at a certain stage. If this happens at the stage of milky ripeness, the grains will not burst in the pan. It is very important that the grains are fully ripe, it is best if they are dry on the cob. The characteristic appearance of the finished grains is a glassy shell.
Harvest from the beds immediately before storing. The top layer of leaves is left on the cobs, and in this form they are dried for about a month in a dry, cool place. Then they put it in bags made of natural material. The cobs are stored without loss of properties for several years in a cool, dry room, so they can be prepared for future use. An ideal place for storage could be an insulated balcony or cellar.
Corn harvest
Be careful, over-drying corn is just as harmful as under-drying it. Over-dried grains do not contain the amount of moisture needed for an explosion. Observe the conditions for storing the crop and you will be happy. Properly prepared corn on the cob will have 95% of its kernels popped in the pan.
Popcorn (puffed corn) at home: recipe and common mistakes
There is a huge amount of material on the Internet on the topic of making popcorn, but the same mistakes are often made there, and on the contrary, some subtleties are missing. Therefore, it was decided to pay close attention to this issue and write the recipe so that everyone is guaranteed to get the perfect result.
Homemade popcorn, oddly enough, is no more difficult to make than microwave popcorn, but if you get your hands full, it’s also easier and faster, especially if you need several servings. Well, as for the taste, store-bought popcorn, neither ready-made nor for the microwave, was not even lying around with homemade one. So let's get started.
1. Take your largest saucepan and place it over medium heat. For a stove with 6 divisions, this is approximately 4. It is important to ensure even heating, that is, if you have a gas stove, it is advisable to use a pan with a thick bottom.
2. Pour refined vegetable oil into the pan so that it covers the bottom with a layer of 1-2 mm (some of the oil can be replaced with butter for taste or use unrefined oil). When it is well heated, pour in the corn kernels so that they completely cover the bottom of the pan in one layer. Shake lightly to coat the grains with oil and distribute them evenly across the bottom.
3. Cover the pan with a pan screen (a mesh that prevents the oil from splashing) or a colander to prevent the exploding grains from flying away. The fact is that grains contain a lot of water, thanks to which they explode. If you cover the pan with a lid, the steam will condense and drip onto the popcorn, and the kernels hitting the lid will get wet. If you don't have a colander or screen, you should at least leave the lid slightly open. Some of the moisture will still condense, but this will at least reduce the wetting.
4. When the intervals between pops become more than 2-3 seconds, remove the pan from the heat and add salt, powdered sugar, grated Parmesan, melted chocolate, caramel, syrup - basically whatever you like your popcorn with. Cover the pan with a lid (wipe if wet), shake vigorously to thoroughly mix the contents, and immediately remove the lid to allow steam to continue to escape.
5. Lightly shake the pan from side to side so that the not fully popped kernels sink to the bottom, after which the popcorn is ready to eat. Place it in bowls, turn on the movie and enjoy.
1. People often say that you need to cook popcorn on high heat - this is not true. The grains will burn before they have time to open, and then the already opened grains will burn. With the right temperature (slightly above average), nothing will ever burn.
2. Always try to cover the entire bottom of the pan with corn kernels. This way you will get a product with a minimum amount of oil. If you put fewer kernels, you will have to add more oil to ensure heat transfer - as a result, the popcorn will be very oily. So if you need some popcorn, just use a smaller pan.
3. It is most convenient to cook popcorn in a pan, since the ratio of the diameter of the pan and its height is ideal for these purposes. If you cover the entire bottom, the finished popcorn will almost fill the pan. But if you make popcorn in a frying pan, then the finished popcorn simply won’t fit, and if you make it a little, then, again, it will turn out too greasy.
Source
The easiest way to make popcorn
There's almost no need to cook. The fact is that in the second half of the last century, cinemas began to be replaced by televisions, which almost everyone had in their homes. So resourceful entrepreneurs thought about it and came up with a way to sell popcorn for cooking at home. Stores began selling bags of grains that you just had to put in the oven, following the instructions. With the invention of the microwave oven, popcorn in bags began to be made for it. Thus, the easiest way to make popcorn at home is to buy such a bag, put it in the microwave for 5 minutes and enjoy watching a movie. Of course, it’s not as interesting as cooking it yourself, but it’s an ideal method for the lazy.
Popcorn at home in a frying pan - 5 corn recipes
There is hardly a person who has not tried puffed corn. It appeared in Russia in the 90s of the last century. But in America, sweet popcorn was made by the ancient Indians. When translated literally from English. popped corn means popping or shooting grain.
Popcorn at home has become a favorite treat. Prepares quickly and without hassle in a frying pan or in a saucepan. It just so happens that they eat it while watching a movie or reading books. The dessert is sold as a snack at holiday celebrations and public events. And all because eating it is a pleasure.
A salty, but especially sweet snack, it is quite nutritious and high in calories. Per 100 g of finished product, there are up to 407 kcal. But it doesn’t make you fat, only because from 50 g of grains you get a hefty cup of delicacy. Read what cereals are made from wheat.
At home, the treat turns out much tastier than store-bought. And it’s not that expensive, both in terms of money and time. Look, several options.
The history of popcorn
Tasty and healthy popcorn
The birthplace of popcorn, like corn itself, is the American continent. It is not known for certain when this dish first appeared. There is documented evidence that excavations in Mexico have uncovered “exploded” corn kernels that are over 4,000 years old. This means that already at that time popcorn was on the Indian menu.
It seems that Americans have always eaten popcorn, so it is not surprising that in our time Americans are leaders in this market. Popcorn is several thousand years old, but it was given a second life by an enterprising merchant from Chicago, Charles Critors, in the 1880s, who invented an automatic mobile popper - a device for preparing a tasty treat. New and old products began to be sold on every corner. Low cost and magical taste made it mega-popular.
By the way, ready-made popcorn comes in different types: mushroom and butterfly. The next time you eat, pay attention to who your popcorn turned into from the explosion.
The third wave of popularity hit popcorn with the advent of cinema. During the Great Depression, cheap food helped fill movie theaters. Nowadays, not a single cinema can do without a stand selling corn sweets. It's hard to say whether it's good or bad, but nowadays popcorn and movies are almost synonymous.
They say: "Popcorn saved Hollywood"
Popcorn at home in a frying pan - a simple recipe
Corn popcorn is a childhood favorite and much-desired snack. According to this recipe, it can be easily prepared at home. Not all varieties are suitable for making popcorn. Some grains have a too dense shell, while others do not contain enough water to “shoot”.
Ideal are those types that contain less starch, but more proteins and fats. Their seeds are shiny and the shell is thin. Proven varieties include: Zeya, Vnuchkina Radost, Gostinets... They make an excellent snack. The grains burst and form a fluffy structure. This is the simplest recipe, consisting of a minimum set of ingredients.
How to make caramel?
How to make sweet popcorn? Add caramel to it! According to the basic recipe, you can prepare both a salty and a sweet product. For sweetness you need to add caramel. It is also easy to prepare.
Pour water, all the sugar and lemon juice into a small saucepan. They put everything on low gas and just watch the pan. There is no need to stir the caramel; you can only occasionally turn the pan, slightly lifting the sides so that all the sugar is covered with water.
Now you need to act as quickly as possible. The finished caramel has a pleasant color and a characteristic smell. Quickly open the lid of the pan with popcorn, pour soda into the caramel, the result is foam from the sweet ingredient, it is poured into the corn. Mix the grains thoroughly so that they are all saturated with the sweet ingredient.
Then the grains are laid out on a baking sheet, preferably in one layer. Cool for ten minutes.
Homemade caramel popcorn
Anyone who loves the taste of milk toffee will appreciate this recipe. For caramel popcorn, which is prepared at home, we need corn and vegetable oil to open the grains. We will fry the grains in a frying pan. And when they swell, cover the lush mass with melted toffee on top.
The milky-caramel mixture coats the popcorn on all sides. It turns out toffee with filling. It's so delicious! Instead of toffee, you can safely use any caramel, sweets, or chocolate. Every time, a sweet snack will delight you with new flavors.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1. Add 50 g of corn. Heat a frying pan with vegetable oil over a fire. Add grains. Cover with a lid before they start to burst.
2. Empty the frying pan or take another one. Melt the butter and add the toffees into it. While stirring, wait until they melt.
3. Place popcorn in the caramel mixture. Mix, trying to distribute it evenly over the surface of each piece.
We are waiting for the sweets to cool down and enjoy with the whole family!
Tequila popcorn
You will need:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 liters of ready-made popcorn
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon tequila
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
Preparation:
- Pop popcorn in olive oil.
- Set the oven to preheat to 150 degrees. Prepare a baking tray and cover it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, lime juice, tequila, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cumin, ground pepper and salt. Mix well.
- Add the mixture to the bowl of popcorn and stir. Spread evenly on baking sheet.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes at 150 degrees until the mixture dries out.
Sweet popcorn recipe at home
When you get acquainted with new recipes for sweet popcorn, you gradually realize that this is not such a harmful product as we used to think. It is prepared from whole corn grains, which contain polyphenols in the germ. They have antioxidant properties that prolong life.
If you eat food in reasonable quantities, it will not do any harm, but only benefit. The extraordinary sweetness with peanut butter, prepared at home, is another confirmation. It revives a familiar product, gives it deliciousness and novelty, and fills it with a special aroma.
What you will need:
How to cook:
1. Pour 1.5 tbsp into the pan. l. vegetable oil.
Coconut oil is considered ideal for popcorn. It has a neutral taste.
If you don’t have this in your house, then use any kind, for example, refined sunflower. Place the pan on the fire and add the corn kernels. Cover the pan with a lid. After a couple of minutes they will begin to “explode”.
2. When the corn stops popping, open the lid and mix the contents. If there are still whole seeds left, they will sink to the bottom of the pan and open. Pour the opened grains into a bowl.
3. Place a small saucepan on the stove. Add peanut butter and butter to it. Add sugar and a pinch of vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
4. Immediately remove from heat and pour peanut caramel over popcorn.
Mix well so that each piece is coated with aromatic glaze. Before the filling hardens, sprinkle the popcorn with a handful of praline.
Pralines are finely chopped nuts (several types) fried in sugar.
But you can do without sprinkles. This extraordinary treat, covered with peanut glaze, with pieces of sweet nuts, amazes everyone with its taste. You can't buy such yummy food in a store!
Caramel
This version of popcorn is especially popular in cinemas today. Both adults and children adore him. But if you wish, you can prepare a caramel snack at home yourself. It is important to cook both the sugar filling and the corn kernels themselves at the same time - in parallel. Both components must be hot.
Ingredients
For the dish you need to take:
- corn grains - ½ tbsp.;
- sugar – 1 full glass;
- water – 55-60 ml;
- butter fat – 45-50 g;
- baking soda - on the tip of a knife.
When the caramel is already cooking, there is only one way to mix it - by rotating the pan. You cannot use a spoon or spatula for this. Otherwise, the sugar will begin to crystallize quickly. It will no longer be possible to stop this process. It is important to take a minimum amount of soda. It is required for the “looseness” of the sugar mixture and its further uniform distribution.
Step-by-step cooking process
The cooking process includes several stages:
- Corn kernels are poured into a frying pan and placed over medium heat. They should be fried with the lid closed and the pan should be shaken thoroughly from time to time.
- If the process is organized correctly, then soon the grains will begin to explode and open. At this time, you cannot open the lid on the frying pan, otherwise the treat will scatter throughout the kitchen.
- After the very first shots, the fire under the frying pan is reduced to a minimum. This is necessary so that the grains themselves do not burn.
- When the popping in the pan has completely stopped, you can pour sugar into a separate pan and pour in ice water. If desired, the amount of sand can be reduced to ¾ tbsp.
- The caramel base is made from butter fat. Soda is poured there. There is no need to extinguish it first.
- At the next stage, the caramel can be mixed with a spoon. The mass will begin to actively boil, but this is a normal reaction.
- The still warm popcorn is immediately doused with caramel. At this point, be sure to mix it thoroughly. If the base was still warm or hot, the sweet filling will not harden too quickly.
When the caramel delicacy has completely cooled, you can separate it into individual exploded grains directly with your hands. The finished treat is immediately served to the table.
Recipe for salted popcorn in a frying pan
The feeling of salted popcorn popped in a skillet is indescribable. You just have to try. Imagine, each piece is covered with sweet and salted caramel. It is neither sweet nor very salty. But the salt is still noticeable. An unusual experience. After repeated tastings, you get the hang of it and start to like it...
The appetizer is prepared in the classic way - by roasting the grains in a frying pan. And when cooking caramel, salt is added to the sugar. And at the end - soda. That's all the wisdom.
What is necessary:
Preparation:
1. Heat a frying pan with vegetable oil on the stove. Add grains. Reduce heat to moderate. We close the dish with a lid and wait for the corn to start jumping up, hitting the lid and turning into a plump mass.
2. As soon as the “stalk” subsides a little, immediately turn off the fire. Remove the pan and pour the contents into the pan.
There is no point in keeping popcorn on the fire longer. The lower, opened grains may burn.
When pouring, remove all unopened corn. In the finished treat, you can break your teeth on them, since they are very hard.
3. Pour sugar into a thick-bottomed saucepan. We put it on the fire and wait. At this stage, it should not be stirred, it should be slightly burnt. When the sugar begins to melt and change color, begin stirring with a spatula.
Add salt and butter. The mass will become homogeneous, add a teaspoon of soda. Mix quickly and remove from heat.
BBQ popcorn
You will need:
- Large bowl of prepared popcorn, cooked in a little olive oil
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1.5 teaspoons chili powder
- 1.5 teaspoons onion powder
- 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Preparation:
- Pop a large bowl of popcorn in olive oil.
- Sprinkle all other ingredients on top.
- Mix well. The oil will help the spices stick well to the popcorn.
Homemade popcorn with caramel
Caramel popcorn is an unsurpassed classic made at home. The dessert turns out better than store-bought, and much cheaper. The main thing is to choose the right grains. After all, not all varieties of corn can explode. Look for popcorn kernels at the store.
And it’s easy and quick to prepare. Fry the grains in a frying pan with a small amount of oil. We will make caramel from one sugar, which we simply melt.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
Add corn kernels to a frying pan with vegetable oil. Distribute them evenly over the entire surface of the bottom. Cover with a lid and wait for them to open with a bang. We monitor the process so that the mass does not burn. Pour the popcorn into a bowl.
Now, cook the caramel. There are several known ways to prepare it. Some people like to add butter and milk to it, others mix it with a little water. We offer the simplest option - melt the sugar.
Pour sugar into a frying pan and wait for it to start melting. At the same time, it burns and turns brown. Only then can the mass be mixed. Pour the finished caramel over the popcorn.
Interestingly, even though popcorn is high in calories, it rarely makes you fat. You can only get better from sweet corn. But, in this case, the weight gain comes not from grains, but from sugar.
As you can see, popcorn is prepared very simply and quickly. It is not only tasty, but also healthy. The shells and germ of corn contain a large amount of antioxidants that inhibit the aging of the body. Vitamins B, A and C, together with minerals, improve health. Fiber activates intestinal function.
Using additional ingredients at home, you can experiment. Puffed corn turns out incredibly tasty with toffee, peanut butter, and caramel.
Sugar-based caramel with added milk can be sweet or salty. Your family will tell you what to choose. Try several recipes at once and decide. Cook with pleasure and delight your loved ones with new culinary discoveries!
Source
Flavoring additives
There are a great many different additives to improve the taste and aroma of popcorn. Experimenting will help you find your favorite recipe. Here you will find the most popular:
- Caramel - mix 30 grams of butter, a glass of granulated sugar and a few tablespoons of water. Bring over heat until golden brown, stirring continuously. Pour the delicious liquid onto the finished popcorn and mix or shake everything in the bag.
- A hearty recipe with cheese - hard cheese is grated on a fine grater directly onto hot popcorn. The cheese will melt and it will almost be a one-dish meal. Once cooled, it is also tasty and appetizing.
- With chocolate - melt the bar and pour it over hot popcorn or add one tablespoon of cocoa to caramel.
- For those who like spicy foods , take two liters of water: 50 ml of corn syrup, 100 grams of sugar, a spoonful of butter, salt, chili pepper, a pinch of vanilla. Boil the syrup until thick (15-20 minutes) and pour it over freshly cooked popcorn.
- Just sprinkle with dry seasonings : powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, paprika, regular salt, lemon zest, orange zest. Bon appetit
Colored popcorn using additives
Popcorn in a frying pan at home
If you don’t have a casserole with high sides or a pan with a non-stick bottom, then you can easily cook airy and crispy popcorn in a frying pan. To do this, you will need a minimum of ingredients, but it is advisable that the container in which you are going to fry the corn kernels is not flat, otherwise they will fall out of it.
The most important condition for frying popcorn is the presence of a lid, since the grains, when popping, seem to jump out of the frying pan, and only the lid stops their jump. Otherwise, your kitchen floor will be covered in puffed snacks.
Determine the taste of the dish for yourself; you can make salty or sweet popcorn, fill it with caramel and cut it into squares, etc. - do not limit the flight of your culinary imagination. The recipe calls for cooking with salt.
Ingredients
Prepare the necessary products. You can buy special corn grains in any supermarket by weight or at the market.
Corn kernels should not be heated for too long, otherwise they may overcook. Therefore, first warm up the frying pan itself by placing it on the stove and turning on the maximum heat. Use cast iron cookware if available.
As soon as it warms up thoroughly, reduce the heat to medium and pour in vegetable oil and add salt. You can add salt to the popcorn after cooking if you wish, but it will become more uniformly salted as it roasts.
Immediately pour in the corn kernels. Do not rinse them under any circumstances! The only thing you can do to clean them is to rub the grains between your palms, removing excess flakes and dust.
Then immediately cover the container with a lid and fry them over medium heat. After about 1-2 minutes, the grains will begin to jump and burst, revealing frothy, snow-white pulp.
After about 3 minutes, you need to turn off the heat so that the grains that burst first do not burn. Since the frying pan is cast iron, it will give its heat to the grains for another 1-2 minutes and the last of them will transform into crispy “clouds”. Do not remove the cover!
Tips and tricks
There are some tips that will help in the future:
- Dry beans that have not burst are best stored in a closed container in the freezer.
- Some grains are overdried and therefore do not burst. Soak them overnight in cold water. Then dry thoroughly.
- To prevent the popcorn from getting soggy, remove the lid as soon as it's ready to prevent condensation from forming in the bowl and water droplets falling onto the kernels.
- It is better to mix popcorn with seasoning by first mixing the kernels with butter. It would be better to place salt or sugar on a moistened surface.