Sunday, October 10, 2010

The Best Frackin' Popcorn... Ever.


If you guys haven't tried making your own popcorn at home, you're crazy. While I do love that microwaved fake-buttery goodness in a bag, making your own popcorn is SO cheap and amazing. Most of the time, you just put a layer of popcorn kernels in the bottom of a large stockpot, barely cover them with oil, set the heat to medium-high, cover and shake till the popping almost stops. Seriously, it takes about 5 minutes. However, with 5 seconds more work, you can have ridiculously delicious kettle corn that will impress your friends... I would know. I made it for the first time last night, and Amy and Shelley FREAKED. So here goes...

Spicy-Sweet-Salty-Crunchy Kettle Corn. Aka: Crack.

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Popcorn Kernels
Enough neutral oil (Canola, Peanut, Vegetable) to barely cover them in a stockpot (maybe 1/4-1/2 Cup)
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Paprika, or a mix of Paprika and Chili Powder, or add some Cayenne in there for a kick!
Salt to taste

Put your popcorn kernels and oil in a large stockpot. Cover with a lid. Set burner to medium-high. While the oil and kernels heat up, mix sugar and Paprika in a small bowl. As soon as you hear one or two kernels pop, quickly remove lid and pour in the sugar/spice mixture. Replace lid before you get burned (I have a cute little blister from not heeding my own advice). Shake, rattle and roll until the popping slows to 1-2 seconds between pops. Remove from heat immediately, wait a few seconds for popping to subside and then remove lid and add as much salt as you want. Transfer to a bowl. You can eat this molten, sticky popcorn now, or wait a few minutes until the sugar hardens and the popcorn becomes really crunchy.

I made a big batch of this a half-hour ago, and as I typed this blog post, I ate it all. Go me. Now, go you, and make this crack-corn for yourself, or share it with friends if you dare.

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