What was it about coming home from school that made you always want to have something to eat. I know that my best bud John Mulhair and I used to sit on my couch and eat chocolate chips straight out of the bag as we watched "Dennis the Mennace." Something about spending your day within the confines of a school building produces a hunger that rivals a day of swimming. The trick about the after school snack is that there is not a lot of time between the snack and supper, but there is enough time for you to ruin your appetite. Now that my kids are in school, I know that once they walk in the door from their day at school they are looking for something to satiate their hunger. I decided that popcorn was the munchy of the day because it would provide both the salty and the sweet. The thing about popcorn is that there are two, maybe three, kinds of popcorn that whip all other popcorn. Old school stove top popcorn in the big metal kettle, movie theater popcorn, and (maybe) fair kettle corn put all other popcorn to shame.
My wife's family has been making stove top popcorn for ages up at their summer cabin. They have the most amazing kettle that has seen more presidents than I could probably name, but produces the best popcorn you have EVER had. I think there has to be something about the butter and oil that they use, but Grandma Bonnie and the aunts swear by the kettle. A few years ago our neighbors encouraged us to abandon the standard microwave popcorn and enter the new, and far superior, hemesphere of stove top corn. Once I popped, I couldn't stop!!
If you have a large stock pot, which if you do not you must get one tomorrow, you can make "homemade" popcorn. Here is what you need to do: Head to your local grocery store popcorn aisle (not Target though because they only stock yellow popcorn) and pick up a bag of Jiffy Pop WHITE popcorn. Friday night you dust off the large stockpot that you have not used since your last neighborhood pasta feed and make your family some popcorn that will make you never want to eat popcorn out of the microwave again.
The process is simple: Place your stockpot on a burner that is set at medium-high. Add 1 1/2 to 2 T oil of your choice. Allow the oil to heat for about a minute before adding 1 1/2 T of butter. The butter will melt quickly so I always like to have my corn pre-measured and ready. For this batch of kettle corn I added about 2 T of brown sugar with the butter and allowed that to melt down before adding the corn. Once I dump the corn in I like to give the pan a big swirl to evenly disperse the kernels about the bottom of the pan.
When that first kernel pops you add the lid and let the magic happen. As the popping slows I like to grab a large spoon and give the kernels a few stirs to make sure that I maximize popping while trying to minimize the burning. It is your call on when you want to dump the corn from the kettle into your pan, but I like to wait until the popping is VERY sparse. The goal is always to end up with as few "old maids" as possible in the bottom of my bowl. I usually just add a little seasoning salt and some regular table salt. If you are feeling indulgent add some more butter to the bowl, but I think it is usually good. This makes a great snack to bring to the park or enjoy on the couch during your favorite flick!! Much like the french press, popping your corn on the stove and not in the microwave does take a little more work, but the results are WELL worth the effort. Try it this weekend and I think you will find yourself poo pooing that stuff that comes in the pre-wrapped plastic bags!!
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