Xexo wrote:

JoelF wrote:Nope, rarely a burnt kernel.
Is it possible your popcorn is stale? If it has lost moisture it might not pop.

I bought new from the store, so I hope it was fresh. I'll try again. Thanks.

Sounds like it might be a thermostat issue with the popper. If it's too hot, kernels will burn before they pop. Do you have a way of measuring its temperature?

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Xexo wrote:

JoelF wrote:Nope, rarely a burnt kernel.
Is it possible your popcorn is stale? If it has lost moisture it might not pop.

I bought new from the store, so I hope it was fresh. I'll try again. Thanks.

Sounds like it might be a thermostat issue with the popper. If it's too hot, kernels will burn before they pop. Do you have a way of measuring its temperature?

=R=

Yes, yes I do. I'll check on that as well. Might be time for a switch out to the, whispers so G. Wiv can't hear, wok.

Xexo wrote:Yes, yes I do. I'll check on that as well. Might be time for a switch out to the, whispers so G. Wiv can't hear, wok.

Is one able to pop tasty popcorn in a wok, of course. I've wok popped pop corn any number of times. I've even popped delectable popcorn using off-brand popcorn from a Quick-Mart camping in the middle of nowhere over an open fire using a metal coffee tin (shout out Eight O'Clock Coffee).

Does this mean you should? Woks, like coffee tins, are thin metal and susceptible to scorching popcorn. Unless you are going for wok hay popcorn. Speaking of which, I went through a short phase of purposely burning the bottom layer of popcorn black carbonized. I liked the crunchy bitter taste with butter and hot sauce.

Popcorn is forgiving, like sex and tacos, even when bad it pretty darn good. Though if you are going to the effort of sourcing quality popcorn may as well utilize proper on-hand tools to enhance the experience, i.e. heavy lidded pot, preferably with a handle to facilitate shaking.

Hi,

For reasons I cannot explain, we have not had any popcorn in a very long time. I finally did try the method of making popcorn with ghee, which gives a nice buttery taste. I used 'Lady Finger' popcorn bought for $1.53 a pound in an Amish store somewhere in Indiana. .

I found a description: "If you like small, hulless, tender popcorn, you definitely will want to try this. This tiny kernel is the tenderness around. Ladyfinger kernels are the smallest kernels that the Amish grow. Pops Yellow."

I made Dana Cree's Popcorn ice cream for my Dad's birthday. To hide the fact I was popping corn for a present. I ended up making a big batch because now people could smell it.

The Popcorn ice cream has a subtle buttery popcorn flavor. I will be curious if it is requested after the initial batch.

This was also the initial batch of ice cream made with the KitchenAid ice cream bowl. I let it spin for 30 minutes, then collected the ice cream to freeze. One person commented it was not very fluffy ice cream. I advised commercial ice cream is over processed to whip air into it.

Regards,
Cathy2

Wow didn't realize there could be so much to know about popcorn. For a pedestrian like me, Air popped in an Orville Redenbacher popper,
( never burnt and most every kernel popped). Pump sprayed Avocado oil and lightly sprinkled with Chili Powder. Works for me!

A couple of years ago, on our way back to Montréal from NYC, we stopped off at CIA for dinner, alighting for a wait in their bar first. The bar snack was popcorn, popped in bacon grease.

I remembered this a few days ago, and tried it, finishing off with garlic salt.

Oh boy, count me a fan!!

Geo

Geo wrote:The bar snack was popcorn, popped in bacon grease.

I'm going to have some duck fat in a few days, maybe I will give that a whirl, too!

Thanks for the idea.

Regards,
CAthy2

Made duck fat yesterday. Popcorn may be in my future.

C2 and louggord--

That sounds like a fiendishly good idea! Given how good duck-fat fries are, I can't but imagine how great ducky popcorn would be! Ummmm!

On the list now! Tnx folks!

Geo

You'll get ducked better by pouring it over the popped popcorn than popping it w/it.

BTW, just as a sidelight on popcorn...

I've been learning to grow mushrooms since COVID. The first stage is to innoculate a hydrated, sterile grain with a liquid culture of spores in order to form a colony of grain spawn. The grain spawn is then 'seeded' into a substrate--soybean hulls, sawdust, logs, etc.--where the mushroom mycellium grows out and prepares to fruit. The mushrooms themselves are the fruit.

Well. I use popcorn for my grain! It's cheap, it's easily available, and the various mushroom cultures love it. I hydrate the popcorn in my pressure cooker, load it in mason jars, which I then sterilize in the cooker, and then innoculate with the liquid culture.

Yet another virtue of popcorn! Who knew?

Geo

Geo wrote:BTW, just as a sidelight on popcorn...

I hydrate the popcorn in my pressure cooker, load it in mason jars, which I then sterilize in the cooker, and then innoculate with the liquid culture.

Is it popped first?

JoelF--

No, I just dump the package of popcorn in the pressure cooker, cover with the requisite amount of water, and pressure cook for half an hour or so.

Almost any sort of grain can be used. Serious home growers tend to use rye: it's a good compromise between cost, availability, and ease of use. But it's hard to find in small amounts, and you have to keep large bags of it around. Other folks use bird seed, or millet, or just about anything. Me, I use popcorn because it's the best compromise.

Geo

Jazzfood wrote:You'll get ducked better by pouring it over the popped popcorn than popping it w/it.

While ago I did a week of consulting in Philadelphia. They served Quite a bit of bacon and saved every drop of grease as popcorn topping. Served in brown paper bags the popcorn simply dripped bacon fat, turned the bag opaque and, on the surface, was gross as sh*t. In actual form the bacon grease topped popcorn tasted heavenly. Though 2-3 bags a day would send you to heaven early.

They popped the corn in neutral oil feeling, as Alan says, you get more bang for your buck as topping.

Will My Popcorn Explode?
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/29/scie ... ticleShare

G Wiv wrote:In actual form the bacon grease topped popcorn tasted heavenly. Though 2-3 bags a day would send you to heaven early.

Hog heaven, I presume.

Well, thanks to Mr. Wiv's recommendation, I ordered from Amish Country Popcorn. I've popped some the last two nights. Both times, only one unpopped kernel. Medium White Hulless. I believe I have a lifetime supply of popcorn now. 8, 2 pound bags.
Baby White Hulless,
Midnight Blue Hulless,
Ladyfinger Hulless,
Rainbow,
Red,
Medium White Hulless,
Purple,
Medium Yellow.

Xexo wrote:Well, thanks to Mr. Wiv's recommendation, I ordered from Amish Country Popcorn. I've popped some the last two nights. Both times, only one unpopped kernel. Medium White Hulless. I believe I have a lifetime supply of popcorn now. 8, 2 pound bags.
Baby White Hulless,
Midnight Blue Hulless,
Ladyfinger Hulless,
Rainbow,
Red,
Medium White Hulless,
Purple,
Medium Yellow.

Yeah, that's a lot but damn, you're going to enjoy it!

=R=

Xexo wrote:I believe I have a lifetime supply of popcorn now. 8, 2 pound bags.

Nice! Nothing says excess like excess . . .

Should last you a couple of months. Next order maybe try mushroom popcorn. Big sturdy round kernels, light hull, nice crunch and one of my favorites.

Interestingly, when I just looked at mushroom popcorn on the Amish site they suggested popping mushroom popcorn at a slightly higher temp "For best results, Mushroom popcorn should be popped at a higher temperature. This creates more mushroom-shaped kernels and leaves less unpopped corn. "

I never noticed that before.

Next up, maybe for breakfast after reading your post, Ladyfinger Hulless. I buy two pound bags and use them up before going to the next.

Amish Popcorn, count me a Fan!

Yup, we've been buying AC popcorn for years at a Mennonite bulk food store in central Wisconsin. Our fave for microwave popping is the medium white hulless. The mushroom corn makes excellent caramel corn. I find it a little less crunchy as plain popcorn, though. Not sure how to control the popping temperature in an air popper or microwave, my usual methods.
Several varieties are available in 6# bags via Amazon, one day delivery, if in a hurry. Or even faster and cheaper, Woodmans.

tjr wrote:The mushroom corn makes excellent caramel corn. I find it a little less crunchy as plain popcorn, though.

Here is the bacon cracker jack recipe I did for Baconfest 2015. 1200 tasting portions, absolutely delicious, huge pain in the ass.

=-=-

Cracker Jack
Baconfest 2015

Yield: About 10 cups of popcorn

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Ingredients:

10 cups of freshly-popped popcorn (Amish mushroom popcorn)
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup lightly salted candied pecans with a touch of habanero powder
1 cup bacon in small dice, cooked crisp


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

2. Pop the popcorn. Coat a large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray, and then transfer the popcorn to the bowl; set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, salt and water, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Continue to simmer, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Turn off the heat, and whisk in the vanilla and baking soda.
Immediately pour the hot mixture over the popcorn. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the caramel into the popcorn until all of the popcorn is coated.
Gently stir in the peanuts and bacon, and transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out.

5. Bake at 250° for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
Gently break up the popcorn.
Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.


Notes:

Temp when you add vanilla and baking soda is important, has to be exact
Small lardons of bacon
Pecans, candied with a touch of habanero powder
Pop popcorn with bacon fat
Use Mushroom Popcorn from Amish Popcorn in Indiana.
Made 1200 tasting portions for Baconfest

I make a similar oven-baked caramel corn every Christmas season. No pecans or bacon and a higher corn to syrup ratio, but the same general process. It's always popular, and the mushroom corn makes a huge difference vs. regular "butterfly" popcorn.

Alton Brown agrees that the mushroom popcorn is the best to use when making caramel corn.

Xexo wrote:Alton Brown agrees that the mushroom popcorn is the best to use when making caramel corn.

https://altonbrown.com/recipes/homemade-kettle-corn/
https://altonbrown.com/recipes/slacker-jacks/

tjr wrote:

Xexo wrote:Alton Brown agrees that the mushroom popcorn is the best to use when making caramel corn.

https://altonbrown.com/recipes/homemade-kettle-corn/
https://altonbrown.com/recipes/slacker-jacks/

Thank you M. tjr!

But worth remembering that, while mushroom flake popcorn is better if adding coatings, if not coating, butterfly flake is more tender—which might occasionally make a difference to the consumer.

Column: When it comes to popcorn in Chicago, Garrett Popcorn stands alone
By Nick Kindelsperger

My earliest memory of Garrett Popcorn, one that I can still feel in my bones, is of feeling so cold I couldn’t think.

Back in the ancient past of the early 21st century, my dad had a conference in Chicago every December, and the whole family would tag along to spend the weekend shopping on the Magnificent Mile. Toward the mid-afternoon, laden with bags and tired from walking, one of us would inevitably catch the smell of freshly popped popcorn wafting out of the old Garrett Popcorn flagship location and force the rest to stop. Since the shop was so small, the line always spilled onto the sidewalk, requiring us to stand outside for 20 minutes or more as the wind howled at our ears and numbed our toes.

The cold only seemed to heighten the experience, since once inside, my senses quickly felt overwhelmed, as the heat livened my nose, and I inhaled the sweet aroma of caramel and cheese. Back in the hotel room, I’d scarf down handfuls of caramel and cheese popcorn, scattering the occasional kernel across the floor and under the bed in the process. (Tracking down half-eaten popcorn in random parts of a hotel room must be a real skill for downtown Chicago hotel cleaners.)

Like millions of Chicago tourists, I have some serious nostalgia for Garrett Popcorn, which encompasses more than just the food. It means exploring a new city, one I loved so much I eventually moved here. It also reminds me of family, especially since some are no longer around.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/c ... story.html

Story on Chicago's popcorn history from last Wednesday's Trib:
https://news.yahoo.com/chicago-love-aff ... 00003.html
If you have a Tribune online subscription, there are photos including some that weren't in the dead tree edition.

Cynthia wrote:But worth remembering that, while mushroom flake popcorn is better if adding coatings, if not coating, butterfly flake is more tender—which might occasionally make a difference to the consumer.

Definitely agree. I find uncoated mushroom corn quite chewy.