How to Make Movie Theater Popcorn at Home

Salty, buttery, crunchy, delicious!

Popcorn is the perfect snack--buttery, salty, crunchy and full of that relaxing aroma. Avoid long snack lines at the theater, pass on those day-old buckets filled with kernels, and make an endless supply of popped corn for less than half the price. Popcorn is a melt-in-your-mouth snack can be prepared right on the stove in your own kitchen and enjoyed in the comfort of your own easy-chair with your favorite movie.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup of popcorn kernels
• 1 tablespoon real, salted butter - melted
• 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 8-quart cooking pot with lid (e.g., pasta pot)
• 1 teaspoon popcorn salt
• Large bowl
• Stove top

Instructions

1. 

   Gather the ingredients and supplies. Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave and set aside.

2. 

   Pour the olive oil in the pot to coat the bottom, shake your preferred amount of popcorn salt on top of the oil, and turn the stove burner on to medium high.

3. Place two or three kernels in the pot and gently shake the pot back and forth until the kernels pop. Pour in the remaining cup of kernels and continue to shake the pot so the oil does not burn and smoke.

4. 

   When kernels begin popping quickly and continuously, turn off the burner and continue to shake the pot until popping slows and the pot appears full (less than three minutes).

5. Carefully pour the hot popcorn into the large bowl, drizzle the melted butter over the popcorn, and add salt to taste.

Tips & Warnings

• When salt is added to the oil before popping, salting the corn later is not necessary. Olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, and some other flavored cooking oils are healthier than vegetable oil and provide extra flavor without a heavy oily taste. Real salted butter adds more flavor than unsalted butter and keeps popcorn crisp; margarine will make popcorn soggy and wet.

• Adult supervision is necessary for this activity. Never leave the cooking pot (or stove) unattended. Continue moving and shaking the pot while the burner is on, so the oil does not burn. If the oil gets too hot, it could smoke and may cause a fire. Use caution when handling items that could be hot, including oil, fresh popped corn, melted butter or any unpopped kernels.

References

• Popcorn