# The Popcorn Thread



## Bob in St. Louis

I looked for an existing thread about popcorn, and much to my surprise, there isn't one (that I could find).
So....
What's more natural than eating popcorn while we watch movies, right?

So what's your secret? Everything from nuked popcorn to "regular" popcorn. How about some fancy popcorn?
Are there any "popcorn-o-philes" out there? What do you get and where do you get it. How about fancy salts and flavorings?

In a pinch (when we're particularly lazy), we'll use microwave "Pop Secret" brand. Most of the time it's their standard flavor, but occasionally we find the "Movie Theater Butter Explosion" type in the store, but that's pretty greasy.

90% of the time we buy the bulk (no name) stuff in the store and pop it in a Presto brand popper (pictured below).
The unit works great and pops the vast majority of the kernels, but can be a little messy. If you use real butter in the upper chamber, it has to be brought down to room temp, because the unit doesn't get hot enough up there to melt butter that's fresh from the fridge. For a hungry family of four, the unit produces just the right amount of popcorn.

As far as flavorings are concerned, we use a powdered white cheddar cheese from a shaker (Kernals Season's brand), and a salt called 'Salt-o-Riffic' (Jolly Time brand).

Ok...that's our secret. How 'bout you?


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## SRW1000

Great idea for a thread!

Huge popcorn lover here. My wife and I have Movie/Popcorn night every Friday and/or Saturday.

We switched to coconut oil a couple of years ago, and haven't looked back. After years of using LouAna, we're just finishing off a bottle of Carrington Farms that was purchased at Costco. In comparison, the LouAna has a neutral flavor while the Carrrington Farms tastes and smell slightly sweet and has a more pronounced coconut influence. For us, it was too strong, and we ended up diluting it with olive oil when used for popping. The next kind we'll be trying is Snappy brand white. 

For an occasional treat, we'll use a 50/50 mixture of oil and bacon fat. The bacon fat tends to smoke pretty easily, but it also imparts a smoky flavor to the corn that's not overwhelming but still satisfactory.

As far as the corn itself, I prefer plain old yellow, and usually make Jolly Time (also from Costco) for myself. My wife prefers white or red kernels, which are purchased from Fireworks Popcorn. The red kernels have a slightly nutty flavor, but pop up smaller and crunchier. Sometimes I'll make a blend of different types for variety. Our favorite was Starshell Red, but it's been unavailable for years now. It had the best and boldest flavor of all.

One day we'll have a commercial popper, but for now it's countertop or stovetop only. I've gone from a stove top Whirly Pop to two different West Bend Stir Crazy models. The first Whirly Pop was aluminum. It worked OK, but the bottom warped after a while. The Stir Crazy was also OK, but I wanted to upgrade to the Kettle Krazy model. Had that for just over a year, and the stirring mechanism broke. The fine folks at West Bend replaced it, but shortly after I had the upgrade bug again. I came back full circle to the stovetop model. 

But this time I picked the Great Northern Stainless Steel model from Amazon. So far, this is my favorite. Due to the thicker bottom, it probably won't warp from the stove's heat. I add the oil and salt once it's warmed up, which helps evenly distribute the sale throughout the entire batch of popcorn. I had done that with one of my earlier Stir Crazies, but the salt ended up scratching the non-stick surface of the popper. Also, with the Stir Crazy, the steam seemed to condense in the lid, so the outside kernels would get soggy. That isn't happening with the Great Northern popper. The only negative so far has been the handle. The short screws kept pulling out, so I replaced them with longer ones. That seems to be doing the trick.

For serving, we have some popcorn buckets that were purchased at a local store a couple of decades ago. They have an insert in the bottom with holes that are just large enough to let the old maids drop through. That's greatly reduced the risk of breaking a tooth on an unpopped kernel. I've never seen them again, but they're really solid and should last for many years to come.

For toppings, my wife demands real melted butter. We bought an electric baby bottle warmer years ago for this. the butter is sliced into a plastic bottle, and the warmer gets it to the perfect temperature for covering the popcorn.

Usually I eat mine with just salt, but occasionally, I'll add some spices. Thyme goes really well with it, as does pepper. I've also used a chili lime powder. We'll also make cheese popcorn using Cabot Cheddar Powder. It covers the popcorn nicely, although some usually drops down to the bottom, which is easily consumed with a wet finger.

Microwave popcorn is reserved for emergency use only, or if only one of us wants popcorn for some odd reason.

Eager to hear from other popcorn enthusiasts out there!

Scott


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## Bob in St. Louis

Wow Scott!
That was an awesome reply, thank you VERY much. There's enough information there to cost me about a hundred dollars when I go "popcorn shopping". :rofl:

Fantastic information. This is going to be great. Yum.


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## JQueen

We buy the organic kernels at earthfare 1.99 a # cook them in just oil and some salt. It's perfect, Taste great and easy to clean


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## Bob in St. Louis

I bought some Flavacol and some coconut oil. Should be here on Thursday. 
I've got several pounds of bulb corn already, so it'll be a bit before I get fancy with the actual corn.
Looking forward to it. :thumb:


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## NBPk402

I just received my Lindy's Stainless Steel Stove Top Popcorn Popper, 6-Quart from Amazon with Arrowhead Mills Organic Popcorn, 28 Ounce Bags (Pack of 6)... My wife made a batch about 15 minutes after I unpacked it. The popcorn tasted excellent. We used Organic Coconut oil. I am glad I saw the thread or we would still me doing the microwave popcorn. :T


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## SRW1000

Regarding microwave popcorn, one thing that I have found to work wonders is to pop the plain, low-fat stuff, and then lightly drizzle some flavored oils after popping.

It may sound counter-intuitive, (why add fat to a low-fat product?) but the oils used in microwave brands have an odd, abnormal flavor that can overpower the popcorn. The light stuff tastes a bit bland, but topping it with a flavored oil really allows those flavors to come out.

I've used avocado, walnut, and olive oils, and then topped with just a very light dusting of popcorn salt. 

It's still not as good as the real thing, but it does improve the standard microwave stuff.


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## ALMFamily

Right now, we are doing the microwave stuff, but my wife and kids bought me one of the cart poppers for Xmas so I am hoping to really give it a workout once the lobby and brewing area are done. Following along for all the great tips!



SRW1000 said:


> Regarding microwave popcorn, one thing that I have found to work wonders is to pop the plain, low-fat stuff, and then lightly drizzle some flavored oils after popping.
> 
> It may sound counter-intuitive, (why add fat to a low-fat product?) but the oils used in microwave brands have an odd, abnormal flavor that can overpower the popcorn. The light stuff tastes a bit bland, but topping it with a flavored oil really allows those flavors to come out.
> 
> I've used avocado, walnut, and olive oils, and then topped with just a very light dusting of popcorn salt.
> 
> It's still not as good as the real thing, but it does improve the standard microwave stuff.


As an aside - where about are you in Wisconsin Scott?


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## pddufrene

http://m.kegworks.com/butter-flavor...!34028917081&gclid=CN32wa-x-rwCFS1p7AodGCcAsg
This is some pretty good popcorn for those of you with the cart type popcorn poppers.


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## SRW1000

ALMFamily said:


> Right now, we are doing the microwave stuff, but my wife and kids bought me one of the cart poppers for Xmas so I am hoping to really give it a workout once the lobby and brewing area are done. Following along for all the great tips!


Please give us the details once you have the cart up and running. That's definitely a goal for us one day, but we just don't have the room for one right now.



ALMFamily said:


> As an aside - where about are you in Wisconsin Scott?


Just north of Milwaukee.

Scott


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## SRW1000

ellisr63 said:


> I just received my Lindy's Stainless Steel Stove Top Popcorn Popper, 6-Quart from Amazon with Arrowhead Mills Organic Popcorn, 28 Ounce Bags (Pack of 6)... My wife made a batch about 15 minutes after I unpacked it. The popcorn tasted excellent. We used Organic Coconut oil. I am glad I saw the thread or we would still me doing the microwave popcorn. :T


There's a world of difference in the flavor between stovetop and microwave, isn't there? Yes, the microwave is very convenient, but the stovetop version only takes a few extra minutes. You can start preheating the kettle while you get the ingredients together, which saves some time. 

Glad to see people get something out of this thread. And don't be afraid to experiment. Popcorn is cheap!


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## NBPk402

How do you keep the popcorn fresh? The bags are way bigger than would be used at once... I have a feeling it will be months before a bag is completed.


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## Bob in St. Louis

I put my corn in a tupperware type quart sized container. it has a small pop-top lid that allows ua to pour out the kernels without unscrewing the entire lid.


We received our coconut oil, and Flavacol yesterday. We made a batch with the "regular, off the shelf" Jolly Time popcorn.
We both agreed it was very good, although we'll be using a bit more "Flava" next time. I used 1tsb of that with one heaping TBS of oil to just over a half cup of corn. With the same amount of corn, we would have generally used 1/4 cup of butter and a TBS of canola oil. So to say that last night popcorn tasted "drier", is an understatement. However it "felt" much more healthy but was surprisingly flavorful (or should I say, "flavaful")? 

Suffice it to say that I firmly believe the days of canola oil and butter are behind us. 
This stuff is a keeper. But of course that doesn't mean we won't continue to experiment. 

Bob


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## NBPk402

Bob in St. Louis said:


> I put my corn in a tupperware type quart sized container. it has a small pop-top lid that allows ua to pour out the kernels without unscrewing the entire lid.
> 
> 
> We received our coconut oil, and Flavacol yesterday. We made a batch with the "regular, off the shelf" Jolly Time popcorn.
> We both agreed it was very good, although we'll be using a bit more "Flava" next time. I used 1tsb of that with one heaping TBS of oil to just over a half cup of corn. With the same amount of corn, we would have generally used 1/4 cup of butter and a TBS of canola oil. So to say that last night popcorn tasted "drier", is an understatement. However it "felt" much more healthy but was surprisingly flavorful (or should I say, "flavaful")?
> 
> Suffice it to say that I firmly believe the days of canola oil and butter are behind us.
> This stuff is a keeper. But of course that doesn't mean we won't continue to experiment.
> 
> Bob


Is this what you are using?


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## Bob in St. Louis

No, mine's about half that size. Here's a random Google pic I found (mine isn't pink though, haha)


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## WRYKER

I have a 8cup popcorn 'old-school' type I bought a while ago for my man cave. I bought it from an industrial place but they sell the same 'flavor' at amazon. I didn't buy the 'cart' for it since my man cave is small and this one sits perfectly on the small refrigerator. I've been trolling websites looking for ideas on popcorn so glad I stumbled on this one! I've bought two different types of 'pre-made' popcorn packets. These packets contain the oil, kernels, and flavoring that i put the oil and salt in first and let the 'stirrer' warm up the pot and then i add the kernels and pop pop pop!! Both brands create a large set of old maids (I'm at work so I dont' know what brands I've used) and I've heard of using flavorcol so I think I might go the route of buying the ingredients individually. I have a big bottle of 'butter' to use but i need to buy the dispenser to put on the top since 'pouring' it over the popcorn has led to..well..WAY to much butter!


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## Bob in St. Louis

Just for you, Ellisr63, here's a photo of my popcorn arsenal as of tonight:


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## SRW1000

ellisr63 said:


> How do you keep the popcorn fresh? The bags are way bigger than would be used at once... I have a feeling it will be months before a bag is completed.


We bought a number of acrylic canisters years ago that we use for our staples, such as sugar, flour, and popcorn. They're similar to these found on Amazon, but they cost a lot less.









They're large, locking, and look pretty nice.

Scott


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## dtprkr

Glad to find this discussion going on. I have a Paragon popcorn machine that I would highly recommend 
to anyone searching for a popper. We have been using the pre-measured packets from paragon to use with it.
I'm always curious to try something different or perhaps better,, as of late, I've heard a lot of talk about Black
Jewel popcorn. Has anyone heard of it or tried it??? If so, please share some info. 

Thanks
Dtprkr


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## Bob in St. Louis

I've never heard of that one. News to me.

It's fun bouncing from the various typed of oils from night to night, but I'd have to say coconut is my favorite.
Wifey isn't convinced there's much difference, so it's going to hard for me to talk her into spending the extra cash for (what I think is) the good stuff.

The Flavacol continues to be amazing! :T

Bob


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## SRW1000

dtprkr said:


> Glad to find this discussion going on. I have a Paragon popcorn machine that I would highly recommend
> to anyone searching for a popper. We have been using the pre-measured packets from paragon to use with it.
> I'm always curious to try something different or perhaps better,, as of late, I've heard a lot of talk about Black
> Jewel popcorn. Has anyone heard of it or tried it??? If so, please share some info.
> 
> Thanks
> Dtprkr


I don't think I've tried that kind, but it looks like one of the small, white types. Typically, the kernels pop up smaller and crisper than the yellow type. Reviews on Amazon are mostly positive, with one person claiming it uses more oil. 

You've got a good popper, go ahead and try some of the Black Jewel. You may like it better than the standard yellow. It will have a different flavor and texture. 

If you do try it, be sure to post back!


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## SRW1000

Bob in St. Louis said:


> I've never heard of that one. News to me.
> 
> It's fun bouncing from the various typed of oils from night to night, but I'd have to say coconut is my favorite.
> Wifey isn't convinced there's much difference, so it's going to hard for me to talk her into spending the extra cash for (what I think is) the good stuff.
> 
> The Flavacol continues to be amazing! :T
> 
> Bob


Yeah, coconut is the best, isn't it?

Have you checked out the price of the nine pound Snappy brand container? You may be able to find it locally, and it's only $22 on Amazon. Nine pounds should last a long time.

Scott


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## Bob in St. Louis

That's a fantastic price. That nine pounds is just a bit higher than the 1.5 pound container I bought. 
For anybody interested, >> HERE << is the link.


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## Owen Bartley

We have a Paragon popper which we love. Actually just used it for the first time in months last night (too scared of waking the baby with all the popping). I have been buying the packs, but would like to try out some bulk coconut oil and corn to see if I can do things cheaper. I also have a container of flavacol, so seasoning shouldn't be a problem.


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## J&D

Looked at poppers for many years since I finished the HT in 06' but just have not purchased one. Primarily because popping on the gas cook top is so fast and easy. Cleanup consists of throwing the 5qt. kettle I use in the dishwasher.

We have tried many types of corn from the typical stuff found in every grocery store to boutique brands found in specialty stores to online brands, to bulk brands. The best we have found is the bulk white carried by an Amish grocery store near my parents farm. After finding this we ditched any and all of the yellow stuff we had on the shelf. Sorry, no phone or internet at this store!


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## Mikeythai

Finally a thread I can contribute to! LOL.

I have used a Whirly Pop for a few yeas now and swear by it. After trying a bunch of different brands of popcorn I now cook Snappy white. I usually cook the popcorn in olive oil, and sometimes put dehydrated cheddar cheese from Amazon on it. Although... I've found that as much as I love the cheese flavor it kind of overpowers the delicious simple flavor of the popcorn.

I will definitely get some coconut oil...I pretty much love everything coconut.


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## SRW1000

I've been using the Snappy brand coconut oil for over a month now, and am quite happy with it. There's no sweet aftertaste like the Carrington Farms brand I had purchased at Costco. 

There's a fantastic deal on Amazon right now for Great Northern coconut oil - just $15 for a gallon. I don't need it, but bought it anyway. Coconut oil has a great shelf life.

Here's a link, not sure how long the price will last:

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Northern-Popcorn-Premium-Coconut/dp/B00K2CGNWA/ref=pd_ybh_3

I can't vouch for the brand, but the price is too good to pass up.

Scott


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## Mikeythai

I just might give this a try. It seems to be highly rated, and claims to be real movie theater popcorn salt.

http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Medal-Pr...402749746&sr=8-2&keywords=snappy+popcorn+salt

Anybody used it? Or maybe a different suggestion for plain popcorn salt?


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## Mikeythai

I did buy that flavacol salt and love it. It gives a good movie theater popcorn taste. It's a very fine powder, I bought a dredge to shake it on the popcorn. 

Flavacol salt is a winner. :T


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## Bob in St. Louis

Yes indeed, it's good stuff!
The wife and I have popcorn almost every night, and that container of Flavacol is half gone. It's been many months since we bought it, I can't recall exactly. 
But the way I use it, is I pour a tsp in the oil at the beginning of the 'cook' and let the stirring arm disperse the spice. 

Bob


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## B- one

Our Whirly Pop just arrived . Came with a few samples and I picked up a bag of Amish Country rainbow unique blend. So we will have popcorn tonight if the wife washes it.


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## JimShaw

I feel like a novice in this thread. I use...









Micro wave for three minutes while the Blu player is loading and getting the movie ready and then I eat.


m


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## B- one

JimShaw said:


> I feel like a novice in this thread. I use... Micro wave for three minutes while the Blu player is loading and getting the movie ready and then I eat. m


You can always upgrade!


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## Bob in St. Louis

Hey, no worries man. This is the popcorn thread, not the "popcorn-o-phile" thread. :rofl2:

I assume the Amish popcorn is non-GMO?
I've been wanting to try non-GMO popcorn, but the price is not very attractive. I have no doubt non-GMO would be better in many more food I/we eat but hey.....


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## B- one

Yes non gmo 2# bag was only $4.29 didn't seem to bad.


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## JimShaw

B- one said:


> You can always upgrade!



After reading this thread, I probably will do.


B- one

Haven't talked with you in awhile. How's the 64F8500 been treating you?


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## Mikeythai

Bob putting the flavocol in before popping is a genius idea. Will try next time I cook.


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## B- one

JimShaw said:


> After reading this thread, I probably will do. B- one Haven't talked with you in awhile. How's the 64F8500 been treating you?


The display has been great, never called Robert on the paperwork for it to lazy. The Whirly pop is a nice popper very quick and easy our first batch was tasty:drool:.


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## Bob in St. Louis

Mikeythai said:


> Bob putting the flavocol in before popping is a genius idea. Will try next time I cook.


I have noticed that the amount of seasoning that sticks to the popped corn varies depending on the oil I used. Coconut oil leaves more seasoning in the popper, while peanut oil leaves the pan pretty clear, which (obviously) mean the seasoning is sticking to the corn better with peanut. But I prefer the taste of coconut oil over peanut oil, so I have to use more Flavacol when I use coconut oil.
So it may take a few times to get the flavor you desire.

(Gee....I feel I could have used half as many words to get my point across.) :dumbcrazy:


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## JQueen

Flavocol will be my next purchase I've been looking to try something new.


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## Bob in St. Louis

JQueen said:


> Flavocol will be my next purchase I've been looking to try something new.


Check Amazon for prices! :bigsmile:


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## SRW1000

I recently bought the Sur La Table Non-Stick Mesh Popcorn Grill Popper on clearance, for only$6:

http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-1356575/Nonstick+Mesh+Popcorn+Grill+Pan

It looked like an interesting gadget, and figured I'd try it for the bargain price. You toss the popcorn in the popper, and hold it over coals or a fire until the corn pops. I tried it on a charcoal grill a few weeks ago. It takes a few minutes for the corn to heat up to the point of popping, and I had to hold it really close to the heat for it to work. Once they start popping, the wonderful aroma of grilled corn starts to fill the air.

Once it's all popped, you just pour it into a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Kind of a fun experiment.

The final result was disappointing, though. The resulting kernels were on the small side, with lots of old maids. This could be a result of my fire not being hot enough. The bigger letdown was the flavor, though. If you like the taste and texture of hot-air popcorn, you may not mind it, but to me it was too reminiscent of those bland air-popped packing style peanuts. Kind of lifeless.

Since there's no oil involved, even the salt doesn't want to stick to it, so that doesn't help either.

As a novelty item, it's fairly interesting, but not practical for true popcorn aficionado. I'll probably end up using it more for grilling vegetables, shrimp, or other small items. I do want to try grilling corn with it, but frozen (thawed) sweet corn. That's right, sweet corn already off the cob, but with that great grilled flavor. Sounds crazy, but it just might work, and it would be faster and easier than grilling cobs and then cutting off the kernels. 

Scott


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## Bob in St. Louis

"Bump"

For $15, I bought an 8 pack of assorted seasonings.
Here's the Amazon link

And here's what I've amassed for flavors to date.
(That Flavacol is still amazing!)


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## JQueen

Ordered some Flavacol last night can't wait to try it out!!!!


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## Bob in St. Louis

Good deal, let us know!
What kind of popper do you have?


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## JQueen

Bob in St. Louis said:


> Good deal, let us know! What kind of popper do you have?


Metropolitan 6oz popper! I absolutely love it


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## Bob in St. Louis

Ok, cool. On that machine, I would recommend adding the Flavocol directly to the uncooked kernels, not sprinkled on afterwards.


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## JQueen

Bob in St. Louis said:


> Ok, cool. On that machine, I would recommend adding the Flavocol directly to the uncooked kernels, not sprinkled on afterwards.


Thank you for that recommendation, I wasn't sure how to do it.


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## Lumen

Lou Ray enters (let the laughing begin)
I once tried several "boutique" varieties advertised at local farm market. 
They popped up just fine in a pan with oil, but they did not taste impressive.
Lou Ray leaves (laughter increases).

Sent from my iPad using HTShack


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## JQueen

Flavacol was a game changer for popcorn. It's not overwhelming at all. Thanks for the recommendation. The wife approved as well, she went for seconds which never happens


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## chashint

A couple years ago I looked into the finer points of cooking popcorn.
Coconut oil, Flavacol, and medium-high heat turned our humble Whirly-Pop and generic yellow popcorn into a treat I am truly proud of.
I was not to keen on putting the seasoning in the Whirly-Pop initially but it works like a champ.
The coconut oil also makes cleaning the cooker incredibly easy.


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## Todd Anderson

What a great thread. Wish I had something to add... Sure do love eating the stuff! One of my favorite foods. 

Hmmm.... Popcorn pizza.

Bet that's never been tried!


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## WRYKER

How bout pizza flavored popcorn?


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## Bob in St. Louis

Glad you guys are loving the Flavacol and coconut oil!


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## Shortbuscandid8

We like Orville Redenbacher gourmet popped in coconut oil and topped with Spike seasoning.


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## JQueen

Alright guys quick question for you!! I ran out of oil and I'm really wanting popcorn but don't want to run to store can I substitute it for all vegetable shortening and if so how much should I use to make 3/4 of a cup of kernels? I normally use 1/4 cup of oil


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## Bob in St. Louis

Yes, you can use shortening. I've never tried it, but I know my way around a kitchen and you should be able to substitute that for oil.
Might use a touch less though. A quarter cup is a lot regardless of what kind you're using.
Let it melt before you put the kernels in.

Let us know how it goes. :T


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## JQueen

Well I found a bottle of coconut oil my wife had and I'm by no means a coconut fan but when the mind wants popcorn I'll do what needs to happen lol. Now all I can do is smell coconut and I hate it but the popcorn taste quite nice. It actually might be the best batch I've ever made


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## Bob in St. Louis

Yip, I hate coconuts too, but the oil is amazing. I buy it in 9# cans just for popcorn.


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## JQueen

I'm eating popcorn like 3-4 times a week now.


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## Bob in St. Louis

Indeed. You can't beat coconut oil. I think our tubs are 9# each?
Yea, much better than any other oil I've tried.

I've got a 1# tub that I refill from the 9# one.
When the little one gets low, I fill the sink in the HT room with hot water and put the big tub in it while we watch a movie. By the time the movie is over, I'll pour the oil into the little tub. Since the melting point of coconut oil is just under 80 degrees, it doesn't take much to get it liquid. I do this because it's MUCH easier to spoon out of the little one pound tub that sticking half my arm down in the big tub.

Bob


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## Rolkin

Love this thread ( infact I made an account because of it). I'm surprised that no one has any dedicated countertop popcorn makers in their HT rooms. I plan on putting in a theater style one...

Like this: www.amazon.com/Great-Northern-Popcorn-6010-Roosevelt/dp/B000QWE6S4/

I've recently been on a bend to make movie theater popcorn at home. I tried coconut oil, but ...well it tastes like coconut. The theaters used to use refined coconut oil, which has little coconut taste. Also getting butter flavored oil gets it pretty close to what it tastes like at the movies. 

My wife likes layered, "butter" on her popcorn. Application was an issue so I got a spray bottle and it works pretty well but it can be a hassle to get an even coat while tossing and not losing half of the popcorn. I bought a gallon sized bottle of the flavored oil topping and a bottle pump (also like what I've seen at theaters). It's much faster, a couple of squirts and toss the popcorn to coat. Then sprinkle some Flavacol on top and toss again.

Anyway to summarize, I've found three things give popcorn that dead on movie theater taste.

1) Cook in butter flavored refined coconut oil (1Tbs per 1/4 cup)
2) Toss with butter flavored oil topping (if desired)
3) Toss with Flavacol butter flavored salt
4*) "Gourmet popcorn", it doesn't taste any different but it pops larger; similar to movie theater popcorn.

From reviews I've read, I'd recommend the Westbend Stir Crazy (http://www.amazon.com/West-Bend-82306-6-Quart-Electric/dp/B00004RC6R/) for a popcorn popper, the countertop versus air poppers seem to have a better taste. The best taste I've found was from a stovetop popper. (Yes, I bought three for testing, but not at the same time ok :R)

Anyway, I'll post some links to the stuff I've found if you're interested in trying it. Most of it is Great Northern because it's usually the cheapest, but there's similar products linked on each page if you don't like Great Northern for some reason.

(Note: All of the butters and oil are colored with beta carotene like what colors carrots, it's nothing harmful like Yellow 5 or something.)
Butter flavored coconut oil small: amazon.com/Wabash-Valley-Farms-Popping-Oil/dp/B002EITVVA/
Large: amazon.com/Snappy-Popcorn-Colored-Coconut-Gallon/dp/B003C4UDEY/

Butter flavored oil topping: www.amazon.com/Snappy-Popcorn-Butter-Burst-gallon/dp/B00AXK9ROC/

Flavacol butter flavored salt: www.amazon.com/Gold-Medal-Prod-Flavacol-Seasoning/dp/B004W8LT10/

Stovetop popcorn popper: www.amazon.com/Great-Northern-Popcorn-Stainless-Stove/dp/B00608D66G/

Popcorn bags: www.amazon.com/Northern-Duro-Bag-Bags-500/dp/B003XZGXCS/

This is the best one if you have a countertop/stovetop popcorn maker (not an air popper)

www.amazon.com/Great-Northern-Popcorn-Premium-Quality/dp/B009YGQ9CO/

This adds everything together and it's actually cheaper than buying it separately (someone check my math), except for the oil topping if you want extra, or the salt if you want extra.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone who is trying to get that full movie theater taste at home like I was. Though I've noticed different theaters use different brands with a slightly different butter flavors, so if you're trying to replicate your favorite theater flavor, ask them what brand oil they use, or if they wont tell you, try a few different ones like Paragon, Snappy, Great Northern...etc.


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## Bob in St. Louis

Rolkin said:


> Love this thread ( infact I made an account because of it).


Wow, I'm impressed! Welcome to The Shack!
That's a great first post, and very helpful. A lot of good information in there. Thank you for that!

My popper is nearing the end of its life and I'll be in the market for a new one soon. It's served us well and was very reasonably priced. But that unit you linked to seems like a pretty nice one and priced cheaper than I've seen similar units priced at. 
Might have to run that one past the "Director of Financial Expenditures". :rofl2:

Bob


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## Rolkin

Yeah, I actually have a "Kettle Krazy" right now, which is a beefier version of the stir crazy. I went this route because when I get the Great Northern unit setup, the Kettle Crazy will become my dedicated coffee roaster. :T 

Which reminds me I'm almost out of coffee, I should go roast some more.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot they have this one in black,
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QWCAB4/


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## Bob in St. Louis

Rolkin said:


> Oh yeah, I almost forgot they have this one in black,
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QWCAB4/


Yea, that's a nice looking unit for sure. Will definitely keep that one in mind. Thanks!


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## tonyvdb

So, my current Cuisnart popcorn maker top has bit the dust (fell off the counter and broke) so I'm looking at getting the Great Northern mentioned above as for the price it will make a lot more popcorn. Any comments on how well it's working for any of you that have ones like it?


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## Rolkin

I still haven't bought one yet. Unfortunately or fortunately rather, we had some heavy rains in Texas a while ago and we found out that our property we were closing on, floods; severely. So, I never got to build my theater room and thus don't have room for this popcorn machine. The Amazon reviews are good though.


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## Owen Bartley

Just a quick popcorn note for me since this thread popped up. I have a 4oz Paragon machine which works well. I wish I had gone for the 6oz, just to have the larger kettle, but this one is still good. 

Lately I've been experimenting with bulk corn and oil. My current recipe is 1tbsp coconut oil, 1tbsp canola oil, 1/2 cup kernels, and some Flavacol sprinkled in with the corn. Tastes almost as good as the premixed packs and is much cheaper.


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## Bob in St. Louis

Never tried mixing the oils. Hmmmm..... Sounds interesting!


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## Lumen

Yay, it's national popcorn day!! 
Find and follow posts here

Yumm! Enjoy!! :bigsmile:


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## Owen Bartley

Bob in St. Louis said:


> Never tried mixing the oils. Hmmmm..... Sounds interesting!


Bob, that was my neighbour's idea. He got a machine after he saw mine, and he uses it several nights a week. He mostly uses canola oil, since I guess it's a little less fatty(?) and he wants to keep things a little healthier since he eats it so often. This was my compromise to do a bit of the same, and also to save on the cost of the coconut oil, which seems to have jumped in price since we bought our big tub at Costco. Still get the flavour of the coconut, which is nice.


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## Bob in St. Louis

Ya know, I actually forgot all about mixing the oils. Thanks for the reminder! Honestly though, I *thought* coconut oil was healthier than canola?
As far as cost, we're paying about a dollar a pound for coconut from Amazon (last I remember).


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## Owen Bartley

Bob, I had to look it up, but it appears canola is mostly unsaturated fats, vs. the opposite for coconut. There appear to be other health benefits as well, if this source is actually legitimate. It was just the first one I happened to find when I couldn't remember the reason my neighbour made the switch.

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/coconut-oil-vs-canola-oil-4050.html


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## Bob in St. Louis

Interesting.
I've seen many articles regarding "CO" (coconut oil) as MUCH better for the human body than the "typical" oils used in modern kitchens. 
Folks are using CO as skin cream, they're taking spoonfuls of it as a modern day elixir, spreading it on their hair as beneficial....etc..etc..etc...
Whatever. There's no argument that CO is harmful, and studies show it's actually beneficial, and the best part for me is that it tastes better than Canola.
It makes the popcorn have a sharper crunch, as opposed to canola where the popcorn tastes wet, heavy, greasy, and soggy.

So..... At the end of the day, I'm not overly worried about mixing it with anything else for any reason other than it might be a boost for flavor.
I still haven't torn myself away from a 100% recipe of CO as the mainstay on my popcorn.
But like any other "vice" in life, everything is in moderation.
Bob

p.s. In hindsight, I used "CO" as an abbreviation for Coconut Oil, but it dawned on me that "CO" would be used for "Canola Oil" as well.
I meant Coconut.


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## Owen Bartley

Bob, I'm with you for the most part. I'm certainly not trying to push the canola agenda on anyone. lol. We use the coconut in a lot of other cooking, a spoonful goes into the baby's bath to help moisturize, and I need to use at least SOME in the popcorn to get the right flavour. It's great stuff. I might go back to 100% coconut next time to see if I notice the difference. We haven't been making it very often lately, so I'm not worried about the extra fat.


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## Bob in St. Louis

Good deal Owen.
By the way, I meant to post the oil I get, in case anyone is interested.
So far, we've been through _*four gallons*_ since the beginning of this thread. 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A2A88ZW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## Rolkin

Well I bought the Black Great Northern 8oz popcorn maker about 6 months ago.

When it arrived from Amazon the top portion was dented in a bit and the bottom tray was also dented. I had to hammer the dent in the other direction so the kernel tray would slide in and out. The warming bulb burned out after about 2 days and I thought it would be easy to replace it, but spot lamp bulbs or even just 60W light bulbs aren't as easy to come by at the store. Everything seems to be getting replaced by LED bulbs. Other than that, it's been great.

I also just bought the box of prepackaged popcorn that I had listed in my earlier post. (Same stuff I've seen at the theater.) It makes a difference; the popcorn seems larger and drier than the Paragon but holy cow is there a TON of salt in the package. I think 3 Tbs is excessive for 8oz of popcorn, so I usually cut the salt portion open and dump about half of the flavorcol in the trash then cut it open and dump it all in the pan. It's quicker and less messy than measuring everything out separately and I think it's really the way to go for a dark theater room setup.

To be honest I think I liked the flavor or the separate components a little better but this is easy enough that the wife doesn't mind making popcorn now. She likes this popcorn better and it's also cheaper to buy this way.

Links below for reference:

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Northern-Popcorn-Lincoln-Antique/dp/B000QWCAB4/

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Northern-Popcorn-Premium-Quality/dp/B009YGQ9CO/


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## Bob in St. Louis

Based on the size of that Flavacol packet, yea... that's a BUNCH of salt!
I use about 3/4 tps of Flavacol to make two large bowls of popcorn.


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## JQueen

coconut oil + Himalayan Pink salt the best combo I've had yet


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## Bob in St. Louis

Hmmm, that sounds like a great combo!!


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