Kettle Corn

Filed in archive Recipes on January 6, 2007

Yes, we make our own Kettle corn. And why not? It's the only way I can control what goes in it. My family can't have dairy, so even though I love real butter in real popcorn, it's a no-no. Good thing we all love the salty-sugary flavor of kettle corn. Yup, that flavored corn that they sell at county fairs. It's such a no-brainer you really shouldn't settle for the instant microwavable kind.

Start out with really good corn for popping (I got ours from my kids' scouting fund-raiser, but there are other sources -- like the bulk section of our favorite natural foods stores). Film the bottom of a saucepan with oil, but first make sure it's big enough to hold all the corn after it's popped, with a little room leftover, so figure on the popcorn growing to 5 times its original size. You want to have enough oil in there to pop all the corn, but not too much that you end up with greasy popcorn. Usually I find that 3 tablespoons, in a 3-quart saucepan, with about 1/4 cup of popcorn, works for me. Heat that oil in there, over medium heat (on my stove that's a setting of 3-4), sprinkling the popcorn on top so it covers the bottom of the pot in one layer. You don't want to pile it on because you need the popcorn touching the oil. Let that baby heat up a bit. When the oil is starting to sizzle and you're beginning to see a bit of action -- the popcorn getting busy and moving around -- it's time to sprinkle on the sugar. I'd say 2-3 tablespoons should be enough, a bit more if you like yours sweeter, but not too much because it will have a tendency to caramelize, and if you're not careful enough, burn, and no one likes burnt popcorn (or at least no one in our family). Now here's where I stray from traditional wisdom. I actually LEAVE the popcorn and just let the heat and the oil do the work. The popcorn gets nice and hot, and pops, and I just stand there listening, giving the pot a few shakes every few minutes or so. If you're antsy, and I've got my moments -- then shake it more often. Just like microwaving popcorn, it's the LISTENING that's most important. When the popping slows down, that's when I take the quickest peek to see how things are progressing. When most of the popcorn is popped (nope, you're not going to get ALL of them to pop, so be happy with what you've got), take it off the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle on some salt so you've got a nice balance of salty and sweet going, and there you have it, your very own home-popped kettle corn.

You can of course, vary the flavorings -- sometimes we do Cajun- or Asian-inspired flavors. Time to go watch that movie!