Microwave a cup of water for at least one minute to create a humid environment in your microwave, then quickly put in the bag of popcorn. Let the microwave work its magic, but make sure to stand by so you can listen for the sound of when the pops slow down.
Add the popcorn kernels to a large paper bag. Fold the bag down twice at the top to seal it. Place in the microwave and microwave on high for 3 ½ minutes. Listen carefully and stop the popcorn when you hear 2 seconds between pops at the end.
Literally all you need to do is microwave your bag of popcorn, open the slit very slightly (don't rip it open like you normally would) and shake the bag over a bowl. Et voila!
Popcorn may not pop due to the following reasons: An improper utensil being used, such as placing the corn in a bag or container. The wattage of the microwave oven may be too low. Usually, at least 500 watts is required to generate enough heat to pop popcorn.
Microwave the butter until it melts; about 30 seconds if whipped and 1 minute if cold. Place the popcorn you just popped into a bowl. Take out butter and pour over the microwave popcorn. Toss the popcorn to allow the butter to coat it evenly.
Why is my popcorn chewy and rubbery? A top reason popcorn turns out chewy is because steam gets trapped in your pot when the popcorn kernels are popping. Fix this by using a well-vented lid or leave the pan slightly open to make a light and crispy popcorn.
Having a little moisture helps the popcorn kernels come out fluffy rather than tough. Microwave a cup of water for at least one minute to create a humid environment in your microwave, then quickly put in the bag of popcorn.
Instructions. Pour in ½ cup kernels into the bowl and cover the bowl with a plate. Place in microwave and heat 2-5 minutes (timing depends on your wattage of microwave). The popcorn will be done when popping slows to more than a second between pops.
From my experience, if you microwave a bag of popcorn with the quick start button on most microwaves, there is a better than even chance that your buttery snack will be burnt in some places, fine in others, and have lots of unpopped kernels.
Microwave popcorn does not contain diacetyl today. But there are other volatiles that are released when microwaving popcorn in brown paper bags. So, ditch the brown bags for the microwave—for popcorn or anything else. If you want to pop your own kernels, do so on the stovetop.
The soft starch is surrounded by the kernel's hard outer surface. As the kernel heats up, the water expands, building pressure against the hard starch surface. Eventually, this outer layer gives way, causing the popcorn to explode.
Distribute the kernels evenly (as much as possible) and throw into the microwave for 2 min longer than bag recommends. Pay careful attention to the time between pops - pull out when multiple pops turn to single pops and shake immediately. Document time, open bag and enjoy.
Perfect Popcorn
The Internet-approved tip is as follows: Soak popcorn kernels in water for 10 minutes, then drain and pop as normal. The theory is that the extra moisture helps produce fluffier puffs.
Even if you want to add candy or sauces, it doesn't require an egg. Still, some say the egg keeps the kernels from sticking together, while others say it's to keep wannabe chefs from adding too many kernels to the pan.
Without enough steam in the kernel, pressure cannot build and the starch can not gelatinize. Popcorn manufacturers carefully dry the corn to achieve kernels with the perfect amount of moisture for optimum popping. Improper heating can also cause failure to pop. Corn pops best in dry heat produced by air or oil.
It shouldn't be hard to make movie theater-style popcorn at home. Pop popcorn, mix it with melted butter, shower it with lots of salt, and there you have it: the perfect snack to eat while watching movies at home.
“Most microwaves have a preset time programmed into the popcorn button and can't detect humidity,” Beach explains.
Popcorn kernels will not pop if they contain too little or too much water moisture inside the kernel. The popcorn kernels which do pop have 14-15% moisture in the hull and anything less or more will cause the popcorn kernel to not explode. You can test the moisture of your popcorn by using your fingernail.
The fantastic buttery flavor you get when eating microwave popcorn comes from Diacetyl. Diacetyl is an organic compound that has an intense buttery flavor. Diacetyl can be found in lots of foods ranging from Twinkies to red wine.
The short answer is yes, you do need oil. The oil helps distribute the heat evenly across the bottom of your pot or dutch oven, which helps all the kernels to pop at the same time. If you skip the oil, some of the kernels will probably burn, and the result will be popcorn that's blackened and bitter.
She found that using that much oil imbues the kernels with richness and giving them an extra-crunchy exterior, and what she calls a “potato chip sturdiness.” Her recommended proportions are a half-cup oil to one-third cup popcorn kernels. That's more oil than corn.
Wholefully Protip. Melted butter turns popcorn soggy because of its high water content. Make sure to clarify your butter before pouring it on. It sounds complicated, but clarifying butter is actually a breeze in the microwave, and it removes enough of the water to leave you with buttery, perfectly crunchy popcorn.