# Making popcorn in a microwave **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-popcorn-in-a-microwave/194793 "2003-08-13T01:33:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-popcorn-in-a-microwave/194793/1 "2003-08-13T01:33:28Z")
I don’t want to buy that Microwave Popcorn. I remember reading a way to use regular kernels in a paper bag to make popcorn in a Microwave but can’t find any directions. Any leads? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-popcorn-in-a-microwave/194793/2 "2003-08-13T01:50:06Z")
Alton Brown did it on his show GOOD EATS on FoodTV. I couldn’t find the recipe there but [here’s a link](http://www.rdrop.com/users/wakefiel/movabletype/terebi2/archives/000136.html) from someone else who posted it online with a few handy tips. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-popcorn-in-a-microwave/194793/3 "2003-08-13T01:56:36Z")
ZipperJJ Thank you! I will try this tomorrow. I’m switching to popcorn as my shipping material and feel this will be cheaper. Now to figure out where I can buy real popcorn at. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-popcorn-in-a-microwave/194793/4 "2003-08-13T14:29:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MannyL \* > \*\*Now to figure out where I can buy real popcorn at. \*\* Any grocery store, often in transparent, plastic bags. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-popcorn-in-a-microwave/194793/5 "2003-08-13T14:37:51Z")
If your using it for packing material and don’t want to risk burning the popcorn in the microwave and need to make it in bulk, I would suggest an air popper. You could place it on the edge of a counter and blow it into a large box. Use yellow corn instead of white. The kernels are bigger. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-popcorn-in-a-microwave/194793/6 "2003-08-13T16:33:31Z")
Also don’t add butter if using as packing pellets. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-popcorn-in-a-microwave/194793/7 "2003-08-13T18:01:40Z")
Popcorn as shipping material? Won’t creepy critters try to eat it while it’s _en route_? ---
**Author:** ![Gravity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gravity/32/14322_2.png) [@Gravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gravity)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-popcorn-in-a-microwave/194793/8 "2003-08-13T18:04:22Z")
Natural foods stores often have grains, including popping corn, that are sold in bulk for much cheaper than buying a plastic bag of jiffy pop at the grocery store. The store may also be willing to cut you a deal if you want to buy more than the average consumer (say, 20 lbs.) ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-popcorn-in-a-microwave/194793/9 "2003-08-13T18:57:18Z")
I’m with **friedo** on this. Seems to me some folks here in Georgia tried and gave it up because of the rats gnawing through the packages. They went back to that styrofoam stuff that’ll outlast us all! I **hate** getting packages with styrofam pellets used as shipping material. If it’s packed right, old newpaper is much better and won’t fly out all over my floor when I unpack my shipment. But I guess your packages can’t be very big if you’re going to use the microwave to make the popcorn huh, **MannyL**? Q ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-popcorn-in-a-microwave/194793/10 "2003-08-13T19:30:19Z")
I sometimes get packages with the greatest packing material of all: these puffy Cheetos-shaped white things made out of food starch. Apparently they don’t have enough of an odor to attract the critters, but you can melt them in the sink with warm water and they just wash away. Or you can reuse them. So cool! But if you’re gonna make your own, have you thought about using newspapers or junk mail run through one of those cheap home security shredders? ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-popcorn-in-a-microwave/194793/11 "2003-08-13T20:00:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by emilyforce \* > \*\*But if you’re gonna make your own, have you thought about using newspapers or junk mail run through one of those cheap home security shredders? \*\* That’s a great idea **emilyforce**! And what a great use for junk mail. What **I** sometimes do is add those cheap plastic grocery store bags to any packages to Germany at Christmas or other times, and my relatives over there have caught on: they send 'em **back** to me in **their** packages! 😃 We have kind of a running joke as to who will be the last one to wind up with the plastic! Q