So I’m house-sitting for friends while my bathroom is being remodeled. They’re nice people and they have some fun toys in the house, but they don’t have a microwave (for pete’s sake!) I am used to having microwave popcorn in the evening, and I’m finding it hard to find a substitute (especially since I’m following the Weight Watchers Core plan). A sensible person would of course go to the grocery and get a jar of regular popcorn and pop it in a saucepan–but we’re getting the Storm of the Century later today and the supermarkets are packed to the point where you can’t even park…
So my question is, I did bring some microwave popcorn with me, assuming they’d have a standardly equipped kitchen. Could I just cut open these bags and pop the corn in a saucepan? Is there some critical difference between microwave popcorn and the regular kind?
I think you could have reasonable results with microwave popcorn in a pan. However, just make sure there is enough oil of some sort in the popcorn packet to keep the kernels from sticking to the pan or burning before they pop. If at all possible, use a pan with a glass lid so you can watch what’s going on without letting the kernels/popcorn escape.
Well, if my dad’s early experiments can be reversed, I’d say yes. He used to put regular popcorn into white paper bags, put in some oil, seal the bag with tape, and pop it in the microwave (this was well before pre-packaged microwave popcorn was common.) I think it’s safe to say that the popcorn is the same.
I’d say any oil stuck to the inside of the bag can be scraped off the paper with a rubber spatula or a butter knife (unless these folks don’t have those either).
I always do that thing where you hold it a little above the stove-flame and move the pan around wildly. Am I the only one? This might be overkill, but I never burn any so, if it ain’t broke and so on.
And for the record: you should be fine. Never tried it, but beyond the stickybutteresque flavoring, I don’t believe there’s a difference between micro & stove kernels.
I have it on good authority (i.e. Alton Brown) that there is no difference between kernels of microwave popcorn and regular popcorn.
Incidentally, he recommends popping the corn in a metal bowl over the stove, instead of a flat pan. That way popped kernels get pushed to the top, out of the oil and heat, and are less likely to burn. Unpopped kernels are gathered together at the bottom in the oil. You also can use less oil that way. I’ve never tried it, though.
I also “shuffle” the pan around, but I do not have access to a gas stovetop, so I set it on top of the electric coil and scoot it back and forth. It helps, especially when I don’t have a wok to make the popcorn in.
I’d wager that anything that is metal with rounded edges would do the trick; I used to pop my popcorn in a wok when I had access to it. (The wok is currently living in storage, and now I’ve only got flat bottomed pans to work with. :smack: )
I also make my popcorn in a wok. It seems to work very well. In fact, I am to the point where the microwave is becoming more of a space waster than it is a useful device.
The moment I tried Alton’s suggestion of using popcorn for breakfast cereal I threw out my regular $5 a box cereal. It makes perfect sense, most cereal is just puffed grains anyway. And it really is incredibly cheap. Just go light on the salt - and no butter obviously.
I vote for cutting your bag of popcorn open and removing the kernels. Wipe them off the best you can with a paper towel. Pop as normal with vegetable oil and fine ground salt (whip some up in a blender). Just remember to keep the pan moving - you want the oil and the kernels to heat evenly so that they all pop at about the same time. If you do it right, you will be standing there shaking the pan around for what seems like eternity. Then the poping will start and quickly turn into what sounds like machine gun fire. A short moment later they will all be popped and ready to eat.
All the more reason, gift for them letting you stay at their place and Fighting Ignorance in one fell swoop. Cecil would be pleased as long as there was enough popcorn. I bet the husband would secretly love it too. And if she really flipped her lid, you can always play dumb/hurt. “I thought it would be a nice way to thank you.” all the while you are on the verge of (fake) tears.
I’ve tried it. Works great. I bought a big, cheap metal bowl at a hardware store. The only problem is it takes a while - about 10 minutes of constantly shaking the bowl.
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