Tried to make popcorn but something went wrong
Put oil in pot
Heated oil over med-high heat
Add popcorn and shaked pot.
Instead of fluffy popping, all the kernels burnt. Occasional little pop noise, but all I have is burnt kernels.
Can popcorn go bad and lose the moisture that makes it pop?
It’s possible your popcorn was old and dry. It’s also possible you didn’t use enough oil, and the heat wasn’t distributed throughout the kernels, but just concentrated on the bottom part, leading to burning.
Popcorn can and does definitely dry out. There has to be just the right amount of moisture for the kernels to pop. This is why not all corn can be used for popcorn.
A common practice is to toss a couple kernels into the oil when you think it’s about hot enough, and wait for them to pop before you toss in the rest. You need to heat the kernels quickly enough that they explode; if the oil’s too cold, they’re going to cook and get a little mushy and then the steam can just leak out without any exploding happening.
Yes. Those are all good comments.
The solution appears to be a bit simpler.
Did you know that dried yellow split peas bear a remarkable resemblance to popcorn kernels when one is tired out?
Mrs Piper suggests I shouldn’t operate any heavy machinery today.
OK, that got an actual belly laugh out of me!
I do now!
As someone who, exhausted after a long day of travel, once put hairspray on my armpits instead of spray deodorant, I know exactly how it feels to be THAT tired.
lol! I hope you feel better today.
As do I.
So what is the proper procedure for popping dried yellow split peas?
Glad I popped into this thread. That was funny! 
I once brushed my teeth using a tube of Icy Hot cream.
Hmm. I imagine something like this: Papadam - Wikipedia
Though I wouldn’t be too surprised if there’s an Indian dish that involves deep frying whole yellow split peas.
I’m thinking that neither you nor Northern Piper should be near open flames or heavy machinery tonight :D.
I’ve certainly had fried legumes; in fact they’re sold commercially.