Movie Theater Popcorn Is Great, but Homemade Popcorn Is So Much Better

There’s a craft in making popcorn at home. It’s hard to imagine anything rivaling the fantastic, cinematic popcorn machines that seem to create a continuous flow of butter-coated yellow kernels. The popcorn is enough to purchase the larger size (the one with free refills).

What do you think if I said that it’s possible to make popcorn equally good, even better, from within the privacy of your own home? It doesn’t require an industrial-sized machine to create it. We’re not saying that you should avoid popcorn in the theater (movie theatres need our support, and it’s nearly impossible to duplicate that wonderful artificial butter), But it is our opinion that popcorn is 1. straightforward to make by yourself; 2. infinitely customizable, and three. It is the most delicious snack that will possibly ever be invented.

Three methods to make your popcorn.

The Stovetop Method

Cook one tablespoon of canola oils in a moderate-sized, heavy-bottomed, medium-high. To check the oil’s temperature, add 3 or 4 popcorn kernels and slowly shake them to cover them. The kernels should cook until they pop. About 1 to 2 minutes. Take them out and throw them away. Add 1/4 cup kernels into the pot, cover, and give it a vigorous shake for 10 to 15 minutes. Bring the pot back to the heat, reduce the temperature to medium, and cook until all kernels have popped. An important indicator can be seen when “pops” are more than five seconds apart or when the pot is already full.

The Bowl Method

Mix one tablespoon of canola oil thoroughly with 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl with a lid or microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 3 to 5 minutes by the size of the bowl. Please remove it from the plate, cover, or hot container, and then eat the popcorn straight out of the bowl!

Move it to the next step.

When our test subjects tested the popcorn machines through their tests, the Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn maker received high scores. “This hand-crank stovetop popcorn maker turns out perfectly cooked popcorn with no leftover kernels,” says senior commerce editor Dana Fouchia. “While the technique is old-school, we love the updated feature: The pot itself changes from red to yellow as the aluminum heats up, so we know exactly when the popcorn is ready for eating.”

The top popcorn toppings, in the opinion of F&W editors

“This is a combination I first saw in an independent theater that I visited in Vermont: nutritional yeast (and plenty of it) and melting butter, a huge pinch of kosher salt and a handful of grinds of black pepper. It’s a delicious, salty mixture that makes me want to scrape the bowl’s bottom to enjoy every last bite.” — Karen Shimizu, executive editor

“I’m extremely into making a batch of hot Boi chili oil into my popcorn and topping the popcorn off with lime juice. It’s light, simple and delicious with that spicy kick!” — Alexandra Domrongchai, editorial fellow

“People are always stunned when I pull out bottles of Valentina and cover my popcorn in bright orange sauce and there’s nothing more normal to me than popcorn soaked in hot sauce. In fact, it’s widespread throughout Mexico that you’ll find hot sauce dispensers in theaters like the dispensers for liquid butter within the United States.” -Sam Gutierrez, senior social media editor Sam Gutierrez, senior social media editor.

“I love to heat two tablespoons butter or Ghee in a saute pan at medium-high heat, and then add cumin snd yellow mustard seeds. I also add garlic powder, chile powder ,curry leaves (torn into pieces, ands salted peanuts. Once it’s cooked, I throw in the popcorn.” — Chandra Ram, associate editorial director of food

“While almost any food can benefit from a burst of black pepper and pecorino The nubbly surface of popcorn provides the perfect canvas to sketch your cacio and pepe visions. Microplane a portion of the cheese until the pieces are able to melt in the popcorn, and then grind the rest to give it a more textural experience.”