scrappington
Pearl Clutcher
in Canada
Posts: 3,139 
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Post by scrappington on Oct 25, 2018 14:15:46 GMT
Does it matter what you buy.
I was making pop corn in the microwave with a paper bag and a 1/4 cup of kernels. Worked really well. But the pop corn seemed styrofoamy.
I thought maybe its the method.
So I bought an air popper. A Betty Crocker one. Not expensive at all. Bought new kernels. Same brand as before, my grocery store brand. And the pop corn is still styrofoamy.
My grocery store has 2 kinds of kernels, their brand for $2 or Orville for less and $5.
Do you think the kernels make the difference.
I'm currently at my desk eating movie popcorn that my boss brought in that is a few days old even and not styrofoamy.
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
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Post by Mystie on Oct 25, 2018 14:31:46 GMT
I don't have a lot of corn popping experience, but I was looking at a silicone bowl for microwave popping on Amazon a few weeks ago, and once I had put that in my cart, I started looking for popcorn to pop, and the reviews on the different brands available were certainly interesting. It does seem that different varieties pop differently, and not all popcorn is the same. I imagine freshness also makes a difference. I wonder if the stuff you're using is stale? (NVM, I saw you bought new kernels the second time.)
I ended up buying a bag of Dutchman's white popcorn and it popped nicely in the silicone popping bowl.
This is certainly the most times I've ever typed the word "pop" in one post. Lol.
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Post by birukitty on Oct 25, 2018 14:42:23 GMT
Yes, I think it does. It has to do with quality of the product. Freshness being one as mystie mentioned.
I shop at Whole Foods for our groceries and recently bought a container of organic popcorn kernels-it was in a huge plastic container for less than $4.00. The reason I buy organic is because corn is one of the biggest crops that is GMO'd. That's my choice, doesn't have to be yours. I normally don't cook with any oil in this house so I also had to buy some canola oil to pop it with. I popped it the old fashioned way. In a metal pot on the stove with oil and popcorn kernels.
Anyway, when I popped it I didn't have one unpopped kernel left and it was really nice, fluffy and light.
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Oct 25, 2018 14:45:29 GMT
I do notice a difference. The best kernels I recall having were by the pound from Whole Foods a few years back. I recently tried the organic Orville and they aren't as good as the regular. Now that we live near whole foods again, I should go try theirs again.
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scrappington
Pearl Clutcher
in Canada
Posts: 3,139
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Post by scrappington on Oct 25, 2018 14:49:42 GMT
Ok, not all kernels are created equal.
I am going to a like a whole food store but not whole foods will see if they have kernels tonite.
Also I like to add herbs to by butter drizzle..I find oregano or cajun seasoning with chile powder is the best combo..or a dash of hot sauce
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Post by bbkeef on Oct 25, 2018 16:07:27 GMT
Yes it does. DH and I have bought store brand, Sam's club, POP Secret and Orville Redenbacher's. We prefer Orville's to anything else. Light, crispy popcorn every time. Pop Secret can be chewy and the others tend to be styrofoamy and have more husks that stick in my gums.
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Post by Basket1lady on Oct 25, 2018 17:39:54 GMT
Yes it does. DH and I have bought store brand, Sam's club, POP Secret and Orville Redenbacher's. We prefer Orville's to anything else. Light, crispy popcorn every time. Pop Secret can be chewy and the others tend to be styrofoamy and have more husks that stick in my gums. This is my experience as well. The kernels do matter--don't buy the cheap ones unless you are feeding a room full of teens. My favorite is the Boy Scout kernels--almost every one of them pops and they are crunchy. I make my popcorn on the stove with olive oil. So yummy. Popcorn was one of my go-to snacks when the kids had friends over. They were always so amazed that I made it myself (on the stove!), but it's really simple to do and even with using expensive kernels, it's still an inexpensive snack. |
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georgiapea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,846
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Post by georgiapea on Oct 25, 2018 17:58:28 GMT
I buy Skinny Girl (by Orville) in the microwave bags. Any other method of making popcorn seems to result in Styrofoam.
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Post by workingclassdog on Oct 25, 2018 18:03:08 GMT
My favorite is Pop Secret Homestyle in the microwave bags...
some of those popcorn microwave brands are icky... but Pop Secret Homestyle for me taste just as good as the old fashion method.
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Post by bbkeef on Oct 25, 2018 18:08:19 GMT
DH & I have always air popped our corn. I miss the Stir Crazy popper with the gold dome. I was my dad's official popcorn maker growing up. I had it down to a T!  |
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Post by scraphappy0501 on Oct 25, 2018 19:10:57 GMT
Yes, kernels make a difference. I'm a food scientist and used to work for the company that makes Orville popcorn. Larger companies contract with farmers to grow certain varieties of popping corn for them each year. The varieties are chosen based on desirable characteristics, such as pop volume, unpopped kernels, etc. One brand of popcorn may be a different variety than another and thus pop differently. Moisture inside the kernel makes a difference in pop volume and texture. The kernel pops because the water inside of it turns to steam and expands, causing the kernel to pop open. The lower the moisture in the kernel, the smaller the kernel will be when popped and with a "tougher", less crisp texture. As the kernels age, the lose moisture naturally, so any brand or variety of popcorn can be smaller, tougher and/or less crisp if it is older.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Oct 25, 2018 20:50:07 GMT
I think kernels and temperature both matter  I watched some you tube thing about popcorn and of course Alton Brown too  I buy my kernels off Amazon because I get the less hull white or something. I think I ordered three different types to try. I will check out Whole Foods though since I live near one I use coconut oil and the Whirly Pop to make my popcorn |
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Oct 25, 2018 21:07:23 GMT
My favorite is Pop Secret Homestyle in the microwave bags... some of those popcorn microwave brands are icky... but Pop Secret Homestyle for me taste just as good as the old fashion method. That's my favorite back-up when I don't feel like making it on the stove. I make popcorn every Friday, so sometimes I'm just not in the mood lol. |
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snyder
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,956
Location: Colorado
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Post by snyder on Oct 25, 2018 21:55:03 GMT
I agree that the fresher the better and buying name brands does not guarantee freshness. My family use to get 50# bags at the farms and split it among the family members. We also kept it in the freezer, which helped keep the moisture in the kernels.
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cakediva
Drama Llama
Making the world a sweeter place one cake at a time!
Posts: 7,444
Location: Fergus, Ontario
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Post by cakediva on Oct 25, 2018 22:29:32 GMT
I swear by the Orville Reddenbacher stuff. I used to measure a 1/4 cup of kernels and just pop that to control a portion when I was doing maintenance after Atkins. The Orville brand is more expensive, but it popped up ever so much fluffier and seemed to be "more" in the bowl.
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Post by workingclassdog on Oct 25, 2018 22:33:28 GMT
DH & I have always air popped our corn. I miss the Stir Crazy popper with the gold dome. I was my dad's official popcorn maker growing up. I had it down to a T! ARE YOU MY SISTER?? We had to pop popcorn for our dad almost every night!!! And then put the butter on top to drip down. Had it down to a T as well. (This doesn't bring back good memories of my dad as he was just plain lazy) But we weren't being abused either, so can't complain too much. LOL Oh and the top would start melting because of using it so much, I think we had to buy a new one every year for years. |
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Post by calgaryscrapper on Oct 25, 2018 22:34:45 GMT
harlans.ca sells Theatre style popcorn to Theatres,etc and the public. You get the packages in a big box. They have a location here in Calgary, Alberta.
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Post by bbkeef on Oct 26, 2018 12:40:32 GMT
ARE YOU MY SISTER?? We had to pop popcorn for our dad almost every night!!! Did you melt the butter in the microwave? In a coffee cup? |
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I watched some you tube thing about popcorn and of course Alton Brown too 
