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Ingredients
- 1 Stick (1/2 Cup) Butter
- Salt
- 1 Tbsp. Unrefined Coconut Oil
- 1/2 Cup Popping Corn Kernels
Details
Level of difficulty Easy
Cost Budget Friendly
Preparation
Step 1
The truth is, the “butter” at the concession stand is actually butter-flavored oil. But at home, you can use the real stuff! But before you melt butter and pour it on top, it’s important to clarify the butter to keep your popcorn from going soggy. This is because butter has a high water content. It sounds complicated, but clarifying butter is actually a breeze in the microwave, and it removes enough of the water to leave you with buttery, perfectly crunchy popcorn. Here’s how you do it:
1. Put stick of butter in a glass measuring cup.
2. Microwave on high for 30-40 seconds, or until the butter is all melted and foamy.
3. Let the butter cool for 1-2 minutes. You should start to see the butter separating into three layers—foam, clarified butter, and milk solids. Don’t worry if the layers aren’t super clear. We’re not looking for perfection here, just to get rid of enough water to keep our popcorn crunchy.
4. Take a spoon and skim off as much of the foam on top as you can. Again, no need to be perfect.
5. You’ll be left with a very clear, very yellow layer of clarified butter, with a layer of milk solids underneath.
6. When it’s time to dress your popcorn, pour the clear, yellow clarified butter onto the popcorn, leaving the milk solids behind.
You can also do this process with a pan on the stovetop if you don’t have a microwave. Just heat the butter until foamy, and then follow steps 3-6 above.
If clarifying your butter seems like an annoying step to do each time you make movie theater popcorn, you can purchase Ghee, a shelf-stable clarified butter, from your local grocery store.
Step 2
Coconut oil is the very best oil to use for popping popcorn. You will need virgin (AKA unrefined) coconut oil. It’s what makes popcorn taste like the stuff from the movie theater. (Refined coconut oil will work from a method perspective, but it won’t give the same movie theater taste as unrefined coconut oil.)
Use a Whirly-Pop designed for popping popcorn or a large pot and lid.
1. Put your pot on high heat and add in the coconut oil.
2. Once the oil is completely melted, add in your popcorn kernels.
3. Swirl the pot around so that each and every kernel gets a nice little coating of coconut oil and is more or less in a single layer.
4. Every now and again, give the pot a good shake to mix up the kernels and keep them from burning.
5. After your first kernel pops, put on the lid of the pot, slightly ajar to release steam, because if you don’t you’ll have popcorn flying all over your kitchen.
6. While the popcorn is popping, keep shaking the pot frequently to prevent burning. Within a few minutes, you’ll hear the popping slow down. Turn off the burner and just let it sit for a few minutes.
Step 3
Now, grab your measuring cup of butter and start to slowly stream it onto the popcorn. At first you’ll see nothing but clear, bright yellow clarified butter. As you get to the end of the clarified part, you’ll start to see that third opaque, white layer—the milk solids. Stop right then! We just want the clarified butter on our popcorn—not the milk solids.
Stir up your popcorn really well to make sure every kernel gets a touch of butter. Sprinkle on your desired amount of salt (if you used salted butter, you might want to go light on the salt at first). You can also feel free to add other flavorings (garlic salt, ranch mix, etc.) during this stage.
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