General Comment on Popcorn Flavors

[Germonico]

I grew up where we had popcorn every Sunday night to watch Wonderful World of Disney. I am talking about 18 years of Sunday night popcorn. Dad, being a farmer, was very obsessed with the sourcing of the popcorn. Princeton Farms was about the only brand he knowingly would eat. Mom would pop the corn using a pressure cooker (without the pressure nozzle) while using Mazola corn oil. Butter rendered to a brown sauce made from cows his parents milked garnished the final product.



I have lost a back tooth biting down on a popcorn seed from my making, so I have trended towards buying pre-popped popcorn. Usually I am never satisfied with industrial prepared popcorn, but today was even worse than usual. I bought a bag of popcorn from a vendor that was new to me. Grilled sweetcorn "flavored" popcorn. It was so chemically enhanced I almost threw up at the first bite. Bad Bad Bad.



So this brings me to my question. There are a number of "organic" or "healthy" based/driven popcorn products, but have you ever found a brand that you consistently buy?

 

[COcheesehead]

Popcorn isn’t too healthy. It’s considered in the high range of the glycemic index much like breads and pastas and should be considered a “treat”.

 

[Just_Steve]

Orville Redenbacher is pretty much the only one I like. I make my own flavors.

https://www.orville.com/kernel-popcorn-and-oil/original-yellow-gourmet-kernels

 

[RobbieB]

The best stuff I've found is the real "Movie Theater" prepac stuff with flavacol, coconut oil and corn. The 4 ounce size works perfectly in a 6 quart whirley pop

Bliss!

 

[NW-Bound]

I've got to mention this before someone else does: bacon-flavored popcorn.

No, I have not tried it.

 

[Moemg]

I have to be careful . A lot of popcorn gives me an asthma attack .We do occasionally pop Orville Rickenbaker's . My So pops it in a paper bag in the microwave .

 

[OldShooter]

Popcorn isn’t too healthy. It’s considered in the high range of the glycemic index much like breads and pastas and should be considered a “treat”.

ROFL

This from a "cheesehead?"

Salt, fat, and Cabernet are the three basic food groups, but everyone who consumes them will die. Popcorn seems to me to be be a handy way of getting two of the three in a convenient and good-tasting form.

 

[Calico]

 

[COcheesehead]

ROFL

This from a "cheesehead?"

Salt, fat, and Cabernet are the three basic food groups, but everyone who consumes them will die. Popcorn seems to me to be be a handy way of getting two of the three in a convenient and good-tasting form.

Shame on you Oldshooter. I respect what you post here, but not this. What I said is true, let’s not make it a personal attack ok.

 

[ERD50]

I don't recall noting a big difference in brands, but I don't make it often anymore, and when I did, I didn't compare brands much. Seems some charity group or another was always selling it as promo, so we always seemed to have plenty. But I do recall Orville R's popped to a larger size, is that still the case?

When I do make it, air popper for convenience, oil in a pot for taste. Lightly salted or fresh grated Parmesan. Don't feel like I need butter if it was cooked in oil.

-ERD50

 

[GalaxyBoy]

View attachment 32013

+1 on the Orville R. "simply salted naturals." Had a bag last night.

 

[ivinsfan]

Popcorn isn’t too healthy. It’s considered in the high range of the glycemic index much like breads and pastas and should be considered a “treat”.

Well as long as you don't have the "free refill" jumbo tub at the movies you'll be fine. The OP asked for good brands of popcorn...we'll have to trust they won't make a meal of it..

 

[Jerry1]

Nothing at all like what your mom and dad made back in the day, but when it’s on sale, me and DW pick up a few bags of Boom Chicka Pop Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn.

To get back to basics, we’ve been popping our own. When I do it, it’s very basic. Olive oil in the pan and popcorn to pop. Nothing else. When it’s done, I do sprinkle some sea salt on it and that’s it. Pretty good and really easy to make. Also very cheap compared to anything you can buy pre-popped.

 

[ocean view]

We switched a few years ago to buying bagged popcorn (pre-popped). We buy Trader Joe’s or whatever Costco has on hand, sometimes it is Nearly Naked and sometimes Popcornopolis. All are good. The only downside is that the Costco bag is the size of a king-sized bed pillow!

Edit-apparently Nearly Naked is the variety of Popcornopolis, not a different brand.

 

[OldShooter]

Shame on you Oldshooter. I respect what you post here, but not this. What I said is true, let’s not make it a personal attack ok.

I apologize for any offense. I am not one who worries about the chemical details of my food and, as a result, found the juxtaposition of your statement and your screen name to be quite funny. That's all.

For the record, I also think cheese is an excellent vehicle for consuming salt and fat.

 

[Amethyst]

I love popcorn, but hate all flavored or pre-processed popcorn. "Hate" is not too strong a word - the oils and flavorings turn my stomach; just the smell of microwave popcorn prompts nausea. And it has to be super-fresh, and no salt except what we add ourselves.

On weekly movie night, we each eat a big bowl of Orville Redenbacher, popped in the hot-air popper, with some slices of Swiss cheese and a little bit of salt on the side. The crown-breaking kernel problem - nothing to scoff at - is mitigated in 2 ways: Don't let the popper run out into the bowl (the final kernels often aren't fully popped), and shake the kernels down into the bottom of the bowl before eating.

 

[Amethyst]

Oh, you gave me a turn. I saw "Nearly Naked" and my brain promptly converted "Popcornopolis" into "Pornopolis"! I thought, "What kinds of movies are these people watching while they munch, er, popcorn?"

Edit-apparently Nearly Naked is the variety of Popcornopolis, not a different brand.

 

[LOL!]

I buy the cheapest store brand unpopped popcorn. I put it an old Orville Redenbacher plastic jar. My wife cannot tell the difference.

I pop it unflavored and unsalted in the microwave using a popping bowl made for popping pop corn in a microwave. Nordicware is one brand. There are others.

I flavor it by spritzing on some diet soda and sprinkling on nutritional yeast flakes. The diet soda adds caffeine and artificial sweetener. Just pick your favorite diet soda. Spritzing distributes the moisture so that the yeast flakes stick to the pop corn. See youtube. I may also sprinkle in some shelled pistachios. I add no salt, no butter, no oil.

 

[eytonxav]

I like it as an after dinner snack: Boom Chicka Pop, Smartfood Pop, Skinny Pop. Prefer just the salted varieties.

 

[aja8888]

Every Wednesday night, myself and two friends meet for a three mile walk at the local golf course @ 7:00 PM. After that, around 8:15, we head to a local bar and have beer and popcorn. The popcorn is from a machine in the bar, and we generally make a fresh batch since what is usually left is day old stuff.

We gorge on the popcorn and have a few beers (ice water for me). I am the designated driver, hence the water. We eat the popcorn with only the butter that it pops with. Quite good!

Then we order something to split three ways, usually chicken Nachos.

We have been doing this Wednesday night meetup/walk/drink/eat for over 25 years.

 

[24601NoMore]

We love popcorn and have tried a bunch of different ways to make it. Finally settled on a WhirleyPop many years ago, and love it. Buy organic "multicolor" popcorn at Whole Foods (wow..did that just sound yuppie or what? Even though it's like $1.99/lb)..and pop it with some peanut oil in the Whirley..

The WhirleyPop company has a website..Wabash Valley Farms..that sells a bunch of different types of corn. Most are very good, although the $1.99/lb Whole Foods bulk multi-color beats the bajeebus out of Orville IMHO..plus, it's cheaper too, so double triple bonus points on that..

ETA - also have tried a bunch of different oils to cook with..canola, olive and finally peanut. Peanut apparently has a much higher smoke/burn point and is what we prefer, followed by olive, then canola. We cook with 2 Tbsp of peanut oil to 1/2c corn, and that works great..although we add some olive oil after via an oil sprayer we found on AMZN..then the Wabash Valley "Real Theater" butter seasoning (dry) which is actually quite good..

 

[24601NoMore]

One more quick thing - reading the comments upthread, popcorn is actually not that unhealthy - as long as you don't drown it in butter. Stick to a little bit of oil (2 TBSp for 1/2c unpopped works well) and don't drown it in a stick or two of butter and all is good..

 

[Janet H]

I LOVE Popcorn and after all sorts of schemes over the years to make it (hot air, stove top, packages in the microwave) I finally settled on this thing:

https://www.amazon.com/Presto-04830-PowerPop-Microwave-Multi-Popper/dp/B00005IBXK



I use unrefined coconut oil and popcorn from costco. Fabulous.

That popper uses little heat accelerator discs that are disposable although you can use them about 10 times before replacing and I am willing to put up with this because the end result is so good. It works well even in relatively low power microwaves and the bowl goes in the dishwasher.

 

[GravitySucks]

Love popcorn, as long as it's not in a microwave bag.
I usually use a neutral oil like corn or canola, but peanut, olive, or coconut oils add interesting flavors at times. A little butter and a little salt and it all good.

 

[Walt34]

Orville Redenbacher's Original popcorn, cooked in an air popper, then I pour on a whole melted stick of real butter (someone mentioned two sticks, I might try that!) and douse liberally with salt.

Why corrupt a tried and true formula?