10 Ideas: Popcorn

These 10 ideas prove that there's so much more to popcorn than plain ol' butter and salt.

Whether in soup, on ice cream, or mixed with marshmallows, these 10 ideas prove that there’s so much more to popcorn than plain ol’ butter and salt.

                              
                                         These chewy popcorn marshmallow pops (refer to idea #5 below)
                                               make for great party giveaways for the little ones.


                                                         
1  Popping 101
In a large stockpot over medium heat, pour 1/4 cup canola oil and 1 cup popcorn kernels; cover. As the kernels cook, you’ll hear popping sounds. When the pops are few and far between, the popcorn’s done. Take it off the heat and pour butter over it—not too much to make it greasy, but just enough for the salt and your chosen flavorings to stick. Follow with salt to taste, making sure the popcorn is evenly covered. One cup of kernels makes 15 cups of popped corn.

D-I-Y microwave popcorn is easy, too: Cover the bottom of a brown paper bag with kernels, fold the top over, and seal shut. Rest the bag on its side in the microwave and nuke for 2 minutes.

2  One more reason to love bacon
The next time you fry up some bacon, save the rendered fat and use it instead of oil for cooking popcorn. It gives popcorn a great smoky and salty flavor, with practically no extra seasoning required!

3  Play garnish swap
For a playful twist on soup garnishes, swap croutons with popcorn. It’s great with a bowl of creamy squash soup.

4  Turn golden brown
Instead of using ordinary melted butter, why not try brown butter? With its subtly nutty flavor, it goes perfectly with popcorn. To make, melt butter in a saucepan and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until it turns a shade of amber. Take off the heat and pour over popcorn. Add some salt to taste, and enjoy.

5  Marshmallow pops  (pictured above)
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan and mix in 1/4 cup brown sugar. Stir until it dissolves. Add 250 grams mini marshmallows; stir until melted. Pour the mixture over 5 cups plain popcorn. Mix to coat evenly; let cool slightly. While mixture is still warm, spritz your hands with nonstick spray and shape popcorn into balls. Place a lollipop stick in the middle of each ball; let cool on wax paper. Best eaten immediately—and with the smell of sweet caramel, no one will be able to resist! Makes 10 to 15 lollies, depending on size.

6  Fat-free but flavorful
Tony Elepano of Chef Tony’s Popcorn shares this tip for health-conscious popcorn aficionados: Use your turbo broiler to make popcorn! According to Chef Tony, a healthy oil like olive oil shouldn’t be used for making popcorn as it has a low smoke point and could quickly turn carcinogenic. That’s where the turbo broiler comes in, making popcorn perfectly without the need for oil. Since prepackaged microwave popcorn is usually high in saturated fat, air-popped corn is a great fat-free substitute. It’s high in fiber, too!

7  We scream for ice cream
The perfect complement to buttered and salted popcorn? Vanilla ice cream! Think of it as the popcorn equivalent of dipping french fries in your sundae. We love how it’s salty and sweet, crunchy and soft at the same time.

8  Tyler’s tropical twist
Beach-bound? Get inspired by celebrity chef Tyler Florence’s tropical popcorn! Simply mix chopped dried fruit with your popcorn and toss well to mix. Try a combination of dried mangoes, banana chips, dried pineapple, and toasted coconut.

9  Go cocoa loco
Chop up a bar of dark chocolate and microwave for 20 seconds. Stir until everything is melted. Spoon melted chocolate into a plastic zip-top bag, twist the bag, snip off the corner. Drizzle chocolate all over the popcorn. Messy but fun!

10  D-I-Y movie munchies
Make your own savory popcorn mix for your next DVD marathon. Melt some butter and add a dash each of garlic powder and dried oregano. Pour over popcorn then mix in cheese crackers and mixed nuts. You can add corn chips and pretzel sticks, too. Best eaten in handfuls so you get all the flavors in one go.


Photography by David Hanson| Recipes & Styling by Liezl Yap

For more popcorn recipes, click here.

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