POPCORN: Are You Plebe or Gourmet

[palbert]

What kind of popcorn consumer are you? Do you do Jiffy Pop, microwave, airpop, or stovetop?

Apparently the rage in popcorn is heirloom exotic varieties. Orville Redenbacher is now passé.

Heirloom Popcorn Helps a Snack Reinvent Itself [New York Times]

With the invention of steam-powered poppers and caramel-coated Cracker Jack in the late 1800s, popcorn moved from farm-family snack to cultural novelty. It buoyed the movie industry in the Great Depression. Products like Jiffy Pop, which offered pan, oil and corn in one magical purchase, brought popcorn back to the kitchen in the 1960s. They, in turn, were bigfooted by the microwave oven in the ’80s.

Now, in an era of farmers’ markets and a do-it-yourself ethos, older popcorn varieties with names like Dakota Black, Tom Thumb and Lady Finger are being popped on the stove in coconut and olive oils, enhanced with just a kiss of fresh butter and fine salt or fortified with rosemary, wasabi powder or nothing at all.
...
Mr. Roberts sells almost 400 pounds of Appalachian heirloom sweet flint popping corn a week. Chefs are his biggest customers, drawn in part by his corn’s sweet, slightly floral taste. But home cooks, too, are rediscovering the joys of making popcorn on the stove (“a lost art,” Lynn Mealhow calls it) and updating it with flavors like garam masala or sriracha — treating it, in effect, like any other premium ingredient.

I use a stovetop Whirley Pop Popper and Orville's popcorn.

I've tried a few of the heirlooms and they just didn't cut it.

[Borg69]

Fiddle Faddle all the way...

[happyschizoid]

Never thought of popcorn in gourmet fashion, it's just popcorn.

I will investigate this further and get back to you.

[palbert]

Picture of ear of popping corn

[CuriousPhoenix]

I'll eat popcorn no matter kind it is. I guess microwave popcorn is the most common I eat, but I've recently got a popcorn machine and it makes really good popcorn. Now though I do like adding seasonings to popcorn, not just butter.

When I was younger I would dump grated parmesan cheese but now I use the flavorings sold at stores. My favorite is the kettle corn.

Also now there are popcorn stores that sells flavored popcorn. I mean lots of different flavors like cotton candy, dill, strawberry cheesecake, caramel, and chocolate. It's expensive but really good to splurge every once in while as a treat.

[happyschizoid]

So, if you put an ear of popping corn in the microwave will it pop?

[spilovn]

Popcorn, it doesn't get much attention in the UK, I couldn't tell you a single brand name though its usually advertised as being american popcorn.

[palbert]

Popcorn, it doesn't get much attention in the UK, I couldn't tell you a single brand name though its usually advertised as being american popcorn.

Thanks for the post. I was wondering about UK and other European countries.

[CarGuy65]

Air popped with REAL butter and lightly salted for me.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Mind is older and doesn't fold up.

I use jolly-time popping corn, yellow or white. More often than not I get a bag of each, pour both into the gallon glass jar, shake well to get a mix of both types.

I don't like the taste of microwave popcorn, too much salt too much fake butter... I use light salt and real butter for homemade popcorn.

Occasionally I will use the powdered cheese from Mac and Cheese box to season the popcorn... Or garlic or something else.... Depends on the mood.