Where can you cook popcorn?
When you are in a hurry or have no time to cook, you can go to the nearest supermarket and buy some popcorn. There are different types of popcorn you can find at any supermarket. The most common one is microwave popcorn, but there are also stovetop options, which will be described below.
Popcorn is made by heating corn kernels until they burst open into fluffy pieces that are light enough for us to chew easily. It's known that people around the world enjoy eating popcorn either as a snack or during their favorite movie time with friends and family members. When popped, each kernel of corn contains an airy starchy center surrounded by tough brown skin and covered in white wax.
Every year Americans consume about 17 billion quarts or 14 billion pounds of popcorn.
Where can you cook it? Well, there are some people who hold a secret kitchen in their homes where they have a stovetop set up to pop some delicious popcorn. Obviously, if you want to cook more than just what one household does, then the next best thing would be a larger oven that is capable of holding a decent amount of corn kernels at once.
If neither is plausible, then going back to popping it on the stove won't seem so daunting anymore. This way you will have an ample supply of freshly popped snacks that everyone will love!
How do I make stovetop popcorn?
It's not very complicated or time-consuming to do. All you have to do is buy some raw kernels, heat them in your pot until they pop, then keep stirring it up or shaking the pan around. As soon as the popping stops, pour out the popcorn into a big bowl and season with salt if desired.
This method of making popcorn is very popular because it's cheaper than using an oven to make corn for sale or for home consumption. There are also no chemicals used when popping it on your stovetop, nor are there any man-made ingredients added to give color or flavor like microwave bags usually do.
Stove-top popcorn is safe and healthy for everyone (despite what advertisers may try to say.) The only thing you need to care about is not burning your popcorn before it pops. Otherwise, you'll not only have burnt popcorn to clean up but also a smoky house that is hard to get rid of the smell of!
What if you burn your popcorn?
If you tried to make popcorn in a microwave or tried to cook it in your oven, only to find out that you burnt the popcorn, then there are some effective ways of getting rid of the smell.
How to get rid of this smell in your house?
- Use baking soda. After you determine that your popcorn is burnt, open all the windows in the rooms of your house. Place a small dish with 2 teaspoons of baking soda near the fireplace or any other place where you think it will get rid of the smell faster.
- Spray air freshener around your house. The sprayed air freshening solution may help to mask some part of this unpleasant burnt popcorn smell, depending on what type of product did you use and how much did you spray. Don't forget to open all doors and windows!
- Use candles, sprays, or wax melts which are specially made for getting rid of smells like these (burnt popcorn). These products can be found at different retailers (home decor stores, grocery stores, etc.) and they usually have a great smell.
- Use some vanilla extract on a cotton ball or some coffee beans in some bowls. Place them around the house to help get rid of this smell.
- Wash all your clothes and bedding with borax laundry detergent. After that, wash it again with soap and water because you can still find traces of burnt popcorn smell even if you manage to remove it from your clothing using these methods.
- Clean all rooms/furniture where the odor may linger (curtains, upholstered furniture, etc.) with enzyme cleaner or baking soda solution made for carpet cleaning machines. Make sure you read carefully all instructions before using any of these methods.
- The last and the easiest way is to use an ionizer or a room deodorizer, like Febreze Noticeables Oil Diffuser (which is also a night light and essential oil diffuser) or Young Living's Breathe Again Roll-On for rooms. These products will make your house smell great in minutes.
- If you don't want to buy any additional items, simply open your windows, turn on fans/air conditioners, etc. and wait for 15 minutes before going back inside the house (or as long as it takes for the air to be fresh). You can stay out longer if it’s not too cold outside.
How long does burnt popcorn smell last?
It can take up to 24 hours for the burnt popcorn smell to go away unless you use some method listed in this article. However, if you still think that even after all these steps your house smells like burnt popcorn, then we suggest contacting a professional cleaner to help with any remaining odor.
How do you prevent the smell of burnt popcorn in your microwave?
Don’t overcook your food! If it starts popping more often than usual, remove the food from it by following instructions provided by manufacturers or just stop cooking when all pops are done. All microwaves have different times and power levels so sometimes checking every minute is not enough since all microwaves cook differently. If there are many pops left inside, take the popcorn out of the microwave.
Don't use paper towels or napkins to clean up any mess inside your microwave, especially if it's burnt. Paper towels and fabrics attract dust which will make this problem worse. Use wet wipes instead!
How to get rid of this smell in the microwave?
- Take 2 teaspoons of baking soda and pour it into a bowl. Place the bowl inside the microwave, turn it on for 5-10 minutes to let all its walls get covered with an even layer of baking soda. Then, leave the door open until the oven itself cools down.
- Wash your microwave with warm water and soap or just use any cleaner you have at home that is appropriate for cleaning microwaves.
- Use some vinegar mixed with water in equal parts to clean this appliance easier.
- Make sure there are no food particles left between buttons/controls or other hidden places where odor may linger after using one of these methods described above! Just be careful not to touch anything while cleaning so you won't leave fingerprints on your oven.
- If the problem persists, use a small amount of lemon juice inside your microwave and leave it for 8-10 minutes before rinsing with hot water.
- Clean all areas you have seen where burnt popcorn smell can linger or places that seem to be dirty in general (dust included) with a wet cloth followed by a dry one.
- Use an ionizer/room deodorizer in this appliance each time you decide to use it instead of baking soda, vinegar, or lemon which can be used only once in this case. Also, store food inside glass containers! Plastic is porous which makes it difficult to clean afterward since smells stay inside its pores no matter how hard you try to wash it.
What can you do if you cooked popcorn with a frypan?
You can try the same methods as mentioned above, but remember to use baking soda and not vinegar or lemon juice because using these products in a pan will ruin it.
3 Mistakes to avoid while making popcorn:
Overcooking food means burnt popcorn!
Using paper towels or any other types of fabric to clean the mess inside your microwave is not a good idea since materials like this attract dust and will make the problem worse! Always use wet wipes for this purpose!
Leaving food particles stuck between buttons/controls, vents, etc. may prevent your microwave from working properly in case you need to clean it thoroughly in the future so keeping these areas clean is also important.
Is it better to buy popcorn at the supermarket?
Not necessarily, but it depends on how much you value quality. If the popcorn you eat is not made by companies that produce food for human consumption, then you may need to find another way to get rid of the burnt popcorn smell.
Even if your microwave was cleaned after this incident, there are still some odors stuck inside that can cause unpleasant feelings when entering the kitchen sometime after making popcorn at home. It's better to be safe than sorry!
Why popcorn is considered to be healthy food?
This food is rich in essential minerals like phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and iron. It's also full of vitamins A, C, D, and K! No wonder it's often served at special occasions like weddings or even funerals because it may be the only dish available to guests for this reason.
Moreover, it contains a high amount of fiber and is mostly made from whole grain. The only ingredient you shouldn't be afraid of is oil since, if the popcorn is cooked in it, it's not very significant in terms of fat content. So, there is no need to worry about calories if you eat popcorn because it's one of the healthiest snacks you can make!
How to make popcorn like in the cinema?
First of all, you need to use corn kernels with no sugar or flavorings added. Use enough oil/fat (sunflower oil is the best choice) and heat it at a medium temperature until each kernel pops. Add salt only when it's already popped so that your snack will be tasty without unnecessary amounts of sodium!
TOP-3 recipes of popcorn
Salted caramel popcorn:
Melt butter in a pan and add brown sugar once it's fully dissolved. Don't stir the mixture but heat it for about 5-7 minutes at medium temperature to get that caramel color and smell.
On the other side, you can pop the corn kernels and wait until they're ready (of course, not burnt). Put them into another bowl because when this sauce is done, you will pour it over your popcorn, mix everything together well, and put it back in the microwave to warm up if necessary.
Add sea salt to this mix when finished, mix again and enjoy!
It's also possible to add chocolate chips/white chocolate to make it even tastier!
Vegan popcorn with nutritional yeast:
Set the oven temperature at 200 C. Put some oil on a pan and let it warm up for about 5 minutes before adding kernels. Make sure they're spread evenly so that each one of them will be popped equally well- that would guarantee you get the best flavor once done!
As soon as you hear all of them popping stop the oven, put the popcorn in another bowl, and set it aside for later use (if you don't pop enough just repeat this process until done).
Now it's time for the sauce! Put some oil on a pan, let it warm up for about 5 minutes at low temperature and then add garlic powder, salt, paprika, onion powder, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, sugar, and water.
Cook all these ingredients together until done- keep stirring to avoid burning the mix. Once ready, put this sauce over your popcorn and enjoy!
Caramel popcorn with marshmallows:
Add sugar to a pot set on medium heat once it's melted completely start adding butter because we need that nice golden brown color to achieve that caramel taste we love so much. When everything is mixed well, add cream and turn down the temperature since we don't want our mix to burn or bubble at this point.
When finished, let the mix cool down for about 2 minutes, and then add vanilla extract, sea salt, baking soda, and pecans. Pour this over your popcorn, wait about 30 seconds for the mix to be absorbed by kernels, and enjoy!