All Popped up

Take a new twist on one of our favorite treats

It’s that pleasing aroma that greets us as we enter a movie theater. It’s a key ingredient in Cracker Jack. It’s popcorn.

And it’s a healthy snack — minus the oil, butter and caramel — that’s high in fiber. It is one of six types of corn. All corn is a cereal grain that originates from wild grass, but popcorn is the only one that pops.

The pop comes from water trapped inside the kernel. Heat the kernel to a high enough temperature and the water transforms into steam. The hard and mostly nonporous outside shell gives the steam nowhere to go, resulting in a buildup of pressure. The hull bursts when the pressure is too much, and the kernel is turned inside out. Interestingly, the popping sound isn’t from the cracking of the hull but the vapor release after the kernel has cracked.

Popcorn as we know it is credited to Charles Cretors of Chicago, who in 1885, invented the mobile popcorn cart, selling the treat outside his shop. In 1893, he’d use that cart to sell to people attending the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago (which also gave us the Ferris Wheel and the brownie).

It was during the Depression in the 1930s that popcorn became a movie theater staple. It was affordable, easy to mass produce and transportable.

Over the years, I have made popcorn on the stovetop, in the microwave, with an air popper and who could forget, Jiffy Pop, with its tinfoil top that expands when those kernels start to do their thing. One of my favorites — homemade caramel corn — can be cooked both in the microwave or in the oven.

One popcorn use I hadn’t thought of until scanning the 1952 Household Searchlight Recipe Book is in fudge. Who knew? So, grab the ingredients and give Chocolate Popcorn Fudge a try. With these recipes, you’ll soon understand that this handheld treat can be enjoyed in more ways that just with your favorite movie.

Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE POPCORN FUDGE

2 c. sugar
2 squares unsweetened chocolate (2 oz.)
¼ c. sweetened condensed milk
¾ c. water
1½ c. popped popcorn, chopped
1 T. butter
1 t. vanilla
⅛ t. salt

Melt chocolate in saucepan. Add sugar, milk, water, butter and salt. Boil to soft ball stage (234 – 238 degrees). Remove from heat. Add chopped popcorn and vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Stir until creamy and pour into a well-buttered shallow pan. Cut into squares.

MICROWAVE CARAMEL CORN

4 quarts popped corn
1 c. brown sugar
1 stick butter
¼ c. corn syrup
½ t. salt
½ t. baking soda

Place the popped corn in a large paper bag. Combine the sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in a two-quart microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for three minutes, stir until well blended. Microwave for another 90 seconds. Remove mixture from the microwave and add the baking soda. Pour over the popcorn in the bag. Fold the top edge of the bag over twice to close and shake to coat. Microwave the bag for 90 seconds. Shake the bag and microwave for another 90 seconds. Pour onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and allow to cool.

OVEN CARAMEL CORN

4 quarts popped corn
1 c. brown sugar
1 stick butter
¼ c. corn syrup
½ t. salt
½ t. baking soda

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a large pot add sugar, butter, syrup and salt. Mix well. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add the baking soda. Pour over the popped corn and mix well. Place on a large pan in the 200-degree oven for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

POPPING POPCORN

Stovetop:

2 t. canola oil (it has a high smoke point)
½ c. popcorn kernels
Butter
Salt

Heat two teaspoons of vegetable oil over medium high heat in a skillet with a cover. Add a few kernels of popcorn, cover and wait for them to pop. When they pop, the oil is hot enough to proceed. Remove the skillet from the heat and add ½ cup of kernels, cover tightly and return to the stovetop. Once the kernels start to pop, shake the pan occasionally so the kernels pop evenly. Melt the butter and pour over the popcorn, sprinkle on salt to taste, toss well and serve.

Microwave:

⅓ c. popcorn kernels
Microwave safe bowl and plate

Add kernels to a microwave-safe bowl and cover with a microwave safe plate. Cook on high for two to three minutes or until popping slows. Uncover and season with melted butter and salt.