Some villain brought popcorn to the office; a holiday can containing plain, caramel, and cheese divided by a white cardboard divider shaped into a ‘Y”. It had a little sign “Eat me”, an order for which many obeyed without question or hesitation.
I’ve always been found of popcorn. Mother would make some for a special evening TV programs, so I still see it as a treat. It’s crunchy, starchy and consumed at night time : one could not ask for a more perfect snack.
Mother made popcorn in a large aluminum pot with a copper top, using corn oil. Thanks to Saturday morning commercials, we kids wanted Jiffy-Pop but Mother wouldn’t have it. We persuaded her once to buy it, but it burned or didn’t properly pop or both. Later in life we got a Joe Namath popcorn machine. It had in its plastic cover a recess in which you put butter. This melted and dripped on to the popcorn as it popped. It consistently created soggy oily popcorn (when it worked at all). So back to the pot we went and stayed with it.
Someone likes popcorn too, but he always uses an air popper. The whirling wonder makes a frightful noise and spits out kernels with quite a force so you better have a large bowl ready lest there is a mess. While air popped popcorn is far healthier, it tastes like paper.
Someone and I also disagree on the type of popcorn to use. He likes ‘yellow’; I like ‘white’.
Popcorn ‘flavors‘ have gotten out of hand. I regularly get a popcorn catalog which every month tries to outdo itself on outrageous toppings. Sometimes out of whimsy I may sprinkle creole-style salt on my popcorn but otherwise I am ‘vanilla’ and like butter only.
Alas, popcorn is ‘off the menu’ this season if I am to get in shape enough for next month’s trip to Mexico. Which brings me back to the cheese-corn abandoned in the office kitchen today. If you want to seduce me, don’t bother with diamonds and furs. Make me some popcorn.
Cheese-corn is my favorite.
It was sucked down in a minute. 
19 comments
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January 10, 2013 at 11:03 PM
truthspew
I do mine in the pan too. But I use salted butter. And then dump salt in just as it’s finished.
The pan – I have a high dome cover so it works well. Doesn’t take long either.
January 11, 2013 at 1:58 AM
anne marie in philly
“jolly time healthy pop kettle corn” is da shiz! microwave for 2 minutes, 100 calories a bag, endorsed by weight watchers, has fiber too. satisfies my sweet tooth!
I never did care for cheese flavor (rubbish). I agree with you on the hot air popped taste. real caramel corn comes from fisher’s in ocean city MD; anything else is rubbish.
January 11, 2013 at 2:10 AM
Cubby
White is so much better than yellow, but so hard to find in the stores. Anytime our store gets some in we buy a bunch. I pity the ignorant masses who have never had the opportunity to try white.
January 11, 2013 at 2:14 AM
zeph
Eh, popcorn is perfectly diet-friendly if you don’t overdo the butter. But I’m not really a fan of things that catch in the teeth. Possibly aside from hairs, I don’t know, sometimes you have to deal with these things.
January 11, 2013 at 5:24 AM
Ron
Ah yes, I LOVE popcorn. I have it almost every day especially when I get off night shift at the hotel. My favorite now is Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet White Corn popped in the microwave. What’s not to like? It’s the perfect snack. High in fiber, low in calories. I usually have a bag when I watch my Netflix movies on the weekend. Of course now I eat the low calorie, low salt version. When I was a teenager I used to down a bag of caramel coated pop corn.
January 11, 2013 at 5:41 AM
Jay
When I am being really bad I get a bag of Chicago Mix which is Cheese and Carmel. I like the Cheese best also. I have an air popper and fool myself that I am “being good” by using it. Actually it is just easier and I hate the tase of Microwave Popcorn. Besides then I can use my Irish butter on it (in sparing uantities) but if you want the truth the actually truth I like the popcorn I get at the movies the best.
January 11, 2013 at 7:10 AM
Laurent
Gee maybe we should just started calling you Dr. Jiffy-Pop. Obviously Someone is the health conscious one here. Seduction by pop-corn? At least I go for goose liver or caviar. Oh well to each is own.
January 11, 2013 at 7:29 AM
Urspo
Compared to you, I guess I am a cheap date !! On the otherhand, the wine/champagne/liquor must be high quality, no rubbish.
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January 12, 2013 at 8:05 AM
Laurent
Of course, who would think of rubbish stuff.
January 11, 2013 at 7:51 AM
William Fregosi
I love chedder cheese corn. But I have to be very with this kind of snack food or I never stop. Doritos are the absolutely most dangerous for me but popcorn runs a very close second. Popcorn with a little sweet curry powder in the cooking oil is very good.
January 11, 2013 at 12:19 PM
Urspo
Doritos are indeed the chips of evil. I think I wrote about them “Nasty Chips” is the title of the blog entry and for doritos in general.
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January 11, 2013 at 9:55 AM
Jay M.
We had an oil popper – the deep pan that sat in a heating element holder. You’d put the popcorn in and viola! In 4 or 5 minutes, you’d have great popcorn! I used one up until a few years ago when mine burned up.
I don’t much care for microwave popcorn, so much more of it gets stuck between my teeth. But Jiffy-Pop is OK, and I like pouring melted butter over it. Caramel is OK, occasionally, maybe at Christmas time or something.
Peace <3
Jay
January 11, 2013 at 11:09 AM
Rick
Poppycock! is my favorite. I couldn’t agree moreabout the Jiffy pop burning. What was up with that? How did it survive so long? The same with my hot air popper. It throws kernels all over the counter top. My grandmother used to pop corn in an iron skillet with bacon grease. I recall liking it but then again; I’ll eat anything.
January 11, 2013 at 2:10 PM
JimA
If you are what you eat… you’re plain, white, fluffy, non-oily and cheese flavored. (:
January 12, 2013 at 4:35 AM
Mitchell Block
No microwave popcorn in your house? My sister and I also begged for “Jiffy-Pop” and our mother tried it once and didn’t like the results either.
January 13, 2013 at 2:36 PM
Birdie
Popcorn purist here. Hard to beat Orville Redenbacher popcorn kernels popped on the stove with coconut oil. Never needs butter. Be sure the lid to your pot is loose enough to allow steam to escape as the corn begins to pop; otherwise it will be chewy. (The cholesteral in coconut oil is good for you—the Food Police were wrong.) Best. Popcorn. Ever.
January 15, 2013 at 11:49 PM
Erik Rubright
Avoid the bacon-flavored popcorn. I can speak from experience that it tastes nothing like bacon. *yeck*
January 17, 2013 at 7:53 PM
Drew Meyer
When I am being really bad I get a bag of Chicago Mix which is Cheese and Carmel. I like the Cheese best also. I have an air popper and fool myself that I am “being good” by using it. Actually it is just easier and I hate the tase of Microwave Popcorn. Besides then I can use my Irish butter on it (in sparing uantities) but if you want the truth the actually truth I like the popcorn I get at the movies the best.
January 30, 2013 at 11:29 AM
nate
Great post. I like popcorn when its prepared like in this post
http://www.garden4goodies.com/2012/12/09/popcorn-best-snack-ever/