Is all popcorn "husky" or is there a quality kind I could look into buying? I buy the ordinary Orville Redenbacher's and it is just too "husky". TIA

I usually buy Amish Country, but I buy white, not yellow. I think it has fewer husks and a more delicate flavor. I sometimes buy "baby" popcorn too...it is much smaller.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb...field-keywords=white popcorn

Scroll down to at least the 3rd item. I buy bulk cause I use a lot & it lasts a long time too!

I only buy our locally grown "Certified Organic" brands, because so much of all the corn is Genetically modified now. It doesn't cost anymore here than the advertised national brands.

Hub burned the bottom of our mixing bowl with a popping idea from a Food show host. While he slept, I found I could reuse a bag from a local pharmacy to pop some popcorn in and make my own microwable popcorn.

Used to think the "this side down" was for a heating element. After today...discovered the bag will tear. Powerful popcorn!

I have gone to using an air popper. This way I can add a little REAL melted butter to the popped popcorn and still be equal/below to the calories of the microwave type.

I found a "vintage" air popper at an estate sale for a dollar, and it works SO much better than the new one I have. (new ones tend to spew out a lot of unpopped kernels)
Also (interesting to me), the same popcorn pops huge in the mountains at 8,000 feet and much less in size on the plains at 1,100 feet. Probably even smaller at sea level??

Thanks ga.karen and conrad, I'll look into those suggested. Hubby would think I done lost my mind if I suggested moving to CO to get bigger popped corn, lol. Oh well, I can dream of living in the mountains. Trish212 I also put popcorn in a brown paper bag in the microwave, I never got the same result each time I did it. Thanks everyone

I use O.R. kernels all the time and have never found it to be husky. But then again, I don't pop it in a bag in the MW. I have one of those popcorn poppers where you turn the handle to keep the kernels moving around inside the pot. It does a wonderful job. I never have more than 5 unpopped kernels, and usually only 2. I use 2 Tb of oil to 1/4 c kernels for one batch and cook it over med. heat on my gas stove.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CA Lori,

Our favorite way to eat popcorn is popped on the stove in a pan with some oil, then put in a bag, pour melted butter and truffle salt in and shake, shake, shake. I don't really like popcorn too much but the rest of the family does, and that's what we'll be doing tonight as part of our party celebration with our grown kids and friends! Happy New Year to all!!

quote:

Originally posted by mountainbeach:
Hubby would think I done lost my mind if I suggested moving to CO to get bigger popped corn, lol.

We wouldn't need much more of an excuse to move "home"

I bought a microwave popcorn popper at Target for about $10. It works well.

OT: Bread dough also rises beautifully in the thinner air.

quote:

Originally posted by conrad:
.....the same popcorn pops huge in the mountains at 8,000 feet and much less in size on the plains at 1,100 feet. Probably even smaller at sea level??

Every kernel of popcorn contains a trace amount of liquid water. When you heat the kernel the water changes to gas. Water vapor takes up much more space than that same amount of liquid water. The hard shell on the outside of the kernel holds the vapor inside until the pressure of the vapor gets so high it ruptures the shell. The vapor then expands until its pressure is the same as that of the surrounding air, pushing the white starch inside the kernel ahead of it.

At sea level the pressure of the surrounding air is about 14.7 psia (pounds per square inch). The air pressure in Denver is about 12.1 psia.
(Souce http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What...e_at_Denver_Colorado)
so the water vapor expands more.



I have heard that if you have a supply of popcorn that won't pop you can fix the problem by mixing a very little water into raw kernels, seal the container, and let it sit for several days or weeks until the water is absorbed. I will never be able to confirm this because popcorn doesn't like me. I haven't eaten any in decades.

Always keeps popcorn in the fridge because of the moisture in the kernels.

Ok, at present there is NO GMO'd popcorn. But that isn't to say that it isn't grown without chemicals...but it is NOT GMO'd. They just this year released the GMO'd sweet corn for commerical growers...Walmart sold it as fresh corn-on-the-cob. They are the only ones I know for sure that had it.

JoW, yes, if you have kernals that don't want to pop add a few drops of water to a container that holds around a qt. and shake well & let set for a day or two. It can make a world of difference. Of course, if you get toooo much water, it won't pop either! I have done this many, many times...the last time was last winter.

CaLori, I too have one of that type poppers. I just bought it earlier this year and I love it!
BUT, I put more oil & more popcorn in than you do and still have almost no unpopped kernals. I will dump mine about half way through and then continue popping. I like LOTS of popcorn.
I have a microwave popper...it still has too many unpopped kernals & doesn't hold enough for me. Back when I used microwave bags, I always had to do 2 just for me.
When I was a kid we popped it in an iron skillet on the stove and shook the cr*p out of it while it popped. My arthritis won't let me do that now. And to think that we used to pop enough like that to make something like 50' of strug popcorn to go on our Christmas tree back then! The birds got it after Christmas!

I have been growing and using popcorn since I can remember and we never ever stored it in the fridge. We kept it in a cool/dry area like our panty.
I found this on the net....

quote:

Now that you have all this great Amish Country Popcorn, you might want to know how you should keep it fresh. You can easily store it in an air-tight container, which should be kept in a cool, dry place. Another spot to store popcorn is in the freezer. Just keep it in a sealable bag. You do not want the popcorn to “dry out” or to get moths in it. If stored properly, popcorn can be kept almost indefinitely.

http://www.amishcountrypopcorn.com/howtostpo.html

Since all of it that I get comes in sealed plastic bags...mine doesn't last long enough to keep it in the freezer. Once a bag is opened it goes into a plastic container for easier control when pouring it into my popper.

ga.karen, I am a popcorn-o-holic!!!! I am so glad to learn that I'm not weird because I need to have the whole batch for myself, whether it's homemade or theater-made. I do not like to share my popcorn. When my husband says he wants some popcorn, too, I always make him a separate batch (and I steal some of that batch for my bowl, too )

I can't imagine what it would be like to have popcorn not like me. I've had to have popcorn for every trip to the movies I have ever made since I started going to the movies, which was probably about age 9, give or take.

I empty my newly purchased O.R. plastic bottle of popcorn into my old O.R. glass jar because I don't want to be able to detect any plasticky taste. (I always prefer to buy my walnuts, etc., from bins for that very same reason.) And I always store my kernels in the fridge ever since I heard about that moisture tip.

What is GMO'd popcorn??

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CA Lori,

quote:

Originally posted by ga.karen:
Ok, at present there is NO GMO'd popcorn. But that isn't to say that it isn't grown without chemicals...but it is NOT GMO'd.

Thanks, I was not aware of that!

First off you need a lesson in the plant itself. The part of the popcorn referred to as "husky" is actually "hulls."
The husk is the leaf covering the silks over the cob or ear of corn as grown on the stalk.
The outer coating of the kernel of corn which pops open is the hull.

Try purchasing a tender white popcorn kernel instead of yellow and see if that makes a difference in the hulls being tough.

Usually have a "girl's" get-together with niece around the holidays. A few years ago, made pop corn from kernels on stove top... was able to find a GLASS lid to fit heavy pan, so she could watch! You'd have thought I was performing a MIRACLE!! Dawned on me, she had NEVER seen corn pop before.

Work as a teacher aide with special needs kids. Last spring, the class would end Friday's on a fun note... something crafty, etc. I brought in a stack of dollar store brown lunch bags and a big bag of corn kernels. A lunch bag, maybe 1/4-1/3 cup of kernels, folded over tightly a few times and a few minutes in microwave. Virtually NO "old maids", no fat added, limited salt, and totally snack sized for one person... and MUCH less money than microwave stuff.

I LOVE popcorn with lots of butter and salt and I don't share either. But, I refrain from eating it because those hulls (is that what it is?) frequently get stuck between my teeth and gums and gives me problems.

I do buy the OR microwave popcorn, the white kind that is all natural, and like to make it for the kids. I must have the oddest kids because they just really don't like popcorn that much. But, they're thrilled that I make it, bless their hearts. I never thought about buying the regular kind to show them how it really pops. That's a great idea.

As a kid we always popped it on the stove in a saucepan with a bit of oil. DM bought margarine and we'd melt some and pour it on with some of that fine popcorn salt.

One of the first times I popped corn myself, I poured a cup of kernels in the pan. It looked like the movie theater popcorn pushing up the lid and covering everything!

DH likes the convenience of microwaved popcorn and I was buying the 'light' popcorn and melting real butter to pour over it. Well...he prefers that I buy 'movie theater' extra butter popcorn for him. So I do. I keep two boxes in the pantry because I buy the light for me.

I also use a pan with a glass lid and must admit I'm pretty amazed at watching it pop. Sometime that's more interesting than the movie hubby chose. So, I guess I don't like "hully" popcorn instead of "husky", lol.

All this talk about popcorn and no one mentions the old Jiffy Pop. The kind in an aluminum pan with a foil top. You put it on the stove and shook it and watched the aluminum expand while the popcorn was poppin! Used to love this as a kid.

Oh yeah, Jiffy Pop.
Great if you liked burnt popcorn!

I tried Jiffy Pop several times years ago...not that good and NOT enough!

CA Lori! YES! LOTS!!!!!!!! AND OFTEN!!!!

I have even popped popcorn over a fireplace fire. And I remember many evenings sitting outside on a blanket or clean towel and shelling it. Talk about SORE hands! The ears were too small to shell using our hand sheller, that was for sweet corn & field corn.
And both popcorn & sweet corn have white cobs while field corn has red cobs.

quote:

Originally posted by ga.karen:
I tried Jiffy Pop several times years ago...not that good and NOT enough!

Definitely NOT enough, (with more than half the batch burned to the bottom of the pan and smokey black).
Followed directions, but maybe I just never did it right, huh?

I had forgot about shelling popcorn off the cob. Just thinking about it, still makes my thumbs hurt!

The commercial was very successful however.
Pop.. Pop.. Jiffy Pop, as much fun to "burn" (I mean "make"), as it is to eat!

I didn't say I loved eating it if it was really burnt. I loved watching it pop! We did drown it with butter and I hate to admit but I like certain burnt things. Not charcoal incinerated, but darker than it should be. I like slightly dark popcorn and especially dark pretzels. There used to be Reisman Prezels near where I lived and you could go in and buy "burnt pretzels". You would get this huge box for $1.00. When my mom would buy a tin of prezels from Charlie Chips (they delivered), I would sneak in and bite all the tips off the prezels. Luckily, I quickly outgrew that problem with my mom's help.

I've been popping corn in brown lunch type paper bags in my microwave for approx. 1 1/2 minutes for years. Tho some kernels may not pop, I still feel it's a frugal and healthy way to prepare it. I never add salt, but confess to adding some melted butter later. BTW, tho I fold the open end of the bag and tear some slits in the fold to secure, sometimes the popped corn spills out of the bag. It doesn't tend to do so if I'm careful of how much I add to the bag initially.

So I tried popping the popcorn in a brown bag in the microwave again last night. I folded it down about a quarter inch twice, sat it upright in the mw, and it did good. For some reason putting it in on it's side (like a bought bag of mw popcorn) resulted in no popping. Hmmm???

That's strange cuz I always lay my bags on their sides. Glad you had good results tho.

Beedees - you sound like my grandmother.
I remember my mother telling us that if she had a box of chocolates, she would take a bite. If she didn't like it, she would put them back. Once she forgot and offered the box to company. They saw the ones that were "bitten off" in the box. I can't remember what my mom said was their reaction. She can only remember the 1/2 eaten candies. Can you imagine?

I tested "reusing" a thin bag from a pharmacy to pop our popcorn. The bottom of the bag tore open. Always wondered why there bottom of the regular microwaved bags had a bottom side...maybe THIS is the reason?

So, we bought the brown lunch bags. Did the same type of popping as listed above by others. It worked great! NO holes in the bottom of the bag. Very tasty AND can flavor it the way I want.

LOL Moving on to chocolates now. I would cut the chocolates in half - I don't like most of the creams. 1st husband fussed at me. So I started twirling a knife in the bottom drilling into the filling. He never caught on!

Stitches...what a hoot!

Back to your original question. I'm told that Ladyfinger popcorn has very tender hulls that break up when popped. It appears to be available from several sources online.

quote:

Originally posted by KeepYouInStitches:
LOL Moving on to chocolates now. I would cut the chocolates in half - I don't like most of the creams. 1st husband fussed at me. So I started twirling a knife in the bottom drilling into the filling. He never caught on!

"drilling into" lol, that's funny!!!