make your own microwave popcorn

Remember the microwave popcorn craze? You’d throw a bag in the microwave, making sure you had the RIGHT SIDE UP, you’d listen to it pop, then you’d take it out and this huge cloud of steam would come out when you opened it (I would usually burn myself). Everyone was into it. My family would sit on the couch and watch HBO (back when it was new!), getting popcorn grease all over our hands, our clothes, our red velvet couch. They had individual bags so you didn’t have to share with your family. They even had movie theater butter flavor. Those were innocent times.

Now, of course, everyone knows that movie theater popcorn has more fat than a Bic Mac. But did you know that those microwave popcorn bags are freakishly bad for you, too? Here’s a lovely little article about it if you feel like getting really uncomfortable. I can’t even pronounce the stuff that was leaking into my bloodstream in the 80’s.

So popcorn has gotten a bad rap. And let’s not even talk about carbs today, ok? But it is a shame, because it’s actually a fairly healthy snack, if you don’t drown it in butter and petrochemicals. And it has fiber! I never even get close to my RDA of fiber. My husband likes to make it on the stove top. Of course, his way uses a whole stick of butter and leaves an invisible (to him) greasy mess all over the stove. (He also says things like “I’m eating all the time and my pants are falling down”. He’s lucky he’s cute). My way is to use the microwave using a paper lunch bag. Faster, easier, less messy and skips the butter.

what you need:

microwave (obviously)
popcorn kernels
brown paper lunch bags
salt & seasonings

To make plain popcorn, pour 1/4 c. of popcorn kernels into a brown paper lunch bag. Fold the top over a couple of times. Resist the urge to staple shut! Remember, metal + microwave = fire. Place bottom up in your microwave and set for 3 minutes. Listen for when the pops slow down to a few seconds between them (just like the chemical, prepackaged stuff), and take out the bag. Open it up and let the steam escape.

To make kettle corn, pour in your popcorn, then add:

1 tbl. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vegetable oil

Close the bag and give it a good shake. Then follow microwave instructions for the plain popcorn.

For Parmesan, black pepper & garlic you need:

2 tbl. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbl. melted butter
1/8 tsp. black pepper.

Make the plain popcorn and empty into a bowl. Add your cheese, garlic, pepper, melted butter and salt to taste. Mix it together, then put it back in the bag and shake it. This gets the popcorn evenly coated (If you put all the ingredients directly into the bag, the bag soaks up all the butter).