How to make popcorn from fresh corn. grains are enough for a large deep bowl of popcorn. Your kids will love this homemade popcorn
Popcorn has long been a staple of movie theaters. It's hard to imagine going to the movies without a bucket of crunchy treats. What children's session is complete without sweet popcorn. She is adored not only by kids, but also by their parents. Sometimes you want to get together in the evening with the whole family in front of the TV and watch a good family comedy. In order to recreate the atmosphere of a cinema at home, popcorn is indispensable. Many people love salted popcorn, but if there are small children in the house, then, of course, the treat should be sweet.
Making sweet popcorn is quick and easy. It's fun and fun, so you can get kids involved with the right precautions. They will love to watch the corn kernels explode and turn into their favorite treat. There are many ways to make sweet popcorn.
1 way. Sweet popcorn
Ingredients:Corn - 150 g
Vegetable oil
Powdered sugar - 100 g
How to make sweet popcorn:
For making popcorn, special corn is used. Do not buy ready-made formula in microwave bags. They contain many artificial additives, flavor enhancers, etc. This corn should not be given to children.
For cornflakes, it is best to use a non-stick saucepan or deep pan and glass lid.
Pour some oil on the bottom of the saucepan, put it on fire. When the oil is hot, remove it from the heat, sprinkle the corn kernels in one layer so they only cover the bottom.
Cover the saucepan with a lid, shake the lid to cover the grains with a thin film of oil, and return the saucepan to the heat.
Watch the process carefully, soon the grains will start to explode. At first, individual clicks will be heard, then the crackling will intensify.
Shake the pot occasionally to avoid burning. When the clicks have subsided, immediately remove the pan from the heat, wait 10 seconds and pour the finished popcorn into a large bowl.
Sprinkle generous amounts of powdered sugar over the flakes, cover and shake several times to distribute the powder evenly.
Method 2. Caramel popcorn
Ingredients:Corn - 150 g
Vegetable oil
Butter - 150 g
Brown sugar - 2 cups
Honey - ½ cup
Soda - ½ teaspoon
Salt - 1 tsp
How to make caramel popcorn:
The flakes themselves are prepared in the same way as in the first method. Next, put the popcorn on a baking sheet covered with parchment, distribute it evenly and place in an oven preheated to 120 ° C.
To make caramel melt butter, add sugar, honey, salt. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved and a homogeneous mass is formed.
When the caramel starts to boil, remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Add soda to it and stir the resulting mass until it begins to lighten and foam. At the same time, the caramel will increase in volume.
Remove the popcorn from the oven and pour the caramel mass over it, stirring to distribute it evenly over the flakes.
Place the baking sheet back in the oven. Dry the popcorn at 120 ° C for an hour. Take it out every 10-15 minutes and stir.
Pour the finished popcorn into a large bowl, turn on the cartoon and call the children. Happy viewing!
What is popcorn, or popcorn, today everyone knows. The name comes from the English words corn - "corn", pop - "to burst with a bang." The honor of the discovery of this dish belongs to the Indians, who were the first to discover the fact that a grain of maize, once in a fire, explodes, turning into delicious airy white flowers.
IMPORTANT! Corn explodes due to the presence of droplets of starch in it with water. When heated, this water boils, and the hot steam breaks the shell, causing the grain to expand.
There are many different types of popcorn:
- Sweet.
- Salty.
- With butter.
- With cheese.
- Color.
- Caramelized.
What grade do you need?
So how do you make popcorn at home? Before proceeding directly to production, you need to purchase the correct variety of corn.
For popcorn, grains of a separate variety are used, the so-called bursting. It differs from ordinary cobs in a thinner and at the same time durable shell, rich in proteins and fats (read about what can be made from corn on the cob).
A strong wall ensures that the grain does not crack immediately, but at first it warms up well and opens up beautifully, greatly increasing in volume. In this variety, up to 99% of the grains are revealed during cooking!
There are the following varieties of popcorn corn:
- Volcano.
- Pop-pop.
- Zeya - the variety is also interesting for its burgundy color.
- Ping pong.
REFERENCE! You can buy special grains for popcorn in the supermarket, and if you plan to grow it yourself, it will be enough to plant some of the above varieties next to ordinary corn.
Commoners often wonder if it is possible to make popcorn from regular corn. Yes, it is theoretically possible. But in practice, this is not worth doing. Corn grains can simply burn out - this is most often the case with inexperienced housewives, and it is good if they do not burn anyone at the same time.
And even if the experiment succeeds, fewer kernels will explode in regular corn varieties, and those that do open up will be very different from your usual popcorn in appearance and size.
So the purchase of special raw materials will save a lot of time, nerves and will save you from wasting food.
Forage varieties of corn are definitely not suitable for popcorn, but it makes sense to experiment with a wild plant. It will look like a reduced copy of an ordinary plant - a cob about the size of the palm, not only yellow, but also black, white, or even multi-colored.
Instructions
Traditionally, popcorn is cooked in a hot skillet or saucepan, with a lot of oil. In public places, this delicacy is made in an air-heated machine (popper), which minimizes the risk of food scorching. But it makes no sense to buy such equipment home, it is better to use a saucepan or a frying pan with high sides. It is even better than a saucepan - it is easier to grease with high quality oil.
Cooking in the microwave
The advantage of this method is that the delicacy can be easily and quickly cooked in any microwave oven, it is guaranteed not to burn or burn you. But at the same time it will come out much more high-calorie than on the stove: the grains will have to be poured with oil very abundantly, because there will be no opportunity to shake or stir them during the cooking process.
The cooking technology is as follows:
It's even easier to make popcorn sold in microwave-safe bags. To do this, simply put the package in the microwave and press “Start”.
Watch a video on how to make popcorn in the microwave:
In a frying pan
Advice: it is best to mix the popcorn with spices and butter in a sealed plastic bag, shaking it vigorously several times.
Flavoring additives
Any recipe for making popcorn itself contains advice on how to improve the taste of a treat with butter and salt or sugar. But there are many more flavors of this dish. You can experiment by adding as many different spices as you like:
- cinnamon;
- coconut flakes;
- icing sugar;
- nutmeg;
- paprika and even mixed bagged spices.
Recipes
Caramel
Kids will love the caramel popcorn, which you can also make at home:
We watch a video with a recipe for caramel popcorn:
With chocolate
You can also improve the recipe by making caramel with chocolate - for this, melt the sweet bar or add cocoa powder to the butter and sugar.
Each of us has bought caramel popcorn more than once in a park or cinema, and at the same time, everyone is trying to choose for themselves corn kernels, which are covered with a caramel crust as much as possible. Sometimes there is a real struggle for them, because they are covered unevenly, some more - others less. And I have been preparing this delicacy at home for a long time, and I always have a lot of caramel, no need to fight)). It turns out both tastier and several times cheaper, since special corn kernels for popcorn are quite inexpensive. There is nothing complicated in the cooking process: a few minutes - and now the family crunches with caramel popcorn.
On a note:
- both caramel and corn must be cooked at the same time, it is important that both of these components are hot;
- when preparing caramel, stirring is allowed only by rotating the pan, you cannot use a spoon for this, otherwise the crystallization process may begin, which will be irreversible;
- very little soda is needed, it should only make the caramel more "friable", which will help it evenly distribute.
Ingredients
- corn for popcorn 1/2 stack.
- sugar 1 stack.
- water 50 ml
- butter 50 g
- baking soda on the tip of a knife
How to make caramel popcorn
- Pour the corn into a skillet, put it on medium heat and close the lid. Shake the pan from time to time to turn the grains, but the lid should remain closed.
Soon, under the influence of temperature, the corn will begin to open, it will “shoot”. If you open the lid, popcorn will fly all over the kitchen. When the first "shots" start, I reduce the fire to the minimum so that the grains do not burn. Over time, the claps will become less frequent, and after a few seconds, they will stop altogether.
Pour sugar into a saucepan, pour cold water.
I put on fire and cook until light caramel color. Pay attention to the amount of sugar: if you don't like the classic sweet taste of popcorn, reduce the amount of sand to 3/4 or half a glass.
I spread the butter.
Then I add baking soda. Here you can already stir with a spoon. The mixture will immediately begin to actively foam, as it should be.
Immediately pour the caramel over the popcorn.
Stir with a spatula for even distribution. If the corn itself is still warm, the caramel won't set too quickly.
I divide the cooled caramel popcorn with my hands.- Delicious homemade popcorn with caramel is ready.
Many people associate eating popcorn, or popcorn, exclusively with movie theaters. It's so nice to crunch to a good movie. However, at home you can also please yourself and your loved ones with such a dish. Popcorn can be found in different types - salty, cheese, caramel. The latter is the most popular. How to make sweet popcorn at home? Simple enough! In addition, this dish is much cheaper than a purchased one.
Delicious popcorn in a pan: what do you need?
How to make sweet popcorn in a pan? First you need to prepare the following ingredients:
- a quarter cup popcorn corn;
- a glass of sugar;
- three tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- a couple of tablespoons of water;
- a couple of drops of lemon juice;
- half a teaspoon of baking soda.
These ingredients allow you to prepare the popcorn itself and the caramel for it.
Cooking corn
How to make sweet popcorn? To begin with, prepare the corn itself. You need to choose the right dishes. A frying pan with thick sides and high sides is great. It is also worth pairing a heavy lid with it. The lung can bounce from the blows of the exploding corn kernels. You can also use a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Pour the entire portion of the oil into the pan, heat slightly over medium heat. Shake out the grains and immediately cover. Soon the grains will begin to open and the characteristic pops will be heard. At this time, the pan with a lid is shaken a little so that the corn heats up evenly, which means that the whole thing also opens. When the interval between claps is more than twenty seconds, you can turn off the corn. Leave it under the lid to start making caramel.
How to make caramel?
How to make sweet popcorn? Add caramel to it! The basic recipe can be used to make both salty and sweet products. For sweetness, add caramel. It is also prepared simply.
Pour water, all the sugar and lemon juice into a small saucepan. They put everything on slow gas and just watch the pan. You do not need to stir the caramel, you can only sometimes turn the pan, slightly lifting the sides so that all the sugar is covered with water.
Now it's time to act as quickly as possible. The finished caramel has a pleasant color and characteristic smell. The lid of the popcorn pan is quickly opened, soda is poured into the caramel, as a result, a foam from the sweet ingredient is obtained, it is poured into the corn. Mix the grains thoroughly so that they are all soaked in the sweet ingredient.
Then the grains are laid out on a baking sheet, preferably in one layer. Let it cool for ten minutes.
Sweet popcorn in granulated sugar: ingredients
You can make popcorn right away without dividing the process into making corn and caramel. To do this, take:
- corn;
- four tablespoons of sugar for every hundred grams of grains;
- vegetable oil.
Basically, these are all the ingredients you need. Next, we'll take a look at how to make sweet popcorn at home. This recipe is quite budgetary, and you do not need to spend time making caramel. Finished grains are sweet and fatty due to vegetable oil. The sweetness can be adjusted to taste, for example by adding more sugar or reducing the amount.
Cooking a sweet dish
To begin with, opt for a frying pan with a glass lid. This will allow you to observe the cooking process so that the grains do not burn, but open up.
Odorless vegetable oil is poured into the bottom of the dish. It should cover the entire bottom. Pour in the grains and put the pan on high heat. It is better to sprinkle the grains in portions so that they turn out to be laid out in one row. Then there will be fewer burnt and covered grains.
Sprinkle the corn grains with granulated sugar on top. Spread gently so that the sweet ingredient hits all the corn. Then cover everything with a lid and wait. In a couple of minutes, the grains will begin to open, pops will be heard. Now you need to shake the pan, and often enough. Then the grains will be mixed with sugar and butter, they will not burn. When the interval between claps becomes three seconds, you can remove this batch by transferring it to a dry dish and let it cool. You can add a new batch of beans. This is a simple recipe that shows you how to make sweet popcorn with the minimum amount of ingredients.
Who doesn't know about a delicacy like popcorn? Probably, there are no such people. It is often bought in a cinema hall to enjoy the movie while watching it. However, making such a delicacy yourself is simple and fairly cheap. You need to purchase special grains for popcorn, they can be found in large chain stores or ordered on the Internet. Then you should try making sweet popcorn with granulated sugar and vegetable oil. It's simple enough. How to make sweet popcorn that matches the store-bought popcorn? You need to spend a little more time and make a special caramel fill. This is not only tasty but also aromatic dish.
Even the most loyal fans of proper nutrition occasionally allow themselves to break the rules. Everyone does it to their liking and within the established limits, but always looking for a reasonable compromise. One so that you can pamper yourself and not do too much harm to the body, which is accustomed to a balanced diet. And many agree that popcorn is one of the best options for such a violation. Moreover, making popcorn at home or buying a bucket of air flakes at the cinema is not so important. After all, these are the same grains of corn - a cereal plant with a rich chemical composition. And although most vitamins are destroyed during heat treatment, popcorn is still healthier than the vast majority of fast food. And we will easily prove this to you, and at the same time we will teach you how to make popcorn at home no worse than in the most modern entertainment center!
What and how is popcorn made from? Is there any benefit to popcorn?The English acronym for "popcorn" is fully justified. Hot air puffed corn kernels are truly insanely popular. His triumphant march across the planet began in America, where corn has been widespread and in high demand for many millennia. Moreover, the first popcorn lovers are the Indians, who discovered and enjoyed using the ability of maize to grow and "explode" when heated. If this historical fact seems funny to you, then don't think that the Aztecs cooked popcorn for entertainment in front of the screen, like their descendants today. For the indigenous inhabitants of the American continent, corn puffs served both as food and a ritual object. They were used to satisfy hunger, maintain strength in the hunt, make jewelry and carry out religious rituals. In the form that the exploded grain took, they predicted the future. And long before Columbus found out about it in the 15th century.
European culture has adapted the properties of corn to its purposes. To begin with, it turned out that popcorn can be made not from all varieties, but only from a special variety of maize, each grain of which contains not only starch, but also a drop of water. At the same time, the scientists explained the mechanism of making popcorn. It turned out that when heated, the water inside the corn grain turns into steam, tearing the shell from the inside and causing it to take on a bizarre bloated shape. After the explosion, it cools down and solidifies in a new form. Accordingly, for the formation of a corn "lamb" several conditions must be met at once:
- Water inside the grain. When the corn is heated, it will boil and become steam rushing out.
- Soft starchy shell surrounding water. It is she who turns outward as a white mass during the "explosion".
- A strong thin shell that covers the outside of the grain. It holds back the starchy endosperm exactly until the moment when the hot steam ceases to fit inside. If that shell were weaker, the grain would have burst before it was enlarged. But it only breaks when the tension becomes too strong. Remnants of this hard, flaky shell can be seen on every piece of popcorn.
How to make popcorn yourself at home
As you can imagine, in order for a hard and raw corn kernel to turn into a light crunchy popcorn, it must be properly heated. Or rather, bring it to a temperature of 200 ° C, at which 1 ml of water inside the shell will not just boil, but will turn into steam, the volume of which is almost 1.5 times the volume of the liquid. There are several ways to heat food at once, so for making homemade popcorn at different times, in different circumstances and with different success they were used: 
So, the latter option is by far the leading one if you decide to make popcorn at home. It is enough to buy a bag with the inscription "Microwave Popcorn" in the nearest supermarket and cook corn in the same bag. True, even such an elementary technology requires the right approach.
How to make popcorn at home the right way
Microwave-ready popcorn doesn't take a lot of effort. On the contrary: it is better to show as little initiative as possible and strictly follow the instructions on the package. If you could not read and / or understand the instructions, we explain in detail how to make popcorn yourself:
- Place the paper bag with the popcorn in the microwave. Close the door and turn on the microwave. The time for making popcorn depends on the size of the serving. Typically, a medium pack takes 4-5 minutes to prepare. It is important not to open the bag until the corn is done and carefully open it after removing it from the oven. The paper contains not only flakes, but also hot steam, which is easy to scald.
- You can buy popcorn not in portioned bags, but in large quantities so that you can cook as much as you like. In this case, the corn kernels should be poured into plastic or ceramic utensils that can be used in the microwave. Make sure the container can withstand temperatures up to 200 ° C. Most plastic bowls aren't designed to heat more than 150 ° C, but that's not enough for making popcorn. Pour some refined vegetable oil into the bottom of the bowl and add the corn. Shake and stir the grains so that they are oiled evenly. Cover with a lid and send to the microwave, turned on at full power, for 5 minutes. A sure sign of popcorn is ready - pops, which will subside when all the grains explode and turn into "lambs".
How to make delicious popcorn at home
Popcorn lovers found that making it at home costs about 10 times less than buying it ready-made in malls or movie theater lobbies. Agree, the savings are impressive. But at the same time, for many, popcorn is not only food, but also the atmosphere of a walk, relaxation, and entertainment associated with it. And, of course, the flavorings that you choose before buying popcorn play an important role. This pleasure is just not difficult to repeat at home: 
- How to make salted popcorn at home. Homemade popcorn should be salted immediately after cooking, while it is hot. In a bag or bowl, shake the corn with a pinch of salt and / or ground pepper, then serve. For children, you can use iodized salt or replace the salt with dried herbs.
- How to make sweet popcorn at home. Using the same principle as described above, sprinkle the ready-made, still hot popcorn with powdered sugar. Add vanilla extract, cinnamon and / or coconut.
- How to make popcorn with caramel at home. While the popcorn is cooking, melt the butter in a skillet and add granulated sugar to it. Fry until golden brown, and then immediately pour the hot caramel into the popcorn that has not cooled down and mix evenly. To make "chocolate" popcorn, mix cocoa powder with sugar and butter.
- How to make popcorn with cheese at home. Use grated real hard cheese instead of a cheese-like flavor at home. If you mix it with hot popcorn, you get delicious melted cheese "strands". If you wait until the popcorn cools down, you get popcorn mixed with cheese, which is also very tasty.