Popcorn seems to be on some folks' minds these days.

Here's a way to make large batches of great popcorn with minimal cleanup. Besides cleanup, another problem with making popcorn at home is that it's all gone before everyone's had their fill.

The idea is to microwave bulk popcorn. This is far cheaper and probably healthier than the prepackaged microwave popcorn. (Though I've never bought it from them, Famous Foods sells 5kg bags of kernels.)

You microwave the kernels in ordinary brown paper lunch bags. The lunch bags you can buy these days are the cheapest crap possible, and they will rupture after a few uses. We've found that small paper bags available for other uses, such as for bulk baked goods at Safeway, are much stronger and last for many batches of popcorn.

Cover the bottom of the bag with 2-3 layers of kernels and pop them on the microwave's highest popcorn setting. Don't put the whole batch in the bag to start with, because the later kernels to pop won't be as fluffy. Finish popping each bag before adding fresh kernels. Fold the top of the bag to keep the kernels in, and microwave until the bag is about 3/4 full. If you use two bags and alternate them, one can be popping while you empty the other into a very large bowl.

When you're done, the unpoped kernels can go in the organic waste, and save the bag for next time.

Use the microwave to melt butter and pour it on the popcorn. Add salt and use a table knife to churn the batch. Use "Kernels" powdered white cheddar instead of the salt to make delicious cheese popcorn.

This method makes it easy to make so much popcorn everyone will be tired of it before it's all gone, and cleanup means only the serving bowl and butter stuff.

(I recall when making popcorn at home involved a large pot and a layer of oil. What a hassle. What a mess. Fill the place with vaporized oil, burn the popcorn half the time and never pop enough to satisfy.)

Enjoy!

I have this popcorn popper: http://www.londondrugs.com/Pro-Poppe...t=21&q=popcorn

It never burns and makes a good sized batch, but you do need to clean it afterwards. I bought it largely because I remember my dad making it in the old oil in a pot method!

Commercial microwave popcorn is pretty unhealthy as you say. Popping your own, however you do it, is much better.

Nothing like a nice batch of popcorn while watching a train-wreck or good melodrama...
Does anyone still use the "old" hot-air poppers that were all the rage back in the late 90's?

Come to think of it....are we allowed to talk about popcorn?

Where is the popcorn icon when you need it?
Oh there it is.


But seriously, we used an air popper for a long time until the last one burned out. It was low mess so got used a lot. We recently got one of these oil based things with a rotating sweeper arm that keeps stirring the kernels. The popcorn is good but the clean up takes as long as making the popcorn so we don't use it much now.