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Whats the closest I can get to cinema-style popcorn at home?(r/Cooking)
I too once embarked on the quest for movie-theater quality popcorn. I succeeded and ascended to the heavens, but have returned to impart my knowledge to you.
Step 1: Acquire movie-theater quality flavoring: www.amazon.com/Gold-Medal-Products-Seasoning-Assor…
Flavacol is the seasoning used to give movie popcorn it’s signature taste.
Step 2: Acquire oil: www.amazon.com/Snappy-Popcorn-Colored-Coconut-Gall…
You can get this or, frankly, standard non-virgin coconut oil from the grocery store will do.
Step 3: Acquire popper:
StoveTop: www.amazon.com/Wabash-Valley-Farms-Whirley-Pop-Sto…
Electronic: www.amazon.com/West-Bend-82306-6-Quart-Electric/dp…
I used the stovetop one for years, then opted for the electronic one. No real difference in quality.
Step 4: Find good quality popcorn. There are tons of places to find kernels, go find them already.
Step 5: Make popcorn
Edit: Thanks for the gold, kind stranger. Best of luck on your popcorn journey everyone!
Some additional tips from helpful redditors ahead. I’ll keep perusing for other helpful tips people have shared.
Buttery Topping /u/Cdresden recommends Odell’s, or you can make your own by making clarified butter or ghee (Author’s note: YMMV on ghee, as some other users dislike the slightly nutty flavor it has).
/u/suddenlyreddit has some excellent butter (and other topping) recommendations. Check out his post for full details.
Butter topping = ODells butter topping or Snappy popcorn topping
Cheddar topping = Hoosier Farms Cheddar Powder
Jalapeno topping = Jalapeno Powder
Misc Flavor = Badia Complete Seasoning
/u/Impudence recommends this particular buttery topping, which looks very tasty.
Kernel choices
Another redditor wanted some advice on kernels. Here’s my response and my recommendation:
www.selectpopcorn.com/ The “SunBurst” brand has a natural but subtle buttery flavor to it, and pops into large-ish popcorn. If you’re into experimentation, there’s also baby/hulless kernels that are fun to dabble in but less traditional due to their much smaller popped size. Most brands on this site melt in your mouth, something I have yet to find with store-bought.
Store-bought varies – you tend to get medium-sized pops and a neutral flavor. You can probably go to Whole-Foods and find decent kernels at a higher price than generic, but lower than the site I mentioned.
/u/Who_GNU recommends the ~~linux kernel~~ “mushroom popcorn” which I have not tried but has that distinctive movie-theater look and size to it. I will be giving this a go in the near future.
Popper alternatives /u/Goonie_GooGoo recommends a microwave popper as an alternative to stove-top variants.
Other users recommend simple covered pots using the shaking method.