Perfect coconut oil popcorn

 

Popcorn is the ultimate snack for kids and adults alike. It’s much healthier than most people think, at least when it’s homemade. It’s fun to make with kids, has a high party factor, and is portable and mess free.

The health benefits of corn

Popcorn is made from corn which is a whole grain. This means the grain hasn’t been refined and stripped from its outer layers where all the goodness resides. Corn is a complex carbohydrate and is full of fiber. Its yellow color reveals a high content of the carotenoid lutein, which is protective for heart and eyes, and it contains lots of the anti-oxidant polyphenols. Corn also offers a good amount of vitamins B1, B5, C, E, and folic acid, and the minerals magnesium and phosphorus.

As a bonus it contains very few calories and is gluten-free.

Packaged, microwave, or movie theater popcorn are of course a whole different story. They’re made with questionable ingredients such as palm oil, preservatives, artificial colors, and way too much low quality salt or sugar. I also recommend buying organic corn for a pesticide-free, non-GMO, more nutritious variety.

My fool proof popcorn method

Making stove-top popcorn is easy as pie, yet there are a few important things to take into account for a perfect result.

• The material: Use a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid. Personally I get the best results using a large pot with non-stick marble coating. Moreover it has a glass lid which makes it easier and fun for kids to follow the popping process.
• The oil: As a matter of fact, popcorn doesn’t even need oil to pop. However I like to play it on the safe side by adding one to two tablespoons of oil (for ½ cup corn kernels). I usually use coconut oil because we like the taste, but ghee, avocado oil, and plain butter have high smoking points and work great as well. It all depends on your personal taste.
• Follow the steps below:
  • Add the oil to the pan and turn the heat on high. Immediately add 2 kernels and wait for them to pop.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and discard the popped kernels.
  • Add the remaining kernels to the pot, stir, and let sit for 1 minute to allow the kernels to heat up evenly.
  • Put the pot back on the stove and turn up the heat again to high.
  • Wait for the corn to pop, shaking the pan every now and then.
  • When all the kernels have popped, remove the pot from the heat and transfer to a large bowl.
  • Now add any of the below add-ins and enjoy!

Delicious add-ins to jazz up your popcorn

• Salt (& pepper): this is my preferred way of eating popcorn and it’s totally mess-free making it a great on-the-road or school snack.
• Coconut sugar: my kids’ preferred way of course and not too messy either. You could first mix the sugar with a spoon or so of coconut oil for better adherence.
• Melted butter: many swear by buttery popcorn. If you use grass-fed organic butter, this is a fine and tasty option.
• Honey or maple syrup. This is delicious but a bit sticky of course, unless you mix it with equal amounts of coconut oil or butter and bake at 150°C or 300°F for about 15 minutes for a crunchier and less sticky result. Alternatively you can add just a hint of plain honey or maple syrup and wait for the popcorn to cool and the honey/syrup to dry.
• Booster foods for extra nutrients such as ground flax seeds, nutritional yeast, raw cacao, spirulina, or maca powder. These work best if you mix them with coconut oil first.
• Parmesan or nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor. Most delicious in my opinion mixed with some melted butter or olive oil.
• Herbs such as thyme, oregano, or rosemary, also mixed with some oil or butter.
• Spices such as cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, curry powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, …
• Lemon or lime juice and zest