Making the Best Popcorn
I love popcorn. In the last few years, I've popped popcorn in many different ways and this post will detail each of them, chronologically.
Microwaveable Popcorn Bags
This is super easy and is what most people are familiar with. I used to buy popcorn bags whenever they were on special at the supermarket for a tasty snack. At some point, I stopped because I found that they're terrible for your health.
I didn't actually eat popcorn much after that until... I received the next tool as a hand-me-down from someone.
Aldi Popcorn Maker
I'd always been curious about popping my own popcorn but never did so until I was gifted this machine. Making your own popcorn is super economical and healthy (unless you load it with heaps of seasoning like I'm guilty of sometimes).
I used the popcorn maker for a few months before I stopped. There were several reasons for this:
- I got a little sick of popcorn from eating it too much
- I didn't like the idea of cooking food in a plastic machine
- The machine was a pain to clean when I did decide to do it
Carbon Steel Skillet
I don't remember the trigger but at some point I decided to try cooking popcorn in my Solidteknics AUS-ION skillet with a universal lid. The idea of it felt appealing due to needing to oil it anyway as part of regular maintenance and popping popcorn can be relatively clean.
The first batches weren't great. They always came out with half the kernels burnt and, because skillets tend to be shallow, the batches are quite small. I eventually figured out the cooking technique and was able to get nicely cooked popcorn.
Stasher Bag
This one really surprised me. I was experimenting with sous vide earlier this year and, given that I'm not a fan of plastic waste, I looked to Stasher bags as an alternative to the main plastic options. The Stasher company talks about how you can make popcorn with their bags by simply adding a bit of oil along with the kernels into the bag and microwaving.
I did this several times and found that it actually worked really well! I eventually stopped because of the inherent problem that all Stasher bags have: they're a massive pain to clean. You'll get little bits of popcorn or seasoning trapped in the small crevices that make up the seal and you'll then have to spend minutes flushing them out.
Making popcorn in these bags was neat but I went back to the previous option for day-to-day batches.
Carbon Steel Wok
After having success with the skillet, I didn't expect to be surprised by this one. After making the first batch in the wok with a lid, I was pretty conclusive that it's superior to all the other methods.
I'm not sure how well I can explain it but woks just feel like they were made to pop popcorn from the small pool of fat sitting in the middle and all the space above that allows for popped popcorn to rest without burning. The high walls also reduces the chance that popcorn will escape when you're a bit careless with the lid.
Dutch Oven
Having had success with both the frypan and the wok, I was excited to try making popcorn with a Dutch oven. However, I quickly found many issues with using them for making popcorn.
Dutch ovens shouldn't be heated with nothing in them as it makes the cookware heat up unevenly to the point that the enamel will crack. Manufacturers will suggest to at least add oil to stop this from happening. I didn't feel confident heating my Dutch oven quickly even with oil inside.
Additionally, Dutch ovens take pretty long to heat up. By the time it reached the right temperature, I probably could've finished cooking at least two batches with the wok.
Finally, Dutch ovens are not great in terms of movement. They're heavy and their handles heat up with the rest of the body which makes them not great for tossing their contents.
Conclusion
So what's the best? You can probably tell that woks make the best popcorn from my experience. They heat up really fast and can make a huge batch quickly.
If I didn't have a wok on hand, I'd still happily use a carbon steel skillet.
Stasher bags get an honorable mention for being a great option for making popcorn to go. If I'm going out to a concert or cinema event, I'll make popcorn in my large stand-up Stasher bags every time.
No Stainless Steel?
If you look for stovetop popcorn making, you'll see a lot of people suggesting saucepans which are typically stainless steel. I don't remember if I've ever given it a go but the reason I don't like popping popcorn in stainless steel cookware is because oil stains are a pain to clean. That's really it. Oil stains aren't that hard to clean but it's enough that I'd rather not use stainless steel in the first place.
Besides, I have no place for a stainless steel wok in my kitchen.