Caramel Popcorn

[Dianabanana]

I've been making this every year for the last . . . five years? I always make the popcorn in a pot on the stove the old-fashioned way. This year I thought perhaps the rest of the world knew something I don't, so I went out and bought an air popper.

The popcorn that came out of it was inedibly tough and chewy. I had just used some of the same container of popcorn in a pot and it came out fine. Is this just how air poppers are?

[Jaymes]

I've been making this every year for the last . . . five years? I always make the popcorn in a pot on the stove the old-fashioned way. This year I thought perhaps the rest of the world knew something I don't, so I went out and bought an air popper.

The popcorn that came out of it was inedibly tough and chewy. I had just used some of the same container of popcorn in a pot and it came out fine. Is this just how air poppers are?

Hard for me to believe it was nine years ago that I originally posted it. Wow. Time is just zooming by.

As far as your inedible popcorn - I can only tell you that we've been using a hot air popper for quite some time. I helped to take care of my mother during the last two years it took for Alzheimer's to finally destroy her. She loved popcorn, but she wasn't supposed to have grease, so instead of popping the corn in oil and then drizzling it with butter, we used a hot air popper and then sprinkled it with "butter flavor beads."

We never had any problems with the texture of the corn from that popper. So maybe your corn was old? Don't know what the problem was but I'd hazard a guess that hot air poppers are now far more popular than the old-fashioned methods. That wouldn't be the case if the corn turned out bad. My advice to you is that you must have had a unique experience and, although I can't tell you why, you shouldn't give up just yet.

Edited December 19, 2011 by Jaymes (log)

[Dianabanana]

Hmm. I bought a new bag of popcorn and will try again and report back. I will say that the caramel popcorn that I made with the first batch (the stove-popped) got chewy really quickly, even though it was fine to begin with. So maybe it was the corn.

Part of my motivation for buying the popper was the idea that I could crank out more popcorn all at once, rather than having to make successive batches on the stove. But once I got it home I discovered that you're supposed to let it cool for 15 minutes in between batches. Well, I made four in a row anyway and it didn't burst into flame, but I wonder if I'm going to kill it in the short run by doing that.

Edited December 19, 2011 by Dianabanana (log)

[Okanagancook]

Just tried this interesting candied popcorn, with extra spice and it's terrific. The key is to chop the peanuts very finely so they bind onto the popcorn. Yum

http://foodwishes.blogspot.ca/2012/05/pad-thai-popcorn-how-five-seconds-of.html

[maxmillan]

Bumpity bump! Jaymes' recipe on page 1 is so worthy of remaking every Christmas.

[Jaymes]

Christmas coming again and Shel's popcorn thread reminded me that it's also time to lay in my supply of popping corn.

[SweetSymphonybyM]

Chocolate Academy online (Cacao Barry/Callebaut) has a bunch of great videos on panning by Ruth Thyer