Check out the free video demonstration where my son C. makes this popcorn (his favorite snack ever)!
This popcorn tastes amazingly just like the theater — but without any of the guilt! I use the traditional red palm oil, an oil similar to olive oil. It contains vitamin A & vitamin E, and is about 50% saturated fat (don’t be scared) — yet unlike olive oil, the smoke point is high, which means it doesn’t smoke or burn when making popcorn.
With few specific measurements, these general guidelines should help you in making this delicious and healthy popcorn! (See my original post on Red Palm Oil Popcorn.)
Have you popped popcorn in a pot on the stove? If so, you use the same amount of palm oil as you do your other cooking oil. The amount of popcorn will be the same, too.
If you haven’t done this before, you’ll have to figure out the amount of red palm oil that works for you — and it depends on your size of pot. I use my 9 quart stainless steel pot.
I eyeball how much oil to use. (But when my kids make the popcorn, I tell them to use 1/2 cup.) I turn the heat on a bit and scoop the oil into the bottom of the pot. Since red palm oil is semi-solid at room temp, you’ll have to let it melt to see if you have enough. What you want to aim for is about 1/2 centimeter layer of oil covering the entire base of the pot. This is really flexible. You can’t go wrong, really.
In my 9 quart pot, I use a rounded 1 cup of popcorn kernels. Add your kernels to the pot with the oil. Turn the heat up to medium-high or higher. I set my dial at HIGH on my electric range, on one of the larger elements.
Cover the pot and get potholders ready because escaping steam can burn your hands. (You can fold a towel and lay it on the top of the lid, to prevent steam from burning your hands or face. Just don’t let it hang down and touch the element to catch on fire!) While the oil and the kernels are heating, they’ll be sizzling, and you should swish it all around intermittently, with the lid on and potholders shielding your hands.
When the kernels start popping, you’ll want to be hands on all the time, shaking and swishing the pot so the heat reaches all the kernels. To avoid scratching the pot, move it around just over the heating element so the contents feels the heat but the pot isn’t touching the element.
When the popping slows way down, it is time to dump the popcorn into a paper bag or bowl. Don’t wait too long or the popcorn will burn. If you don’t wait long enough, you’ll have unpopped kernels.
In the bag or bowl, add all your seasonings, such as butter, sea salt, nutritional yeast, and/or cumin. Experiment by taste. There’s no right or wrong. You might wish to keep certain garnishes, such as nutritional yeast, separate. People can flavor their own bowls as they desire.
Enjoy! How do you top your popcorn?
About Wardee Harmon
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I’ve been using olive oil but I know red palm oil is better for you at high temps. I was worried that it would change the flavor. Have you noticed a distinct flavor? My husband likes me to make popcorn almost every night that we are home so I’d like it to be as healthy as possible.
The flavor change is an incredible one — it tastes just like movie theatre popcorn! It is amazing. I think your husband will really, really like it.
I’ve always wonderered how to make popcorn on the stove. Thanks!
Thanks Wardee! I can’t wait to try it.
I bought some red palm oil yesterday and am in love. The kids and I made popcorn with the r.p.o. and it was delicious. Thank you so much for helping me see wiser choices to my family’s diet and posting all your yummy recipes.
My husband and kids LOVE popcorn, and this is their favorite. Thank you.
You’re welcome! It is sooo good, isn’t it? We just had some last night. Now we have to wait for our Azure order to get more popcorn before we can have it again. I’m really glad your family is enjoying it.
Hi Wardee!
We’ve been using RPO for our popcorn for quite some time and love it! The taste is different but delightful! We like our popcorn a little spicy at times so we add a bit of crushed red pepper. When we feel like having it a little sweet, we throw in a bit of natural sugar while popping – wonderful “kettle korn” flavor! Sometimes we’ll add some cinnamon as well.
There’s so much you can do with popcorn! It’s usually our snack of choice – plain or otherwise.
I love cooking popcorn on the stove. I’ve never used RPO, but I can’t wait to try it and compare with my favorite oil, coconut oil. I find that I don’t need to add any butter.
Where do you find red palm oil? I looked on the Azure website and they don’t carry it.
Sally – Azure used to carry it — but that was several years ago. Here’s where you can get it from Wilderness Family Naturals: http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WFN&Product_Code=NPO1&Category_Code=
Sally — To save shipping though, you might ask a grocery store if they can special order it through a natural food supplier.
I’ve always cooked my popcorn in this way, but I was under the impression that it was not healthy to eat popcorn or corn that has not been soaked in lime water and then some sort of acid medium. Is this different with popcorn as opposed to regular field corn? Is it all right to eat popcorn unsoaked?
Thanks,
Jeannie
Jeannie — It isn’t practical to soak corn for popcorn. Make it with good fat (butter, coconut oil, red palm oil) and eat occasionally. That’s a good balance.