How to Make Homemade Popcorn
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I love eating popcorn, but the regular microwave popcorn they sell at stores has a lot of chemicals and can be pretty pricey per bag. So, I set out to discover how to make my own homemade popcorn (with as little effort as possible, of course :)), and found a super easy way to make your own homemade microwave popcorn!
How to Make Homemade Microwave Popcorn
You only need a few things for this, and YES, you can make it in the microwave. That’s the best part, because I know there are some ways to make your own homemade popcorn like popping it on the stove or something, but WE HAVE TECHNOLOGY, so we might as well use it.
Ok, so the secret here is using a brown paper bag, like those school lunch bags. That’s what we’re going to use to pop the popcorn in. Plus, you’ll of course need popcorn kernels, and some salt, popcorn butter, and a bowl for after the fact.
If you’re using a regular sized brown lunch bag, then you can pour the popcorn kernels into the bag until they lightly cover the bottom of the bag in a single layer of kernels, or a couple tablespoons of kernels. You don’t want to use too much because it actually expands WAY more than you think and if you put too many kernels in, your bag might explode (not like that happened to me or anything…). Like this:
When you have a couple of spoonfuls of kernels in the bag, then fold over the top of the bag a couple times and press it down so the bag is closed, but not taped or anything. And you DEFINITELY don’t want to staple it closed (no metal in the microwave!). So just fold it down a couple times. But you’ll still need most of the bag available for the popcorn to pop in, you just want the bag to be somewhat sealed off so the air can heat up. Should look like this:
Then, stick it in your microwave (I start with the bag upright but it usually ends up toppling over when it gets full), and start your timer for about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Note: you will probably NOT use all of this time if you have a powerful microwave (mine is 1200 watts). I did it for that full time once and definitely burned the popcorn.
Instead, you want to wait until the popping sounds are about a second or two apart. For some reason (maybe because there’s no oil in the bag), this stuff tends to burn faster than commercial microwave popcorn, so take it out a little before you think you should – basically when the bag seems to be filled up, you should be good. There will be some unpopped kernels in the bottom, but that’s ok.
Now, all you do is pour your freshly popped popcorn in a bowl and top it with popcorn butter (real or otherwise. Use something natural if you want to avoid chemicals) and salt to taste and you’re good to go! You can also spray on butter-flavored Pam for a lighter option. ?
Good luck!
