COOK: Brown Butter and Old Bay Popcorn… Easy Stove-top Recipe!
- How do I make the best old-fashioned popcorn?
- Equipment needed to make Stove-top Popcorn
- How to Pop Popcorn the Old-Fashioned Way
- Brown Butter and Old Bay Popcorn
Knowing how to make popcorn from scratch on a stove-top used to be common knowledge, but most of us have forgotten how to do it, or never learned how to begin with. Microwave popcorn and popcorn machines make this easy, sure, but nothing beats the flavor and aroma of freshly popped stove-top popcorn, cooked with only simple and natural ingredients from this stove-top popcorn recipe.
Once you get the hang of making this incredibly simple, quick, and thrifty snack, you can have fresh popcorn for a snack whenever you want, that will rival the best theater in town. Seriously, it’s sooo good. Best of all, you can buy a big container of bulk popcorn for less than a single I-max ticket that will keep you snacking for a really long time!
How do I make the best old-fashioned popcorn?
This stove-top popcorn recipe cooks in coconut oil with a touch of butter, and then is topped with sweet, nutty, toasted brown butter. The coconut oil has a higher smoke-point than the butter so it doesn’t burn. The smidge of butter in the pan contributes a bit of flavor, but more importantly, the water in the butter adds steam that helps more of the kernels pop. This is my (pop-not-so-secret) trick to getting the most popped kernels out of every batch!
Popcorn “pops” when the remaining moisture in the dried corn kernel turns to steam. The expanding steam is trapped and builds up inside the hard hull of the kernel, until it the increasing pressure cooks the starchy germ and it explodes into a puffy, crunchy delicious cloud.
This is why it’s important to store the dry popcorn kernels in an airtight container. In addition to keeping the grains safe from pests, it keeps the right amount of moisture in the grain so that they will pop when heated, but not so much that they spoil.
Fresher and properly stored popcorn will have more popped kernels and fewer unpopped kernels (sometimes called “old maids”). The unpopped kernels don’t hurt anything, as long as you don’t bite down on one and break a filling! We save them and give them to the chickens for treats… they love them.
So whether you make popcorn from scratch already and want to jazz things up, or you’ve never made popcorn before, you’ll want to try this stove-top popcorn recipe topped with freshly melted butter and Old Bay seasoning… it’s one of my favorite snacks. I vary the seasonings sometimes to mix it up, but this is one of the best combinations that we’ve found… it’s got just the right amount of spice and salt to complement the brown butter without overwhelming it.
Equipment needed to make Stove-top Popcorn
Pot with lid:
All you’ll need is a metal pot with a well-fitting lid. I prefer to use one that has a wider bottom, so that more of the popcorn kernels are in contact with the surface of the pan. This helps them to pop quickly and without as many unpopped kernels. It’s also better to use a pan with a thick, heavy bottom. This will help the pan retain heat when you uncover it to add the rest of the popcorn. It also helps prevent the popped kernels from scorching since there will be less hot spots and a more even heat distribution with a heavier pan. It’s nice if the pan has a glass lid so you can keep an eye on your popcorn, but it’s not essential.
How to Pop Popcorn the Old-Fashioned Way
one: preheat your pan
- Preheat a 2-3 quart heavy bottomed pan with a tightly fitting lid over medium high heat.
two: melt your oils
- Add the coconut oil and two or three kernels of popcorn.
- Heat until the oil is melted and shimmering but not smoking, and one of the test kernels pops.
three: add the rest of the popcorn
- Quickly add one or two teaspoons of the butter, swirl the pan, then add the popcorn all at once and cover the pan immediately.
four: shake and listen
- Shake and agitate the pan regularly back and forth over the burner so the kernels slide around and don’t stick or scorch.
- Listen for the sound of the popping kernels, and keep shaking the pan over the heat until the pops slow to a few seconds between each pop.
- Turn off the heat.
five: make melted or brown butter
- Pour the hot popcorn into a mixing or large serving bowl.
- Quickly add the rest of the butter to the hot pan, and return to the stove.
- Melt and then lightly toast the butter until it foams slightly and the milk solids turn a light medium brown hue and it smells nutty and rich.
- Quickly remove the pan from the heat (it can burn quickly once it’s browned).
six: garnish and serve your popcorn
- Pour the brown butter over the popcorn, using a heat-resistant spatula to scrape all the butter from the pan and mix the popcorn so the butter is evenly distributed throughout the kernels.
- Season to taste with Old Bay seasoning, tossing again to mix. Best enjoyed warm and fresh from the stove.
Brown Butter and Old Bay Popcorn
Ingredients
- ¼ cup popcorn (white or yellow)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp salted butter, divided (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp Old Bay seasoning (or to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat a 2-3 quart heavy bottomed pan with a tightly fitting lid over medium high heat. Add the coconut oil and heat until melted and shimmering but not smoking.
- Quickly add one or two teaspoons of the butter, swirl the pan, then add the popcorn all at once and cover the pan immediately.
- Shake and agitate the pan regularly back and forth over the burner so the kernels slide around and don't stick or scorch. Listen for the sound of the popping kernels, and keep shaking the pan over the heat until the pops slow to a few seconds between each pop. Turn off the heat.
- Pour the popcorn into a mixing or large serving bowl. Quickly add the rest of the butter to the hot pan, and return to the stove.
- Melt and then lightly toast the butter until it foams slightly and the milk solids turn a light medium brown hue and it smells nutty and rich. Quickly remove the pan from the heat (it can burn quickly once it's browned).
- Pour the brown butter over the popcorn, using a heat-resistant spatula to scrape all the butter from the pan and mix the popcorn so the butter is evenly distributed throughout the kernels.
- Season to taste with Old Bay seasoning, tossing again to mix. Best enjoyed warm and fresh from the stove.