Homemade Popcorn

Growing up, my mom always made us popcorn from scratch. We had microwave popcorn on hand too, but I have so many great memories of watching movies with my family with a giant bowl of homemade popcorn in front of us. I think I just asked one day how she did it and my mom walked me through the steps. The first couple of times I made it on my own, it was just awful - I remember burning it and having to dump the remains off the side of our deck, haha. However, with practice, I did manage to make homemade popcorn while I was still in high school. Now, I feel like a pro at it!

Ingredients:

• 1/3-1/2 cup of popcorn kernels
• Small spoonful of coconut oil
• Large saucepan with a lid

The first thing you'll need is the *right* pan. My family has this big, metal pan with side handles. I now have a similar pan, but for some reason, the lid doesn't stay on tight enough to trap the heat like it needs to. The one pictured above is the pan I use, which works perfectly. If you're not sure what to use, I'd suggest a metal pan - either a saucepan or a dutch oven, as long as they have lids!

When the pot is on the stove, put a small amount of coconut oil into the bottom and add around 1/3 to 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels. Cover the pot with a lid, and turn the stove on to low (around 2, 2.5).

After the popcorn and oil are in the pot and the stove is on low, then comes the hardest part: waiting. It will seem like the stove is on too low, but trust me, the popcorn will pop! You need to wait and do nothing until you start to hear consistent popping. Once that starts, you can turn the stove up to medium (or around 4, 4.5). At this point, pay attention and stay by the stove - you'll want to shake the pot/pan every minute or so to move the stray kernels towards the bottom of the pot.

You'll know the popcorn's done the same way you know when you make microwave popcorn - listen! When the kernels stop popping (leaving around 6 seconds in between - or when you start to smell burnt popcorn), it's probably done. 

As far as seasoning goes, you have a ton of options. I always melt more coconut oil and drizzle it over the top with sea salt, but you can also melt butter. J prefers more "seasoned" popcorn, so when I make it for him, I always add garlic powder.

I really hope you try our my recipe and make some popcorn on your own! If you're like me, it may take some practice to get it right, but I have faith in you. 😊

How do you prefer your popcorn seasoned? Would you rather just make popcorn in the microwave (honestly, haha)?