[donotprint] I know its not summer yet but I don’t care. We’re making homemade kettle corn at our house and its the perfect salty-sweet snack on a beautiful day like today. Several months ago I posted a caramel corn recipe (Crackerjack) and a company called JustPoppin.com left me a comment. Out of sheer curiosity I replied via email with a very simple question. “How come my popcorn doesn’t have huge balloon type qualities like the kettle corn I get at the fair?” I was told the variety of popcorn they use at the fair are called “mushroom” kernels. I had always believed the way to get those huge kernels was the kettle cooking method and was happy to learn I could buy the same mushroom kernels to make kettle corn at home! Truth be told, I love the balloon type variety of kettle corn and was excited to learn the secret behind my misconception.
The folks at JustPoppin were kind enough to send me a few small samples of different types of popcorn (tender pop, movie pop, and mushroom popcorn) to play around with. All I can say is this… Kettle corn made with mushroom popcorn is d’bomb. <— I realize no one says d’bomb anymore but once again, I don’t care. They are d’bomb.
So what I have for you dear friends is a simple, easy recipe for kettle corn. The outside coating is a clear thin sugary shell seasoned with a hint of salt. Eating it makes me happy, making it brings me joy, sharing with you is my pleasure. Enjoy! [/donotprint]
Easy Kettle Corn Recipe
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
*Special Equipment – A large pot with lid
Directions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add popcorn and sugar giving it a quick stir and then cover with lid. Once popcorn starts popping, pick it up and give it a quick shake every few seconds until popping slows down, between 3-4 minutes. Remove immediately from heat and pour into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately. Do not make the mistake of removing the pot from heat without transferring to a bowl. Due to the high heat of the pot, if you don’t transfer the popcorn it will caramelize and perhaps burn. *Also, do not attempt to make a batch of this in a dutch oven. I made a second batch thinking it would work and it caramelized to quickly and burned.
<<Update>> Buck from JustPoppin just left a really informative comment with suggestions on popping kettle corn. This is what he had to say:
“I’d like to suggest adding a step (or clarification) at the beginning of the recipe to get the most out of the Mushroom Popcorn kernels…
3 kernels of corn should be added to the oil in the pan at the very start. Only after those kernels pop should the rest of the corn and other ingredients be added to the hot oil. Do this instead of adding the popcorn to cold oil and heating it together (which saps the popcorn of needed moisture).
More so than any other popcorn, Mushroom Popcorn kernels are very heat sensitive. They need higher heat (over 400F) to pop with the explosiveness necessary to get that big puffy ball shape, and to get it from the overwhelming majority of the kernels in the pan (which should be the result).
Popcorn will pop at temperatures as low as 250F but it’s more of a PFFFFT instead of a POP! Get over 400F and you’ll be getting bigger POPs. The step above is a great way to be sure the oil is plenty hot before adding most of your corn.”
If you have more questions about popcorn he says you can pop (get it? pop?.. never mind) on over to Justpoppin for more tips.
PS: If you are fanatical about this type of kernel like I am, you can order them online at justpoppin.com since grocery stores do not carry this type of kernel.
Just so you know – Disclaimer: JustPoppin.com did not sponsor this post. They merely provided me with a few samples because I was curious about mushroom kernels.
alice says
Megan,
I don’t have any clue. I’m guessing a day? You could easily email buck at JustPoppin. He is pretty knowledgeable of all things popcorn. Good luck and let me know if you find anything out.
The Rowdy Chowgirl says
Mmm! I love kettle corn, but never thought of trying to replicate it at home.
I wrote a blog post about my method for homemade popcorn a couple of months ago: http://rowdychowgirl.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=687 and the funny thing is, I always use exactly three pieces of popcorn to alert me to when my oil is hot enough, just as Buck suggested.
I didn’t realize that there were actually different sizes of popcorn available. I’m definitely going to order some mushroom popcorn and try it out! Thanks for a great post. It really was d’bomb!
Debbie in WA says
You are d’bomb for posting this recipe and resource for the bigger mushroom popping kernels. Love kettle corn!
carolyn says
hands down my favorite way to eat popcorn! nothing beats sweet + salty.
Jen says
Love the tips! I’m definitely going to try this recipe 🙂 TY for posting it!
molly says
Oh, how I’ve missed Kettle Corn since we left Seattle! It never occurred to me to make it at home, tee hee!
shawna says
I just made this. So good! Not so good for my waist that I will now be making it very often 🙂
Just Poppin Buck says
Hi Alice,
Thank you for the kind words about Just Poppin Mushroom Popcorn kernels. I’m glad you liked the samples we sent. The ratio of ingredients in your recipe is perfect – it makes a wonderfully sweet/salty kettle corn – you’ve hit on the perfect combination as far as I’m concerned and it made a delicious addition to my Saturday afternoon! 🙂
I’d like to suggest adding a step (or clarification) at the beginning of the recipe to get the most out of the Mushroom Popcorn kernels…
3 kernels of corn should be added to the oil in the pan at the very start. Only after those kernels pop should the rest of the corn and other ingredients be added to the hot oil. Do this instead of adding the popcorn to cold oil and heating it together (which saps the popcorn of needed moisture).
More so than any other popcorn, Mushroom Popcorn kernels are very heat sensitive. They need higher heat (over 400F) to pop with the explosiveness necessary to get that big puffy ball shape, and to get it from the overwhelming majority of the kernels in the pan (which should be the result).
Popcorn will pop at temperatures as low as 250F but it’s more of a PFFFFT instead of a POP! Get over 400F and you’ll be getting bigger POPs. The step above is a great way to be sure the oil is plenty hot before adding most of your corn.
I don’t want to bore your readers with more detail than that so if they want to learn more, there’s plenty of info on our site and we’re happy to answer questions via email or phone.
I saw your comment about the Whirly Pop. It really is the best stovetop popper out there and we actually use one in our video: “The Best Way to Pop Popcorn at Home”. http://shop.justpoppin.com/best-popcorn-popping-method-video.html
We’ve made an arrangement with the manufacturer to begin selling them and they’ll be up on the site this week. The Whirly Pop is an aluminum pot. We already sell a version of it in stainless steel since a lot of our customers were asking for it because they’re trying to get away from using aluminum cookware. There are much cheaper versions of both poppers available online and at stores but they’re real junk.
This is the link to our current Whirly Pop offering so you can see what everyone’s talking about: http://shop.justpoppin.com/popcorn-poppers-stainless-steel.html
Oh, and the pics of your results look super yummy (and prompted me to the stove today)!
Best wishes and thank you again,
Buck
P.S. Thanks also for the microwave potato chip recipe! Considering all of my stovetop chip disasters, I’ll be happily trying this out soon.
alice says
Suzanne and Keeley,
I have never heard of a Whirley pop but both of you have me wanting one now. Thanks for sharing your tips.. going to put a Whirley pop on my wish list.
Alice
Suzanne B says
I love LOVE L O V E Kettle Corn and my recipe is almost exactly like yours. I, too, have the whirley pop. I’ve never heard of mushroom popcorn, but now that I have, I’ll order some.
thanks!
alice says
Thanks for your tips, Buck! I’m going to add your suggestion to the post. Hurray for Mushroom Kernels!
Alice
Amy from She Wears Many Hats says
This looks good! Had no idea that it had to do with the kernel at all – just thought I didn’t know what I was doing. Yum.
Maria says
My husband doesn’t like popcorn, but loves kettle corn. We love to pop a batch and sit down to a good movie. Great post!
Cody says
I didn’t think there was much difference in popcorn until I bought a jar of regular corn after using “jumbo” for so long… Now I want to try the mushroom kind. It looks so fluffy!
Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction says
Oh my gosh… this made my day, possibly even my week!! I *adore* kettle corn. There’s a stand at the local amusement park, and I will make a trip over there just to get some kettle corn during the summer! I will have to check out the mushroom kernels, because I love the big beautiful pieces of kettle corn. Amazing!
Carol says
I’ve always wanted to make Kettle Corn at home; it looks easy to make! Definitely want to try the mushroom popcorn.
Nutmeg Nanny says
This looks awesome. I love the smell of the giant kettles of popcorn at the fair. Sweet and salty….yum! I have never thought of making it at home before. I should give it a try this weekend!
Keeley says
I absolutely love kettle corn. I want to order those mushroom kernels. I actually find it easier to make popcorn in a Whirley Pop. I purchased mine for like 20 bucks and it paid for itself the first few times I made kettle corn.
Keeley says
I absolutely love kettle corn. I want to order those mushroom kernels. I actually find it easier to make popcorn in a Whirley Pop. I purchased mine for like 20 bucks and it paid for itself the first few times I made kettle corn.
Jessica @ How Sweet says
I love kettle corn and have never made my own! It seems simple! And not to mention – amazingly delicious.
L says
Hee hee! My daughter said d’bomb this week about the vegan donuts I made. 🙂
The kettle corn looks great!
-L
Jenny says
Yum…I may have to pop some corn to make kettle corn sometimes. TJ’s bag may not cut it after this.
Do you think you can allow more than the latest 5 entries to be loaded into my RSS reader at a time? I just set it up in Outlook and was very disappointed to see that only 5 entries appeared.
alice says
Hi Sandy,
I noticed it too and just fixed it, thank you! Congrats on your new venture! I am so excited for you!! Will you be cooking up batches for fairs? I love Kettle Corn and wish you all the best! <– Lots of exclamation points because I am so excited for you!!
Alice
PS: You'll have to tell me how my proportions look since you're the expert. 🙂
Sandy says
Wow…now I just looked back and the rest of your blog is there. That’s good cuz it sure looks yummy!
Sandy says
Hey Alice! Was I amazed when I tuned in tonight and saw your topic “Kettle Corn”! I love Kettle Corn so much I just started my own business — Cougar Mountain Kettle Corn Company. My beautiful equipment arrived yesterday and we will start popping this weekend to learn how to do it in the BIG 160 quart kettle. Yeehaw! Boy, a lot of our friends and family and co-workers are going to get their fill on “practice kettle corn”.
Pssst…on my copy of your blog the ingredients and instructions didn’t show up…might want to check that.
My best,
Sandy