[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.
emily says
This was delicious, thank you!!
The Kettle Corn Guy says
I’ve made a similar recipe in the past, but not with these exact proportions. I look forward to giving it a try.
Thanks for sharing!
John McConnell
The Kettle Corn Guy
http://www.kettlecorn.co/
Just Poppin Buck says
S Bloom: I listed my suggestion for making kettle corn with air popped popcorn below. It won’t be exactly the same since you won’t get the caramelization you would with cooking the sugar. But you should get a pretty good flavor profile.
1. Mix up an amount of sugar and salt according to the proportions in Alice’s recipe (the results are great).
2. Using an oil mister, spritz a little bit of oil onto the popped popcorn.
3. Put the oil misted popped popcorn into a paper bag and add your sugar and salt mixer and shake to coat. I prefer the paper bag method because once a spice mix has made it to the bottom of a popcorn bowl, it’s nearly impossible for it to ever actually get on any of the popcorn again.
Instead of oil, a tablespoon or 2 of clarified butter would do the same job for about 5 to 6 quarts of popped popcorn. So if you are concerned about the fat content, realize that 2 tablespoons of butter spread out over 6 quarts of popcorn (which is about 4 to 6 good sized servings according to the USDA) is really very little per serving.
I hope you’ll post again and let us know how it went.
katie says
We found your recipe via a homemade kettle corn search. We’ve used it several times now and it’s awesome! Just thought you’d like to know :). Thanks for sharing!
alice says
S Bloom: I don’t’ think so because the sugar and the oil is cooked together when popping it in a pot.
S Bloom says
Can you make kettle corn with air-popped popcorn? How would you do it?
Just Poppin Buck says
Hi Ana,
What a neat idea. Since molasses is often added to caramel recipes (and doesn’t increase the risk of burning any more than normal), I think this could be a great idea and would definitely add a new and different twist to the taste of kettle corn. I say go for it! But be sure to report back here with the results.
Ana says
I love, love, love kettle corn! I’m thinking of making it for the first time this weekend, but I wonder if brown sugar instead of white sugar would be an interesting yummy twist? Or is there a chance that the molasses in the brown sugar will burn? I always love brown sugar over white. What do you think?
Barbara @ VinoLuciStyle says
I love popcorn with a bit of sweet, though have never actually made kettle corn…but this reminded me of a mix I add to mine with butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar; now I want some bad.
alice says
Hi Julia,
I don’t think I can add anymore to what Buck already said. Mushroom kernals are really awesome!
Just Poppin Buck says
Hi Julia,
Your hunch is correct. Mushroom Popcorn is an entirely different kind of popcorn kernel. It has been selectively bred to favor the Mushroom style flake (flake = piece of popped popcorn) as opposed to the traditional Butterfly flake. There isn’t any special technique you can use that will pop butterfly kernels into mushroom popcorn flakes. It’s what type of kernels you use. The 3 kernel technique just assures that you get the very best results possible from the kernels you are using.
As you probably have noticed, in any bucket full of popcorn you’ll usually find at least a few of the ball shaped mushroom flakes. That’s because “mushrooming” is a natural variant possible from any ear of popcorn. True Mushroom Popcorn kernels will deliver an overwhelming abundance of mushroom flakes.
Hope that clears it up for you.
julia says
I made this last night. INCREDIBLE! So is the mushroom kernel an entirely different kind of popcorn kernel? I added the 3 kernels and waited until they popped before I added the rest. That worked well, but I still didn’t achieve those ‘mushroom’ pieces. Just curious…
Cari says
Hi Alice!
Your popcorn looks amazing! I’d love to feature it on my site http://www.canigettherecipe.com with full credits and links back to you if you are keen! Please let me know at your earliest convenience!
Antonio says
Seu blog é muito docinho,
shelly (cookies and cups) says
Love kettle corn entirely too much. If there is any in the house I will hide it from the kids and east it undercover…it’s not cute!
Kelsey/TheNaptimeChef says
I LOVE Kettle corn, this is a great recipe for them. Pop corn has been a go-to snack in our house all winter. I have an air popper, but now I’ll have to try this method.
Vanessa says
Made this yesterday with my boys as an after school treat. They loved it and it was so simple to make! Thank you! Also made your blueberry sauce again this weekend for our pancakes, yummy. I think it is a new staple in our house.
Rita says
Thank you for the popping tips, I have been trying to get “movie quality” popcorn at home for a while…
Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets says
I never dared imagine it was this easy! Oddly enough, I’m very blah about popcorn EXCEPT for kettle corn. Guess it’s my sweet tooth. Thank you for the recipe!
jamieofalltrades says
Oh goodness, i love kettle corn. I could eat pounds and pounds of it.
Erika says
Alice- I made 3 batches of this on Sunday while we watched the Oscar pre-show. LOVED it. I heartily agree that you should use a rather thin pot, because I didn’t and I had to work quickly to dump it out of the pot w/ a few kernels still popping, even when I cut the heat early. But that didn’t matter, it was still very easy to make and tasted so good.
easy recipe says
I never cooked it with sugar.
Shan says
Well! Who knew? I sure didn’t know anything about the different types of corn. Although, it makes total sense. One of those “DUH!” moments. Thanks for the info
Just Poppin Buck says
Megan,
Seriously? How long will this last in an airtight container? Did you really ask that? HA HA We can never even get it TO the container! It’s barely out of the pot and into the bowl and it’s gone, let alone thinking about storing it! 🙂 But…if you must…we have a lot of luck keeping fully candy coated popcorn fresh for nearly a week in the reusable containers that pre-sliced deli meats come in these days. Not fancy but it works great.
Honestly haven’t tried it with kettle corn (reason stated above). I doubt it would last as long though because it’s not really coated completely in candy like caramel corn, which protects the popcorn from dreaded moisture. Though, if you’re anywhere besides here in FL, that will most likely be less of an issue for you.
Incidentally, and just FYI, we’ve never had luck keeping any type of popped popcorn fresh in zip top bags.
Megan Gordon says
ALICE–Can it really be this easy? I LOVE kettle corn, and can’t wait to try this at home. Haven’t heard of Whirly Pop…but excited to check them out. I wonder how long this will last in an airtight container…