bill and nat's awesome kettle corn

Anyone watch the Oscar's last weekend?  I seriously have a huge list of movies I want to watch now, so we will probably have a movie night tonight with some awesome homemade popcorn!

A few weeks ago, our church women's group had a "Back to Basics" night where we swapped easy recipes, cleaning tips, money savers, and just general good advice on simplifying life a little bit.  (There were SO many good ideas handed out, and I may be posting some of those over the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned.)  This one, in particular, is my family's new favorite.  My friend Natalie is the queen of all things domestic, and she handed out a whole list of recipes, including her husband's stovetop kettle corn recipe.  It is seriously SO yummy!  You have got to try it, even if you are intimidated by cooking popcorn on top of the stove.  I have been an air-popping die-hard since I was a little girl.  (We grew up on a weekly dinner at my grandma's house of air-popped popcorn with butter and salt, swished down with a big glass of orange juice, of all things!)  No microwaving here.  (Did you know microwaved popcorn can actually cause black lung disease!?  It's true!)  So, I was a little nervous about popping in a pan.  It's supposed to be hard, right?  Isn't that exactly why they invented air-poppers?

But it actually isn't difficult at all, and I've decided that this is the ONLY way to do kettle corn.  I've seriously never had kettle corn this good.

You don't have to have a special pan for this.  If you have a good pot with a lid, you can just hold the lid down tight and give it a good shake every now and then.  But a popcorn pot with a lid that clamps down, a crank that stirs, and a handle for shaking makes really easy work of this.  Mine is a West Bend variety that I got at Shopko here in Pocatello, but I think you can get them all over the place.  And then, of course, you have to have a cute popcorn bowl to go with it!  (Ours was a wedding gift nearly a decade ago that has been well-used and loved, but I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find a similar one.)

Without further ado, here is Bill and Nat's awesome popcorn recipe.

Bill and Nat's Stovetop Kettle Corn

1/4 cup oil (I used canola.)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup popcorn
kosher salt (way better than regular table salt)

In a large pot, heat oil on medium-high heat.  When oil is hot, add the popcorn and sugar.  Pop the popcorn, shaking often until popping nearly stops.  Empty popcorn into large bowl and quickly shake some salt over it to your liking.  Stir.  Enjoy!

Natalie tells me it's really easy to play around with this recipe.  Her 12-year-old son pops his popcorn with just oil and then adds green tabasco sauce to it!  If I am ever adventurous enough to try this variation, I will let you know!

Thanks again, Natalie!  We've been seriously loving this recipe!

Comments

[Natalie]

Kim, I'm SO GLAD you and your family like it! It is definitely a family favorite. We are revamping our pantry and food storage with a little tax return money, and lots and lots of popcorn is on my list. Thanks for the sweet post. I seriously love your blog. Although I think the title of it should be "Queen of ALL things domestic". :)

[jenny]

I've always made popcorn in a pan-- it's what I learned from my dad. Have you ever tried replacing the salt with seasoned salt? Tastes great! You can even sprinkle parmesean cheese on top for even more yumminess!

We used to buy kettle corn at the fairs all the time until I learned how easy it was to make at home. Now instead of buying kettle corn, we save our money for funnel cakes! :o)

[Katie]

Sounds yummy we will have to give it a try. We don't have a popcorn pan, but like you say I think we can make it work.

[Tara Bowen]

I'm feeling tempted to try the popcorn. Especially after the black lung disease insert. And I can't believe you just went to Disneyland because you had cabin fever. Not. Fair. And I am thrilled that your pregnancy is progressing like it should. I look forward to socializing with you on Thursday night!