Tone visited recently and I made some popcorn in the microwave without using those microwave popcorn bags. He was moderately surprised, so I figured that I would write up a brief how-to here (in case anyone else may be interested). Plus, if you use plain popcorn kernels instead of those microwave popcorn bags, you’ll save money and you won’t create as much waste!
To make popcorn in the microwave, you will need:
- 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels
- 2 tablespoons or oil
- 1 tablespoon of butter or magarine
- Salt to taste
Place the oil, butter/margarine, and salt into a large microwave-safe container. Cover with a see-through (glass or plastic) lid. Cook on high for approximately 4 minutes until the kernels stop popping regularly (more than a few seconds between pops). It’s fairly easy to overcook the popcorn the first time so err on the side of caution, and make a note of the time taken so that you can estimate a better time when you next try. (I’ve found that 3 minutes 45 seconds is perfect for my 1000w microwave).
And voila!:
A few final remarks: Don’t use “light” margarine as it has a high water content. Also, be careful using plastic microware-safe cookware. The corn kernels get very hot and can sometimes melt the plastic. In my experience, it’s best to use a glass or ceramic bowl.