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Photo: Tim Oram/Getty ImagesStovetop popcorn is one of the best treats of winter. It makes working from home, enjoying a movie, or enduring a snowstorm all the more exciting. That’s why refining your popcorn-popping skills is a great investment—especially if you’re spending more time indoors due to the cold.
Ideally, when you finish making your popcorn, you pour it into a large bowl and find no kernels left in the pot. Congratulations! You've made the perfect batch. But if you removed it from the heat a bit too soon, you might still have some unpopped kernels at the bottom. The good news is, you can repop them.
This is my favorite technique for making stovetop popcorn and ensuring I get the most out of those leftover kernels.
Homemade Popcorn Recipe
(yields approximately 11 cups of popcorn)
- Pour 3 tablespoons of canola, vegetable, or coconut oil into a large saucepan with a lid and heat it over medium-high. (Avoid olive oil, as it tends to smoke at high temperatures.)
- Drop 3 popcorn kernels into the pot and wait for them to pop, which takes around 30 seconds. This tells you when the oil has reached the right temperature for the rest of the kernels.
- Next, add ½ cup of kernels, cover the pot, and gently shake it continuously to ensure the kernels pop evenly without burning.
- Once the popping slows, take the pot off the heat but keep it covered. Let it sit for another minute to let any remaining kernels pop.
How to Re-Pop Popcorn Kernels
If there are still unpopped kernels left, simply add a bit more oil to the pot and cover it. Turn the heat back to medium-high, then continue as if you were popping fresh kernels. Once the popping slows, remove it from the heat.
Now that you're a popcorn pro, why not try making some honey nut popcorn or campfire popcorn?
