I was reading a post on Backyardtheater Forums where people were offering how they made popcorn at their backyard theaters. I thought I would reveal a few secrets my family has stumbled upon.
When we make popcorn at my house, we use an[easyazon_link identifier=”B007P3YXW6″ locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”backyardmov05-20″ cart=”n”]air popper[/easyazon_link]. It seems a little healthier, makes popcorn pretty fast and my daughter and I like watching the kernels bounce around. Every once in a while you get a kernel that pops in the bowl, scattering popcorn everywhere. The problem with air popped popcorn is that it can be a little bland, so we are always looking for ways to spice it up a bit. One of my first discoveries, was making a spicy popcorn using [easyazon_link identifier=”B00161FSZY” locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”backyardmov05-20″]Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning[/easyazon_link]. It tastes delicious, but be cautious! It never sticks to the air popped popcorn and if you get it airborne everyone around you will be coughing like there has been a gas attack. I get around this by spraying just a little bit of PAM on my popcorn and the Tony’s sticks better.
My parents turned me on to [easyazon_link identifier=”B0001VKKOO” locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”backyardmov05-20″]Bragg’s Liquid Aminos[/easyazon_link], which are a soy based sodium substitute. The Aminos come in a convenient spray bottle that you can spritz on the popcorn, the Aminos provide a nice saltiness without using butter or salt. If you are trying to cut your sodium intake, I recommend you try the Aminos, they have become the workhorse in my pantry.
Now I like Salt and Vinegar chips. They are a vice, I like eating them until my tongue hurts from the acid because I have been eating them non-stop. Now I don’t remember how I found out about it, but the minute I did, I knew I had to try it. I am talking about [easyazon_link identifier=”B00UY4X9MI” locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”backyardmov05-20″]Vinegar Powder[/easyazon_link]. Which suddenly brought the prospect of homemade salt and vinegar popcorn a lot closer to being a reality.
Vinegar powder is made by mixing vinegar with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) then dehydrating the resulting foam. You can make it at home, but it is a lot easier to buy it. It isn’t cheap, but the good news is a little goes a long way! I like to spray the popcorn with the [easyazon_link identifier=”B0001VKKOO” locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”backyardmov05-20″ cart=”y”]Bragg’s Liquid Amino[/easyazon_link]s and then sprinkle the powdered vinegar on it. If you are popping in a traditional movie theater style popper, the oil is probably enough to get the salt and vinegar powder to stick on their own.
Rachel Ray uses butter, but demonstrates how she makes a few different types of popcorn, to include Salt and Vinegar here.
Have you tried any of these? Have other ideas you would suggest? Leave a comment below.
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