Popcorn Perfection: The Best Kettle Corn Recipe

I dream about popcorn. Specifically kettle corn. I could be wandering about in the middle of the day with a thousand things to do and feeling overwhelmed and the idea will hit me.

You know what will make this day better? Popcorn.

The origins of popcorn are not what you might assume. See here.

That whole story from elementary school days about the Pilgrims and popcorn? Completely fabricated. It's likely from Mexico and ancient civilizations were probably eating it long before the Pilgrims had their first Thanksgiving.

My yearning for popcorn has deep roots. I often skipped lunch during high school but after walking a mile home from the bus stop, I'd fall into the door at home ravenous. We had an air popper and it was quick, easy and satisfying. I mastered the art of doing homework with one hand in the bowl. As an adult, I find I enjoy the sweet and savory tastes of kettle corn but up until a few years ago, I was convinced the only appliance in my house that could produce popcorn properly was my microwave.

Oh, how very wrong I was.

You'll find a recipe below for our favorite homemade kettle corn. It's remarkably forgiving. I opted to buy a Whirley Pop a few months ago, which you can get here, only because I found making popcorn on the gas stove required too much finesse for me. Up until that point, all we used was a pot, four ingredients, a little heat, and five minutes.

And then- tada! Fantastic, dreamworthy popcorn.

Step away from the microwave. You're welcome.

Homemade Kettlecorn

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn and sugar. Give the kernels a quick stir and then cover with a lid.
Once the popcorn starts popping, carefully pick the pot up and give it a quick shake every few seconds until the popping slows down, between 3-4 minutes. Remove immediately from the heat and pour the kettle corn 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.