How To Make Movie Theater Style Popcorn At Home

Love movie theater popcorn but hate the price? That is totally my feeling. But, feel like you have never been able to quite replicate the popcorn at home? The closest I could ever come was microwave popcorn. That is, until now!

What's the secret? Three things: the popcorn, the oil and the seasoning.

First, use fresh popcorn. It really does make a difference in how much popcorn pops, how big it is, and how good it tastes. Don't believe me? Then take your old container of popcorn, buy a new container of popcorn, pop two batches (one old and one new) and see for yourself.

Secondly, you need to use the right kind of oil if you want the same flavor AND color as movie theater popcorn. Coconut oil is the trick. (Yellow popcorn coconut oil... the white stuff might taste good, but won't give you the color.) The kind I found is a bit expensive, but it really works! If you find something else that works that is cheaper, let me know... but for now, try this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003NCEATE/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This oil is solid at room temperature, which confuses some people. Just scoop it out with your measuring spoon. Also, if you go this route, you really need to buy the 3 pack off Amazon with the free shipping because buying a single container costs almost as much with the shipping costs. Don't let the picture fool you. The containers are SMALL (only 1 pound, so fit-in-the-palm-of-your-hand small), so three containers won't last you forever... but should make at least ten+ batches of popcorn per container.

Lastly, super fine grain butter-flavored salt tops it all off perfectly. And, unlike at the movies, you can control how much salt you want on your popcorn. Flavacol comes in a TWO POUND carton (like the half gallon milk container size), but you only need 1/2 a tsp, so this one $6 container is going to last me FOREVER!!!!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W8LT10/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Oh... and I guess you need a good popcorn popper too. I recommend the Stir Crazy popper because it has a rotating bar in the bottom that continuously stirs the popcorn while it cooks to prevent burning and make sure every kernel pops:

http://www.amazon.com/West-Bend-82306-6-Quart-Electric/dp/B00004RC6R/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381786269&sr=8-1&keywords=stir+crazy+popcorn+popper

Marsha's Homemade Movie Theater Style Popcorn 

1/2 cup popcorn kernels
3 Tbl. Wabash Valley Farms Real Theater Popcorn Popping Oil
1/2 tsp. Gold Medal Flavacol Seasoning Popcorn Salt 

Place oil and corn in popper. Pop! Place popped corn into a large sack (garbage bag) and carefully sprinkle with salt (try not to put the salt all in one place). Close bag and shake to evenly coat. (You can also try a large bowl, but I found that shaking helped disperse the salt the most evenly.) Enjoy! 

* If you want a more even coating of salt and don't mind up-ing the dose to compensate for what gets left in the bottom of the popper, then up the salt to 1 Tbl. and add it directly to the popper with the oil and corn. Everything gets coated nice a even, and the excess stays stuck to the bottom of the popper. It all cleans and wipes up easy with no noticeable damage to my popper after many, many, many batches, so this is our lazy go-to method. It also saves the added step of putting the popped corn in a bag and shaking it; no broken-up bits from shaking!!!

My brother and his wife were recommended Act II popping oil from Sam's Club, which is only $10 for a gallon (so MUCH cheaper) but we haven't tried it yet, so I can't varify if it works as good as the Wasbash Valley Farms Real Theater Popcorn Popping Oil... so I can't personally recommend that... YET... I only saw the oil in the container, and it was semi-soild, so thicker than the runny oil you get at the grocery store but not completely solid like the Wabash Valley Farms stuff. Could be promising... For $10, I think we will risk trying it out. If we do, I will try to update my results here.

 http://www.samsclub.com/sams/act-ii-popping-and-topping-oil-1-gal-jug/163742.ip?navAction=