'Prairie Gold'

Whether you’re watching a scary movie with a date or laughing at a comedy with a group of friends, the most common snack you find being eaten is popcorn. This delicious treat is most frequently seen at movie theatres. It is probably also the loudest snack to make since every second a new kernel makes a ‘pop’ sound in the microwave. Popcorn originates back centuries where it used to be called ‘prairie gold’ since it was grown in the fields and was a luxury to have. Nowadays, it is a common snack, enjoyed by almost everyone.

Whenever you walk into a kitchen and hear a snapping or popping sound, you can easily guess what is cooking…popcorn! This snack is known across the world and has accommodated many different flavors and brands. A well-known brand of popcorn is Orville Redenbacher, which is my favorite kind. The variety of flavors this brand has generated causes me to buy Redenbacher’s product off the shelf every time. The different product types range from original movie theatre butter popcorn all the way to kettle corn with the choice of buttery garlic flavor too. The famous saying, “You’ll like it better or my name isn’t Orville Redenbacher,” has truly proven to be accurate to me since I do like Redenbacher’s popcorn more than anyone else’s. My favorite type of popcorn is kettle corn. Though some people may cringe at the sight of this type, I would simply die for the combination of the sweet and salty mixture poured over the golden kernels. This flavor is refreshing since popcorn has a quintessentially buttery, salty taste. However, the surprise of the sweetness in kettle corn gives me hope that I won’t ever lose my passion for popcorn. I am not saying that the typical butter and salt combination in popcorn is unsatisfying, since I still also enjoy that kind.

Even though popcorn is the classic food for eating at a movie theatre, nowadays,
popcorn has taken a major decrease in it’s quality. It is true that you can order amounts of popcorn that seem to be limitless, but what’s the point in eating popcorn that is made with no care at all and is consequently bland tasting? Exactly, there isn’t. The popcorn at the movies is just like eating cardboard, except this cardboard is smothered in sickeningly fat liquid that calls itself butter. It is also absurdly expensive for a bag of cheap, tasteless popcorn. That is why it is a smart idea to pop a bag of Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn beforehand and bring that to the movie instead of wasting money on movie theatre popcorn.

Before I got into the habit of being lazy and just buying packaged popcorn, I used to have a kernel popper. You would simply pour the kernels into the machine and a couple minutes later, popcorn would shoot out! Homemade was the best way to go, since it wouldn’t ever be too salty or buttery and more toppings could always be added. It was also healthier, so in case you would like to try to make your own popcorn, here is a recipe to make popcorn. Enjoy!

To make popcorn, you need a kernel popping machine. I recommend the Whirley Pop Popcorn Popper.
Directions on how to make popcorn from the Whirley Popper:
Place the kernels as well as any toppings such as butter or salt inside the popcorn popper and close the lid. Place the popper over a stove. Heat settings vary depending on the unit. Keeping in mind that popping your popcorn should take no longer than 2-3 minutes, we recommend you start at the following settings and then adjust your temperature if necessary to reach the optimum popping time of 2-3 minutes. Electric: Medium to Medium High. If you are using less than 1 tablespoon of oil, then we recommend stirring through the entire process, which is only 2-3 minutes. If you are using more oil or our Real Theater Popcorn Pouch then we recommend stirring at the beginning of the process to coat the kernels and then through the popping process.

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