January 2, 2019

4 Tips to Making Your Own Popcorn

Popcorn is a whole grain that is made into a delicious snack made from a breed of corn that, when cooked, has a crunchy feeling. Popcorn has various health benefits, not known to many since its high in antioxidants. Sometimes even more than many fruits and vegetables. It’s also a good source of fiber.


You can pair a bowl of popcorn with a glass of cold beverage or ice cream while watching movie.

However, many people love eating popcorn although some of them do not know exactly how it’s prepared. If not well prepared your popcorn might not end up being as tasty as it should be. Preparation involves not only the right equipment, but also the right oil and amount of oil. Here are 4 tips to making your own popcorn at home and ensure that it has the best crunchy feel and flavor that you want.

Check the method


Popcorn is not just made using any method. For you to have the best and healthy popcorn, you need to air-pop it to ensure that you retain all the nutrients that are in it. Air-popping uses no oil, reducing the amount of calories that you end up consuming. Alternatively, you can pop it in oil, but this is not a healthy way since there is a large portion of fat that you ingest.

Consider the cooking equipment

People use different cooking equipment when making popcorn. One of the fastest ways home users like using is the microwave popcorn method. However, this is not a healthy method, especially due to the fact that it often contains too much salt. Also try and limit kettle corn where the popcorn is made by mixing it with refined sugar, salt and oil. There is a high chance of large calorie and salt intake when use a kettle.


The best equipment to use to make your own popcorn is a popcorn machine or cooking stove. It makes the popcorn not only to taste great, but it’s also fast. However, since using a stove requires that you make the popcorn with oil, it can be dangerous, especially if you are not keen on the amount of oil you use. Use at least 2 tablespoons for making your own popcorn and avoid using too much.

Consider the portion sizes


Portion sizes are very important when it comes to making your own popcorn. Though each serving size depends on the type of popcorn you are making, mostly, one cup of plain popcorn is almost 30 calories so you need to manage the portion sizes well. You should also avoid adding toppings since this will increase the calorie count.

Choose the right cooking oil

The best cooking oil to make your own popcorn is extra virgin olive, walnut or avocado oils. These oils have low cholesterol. Alternatively, you can use palm and coconut oils sparingly. But try and avoid butter, corn, sunflower and soybean oils.

When it comes to picking out toppings, you do not need to include toppings since they are not healthy. But, if you must, choose healthier, lighter toppings to spice up your popcorn though basically the above four tips should start you off on the right foot.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Feel free to leave a comment :)