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submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by fubo@lemmy.world to c/youshouldknow@lemmy.world

Why YSK: Popcorn fans often want a buttery flavor, but plain butter is a bad choice for popping popcorn in a pot, because the proteins and sugars smoke and burn around the same temperature where it's hot enough to pop the kernels.

Ghee, or Indian-style clarified butter, is butter that's been simmered and the milk solids (proteins and sugars) skimmed off. This leaves a clear yellow oil that doesn't smoke when it's heated and doesn't go rancid quickly, but has a distinct toasty butter flavor.

Vegetable oil is either flavorless or faintly bitter, and some high-temperature vegetable oils tend to start polymerizing (i.e. becoming plastic) when heated in small amounts. This is also not good for popcorn.

Good-quality popcorn popped in ghee reliably produces lots of "butterfly" popcorn with few unpopped "duds" and no scorched kernels or batches ruined by smoke.

Try it! I'm sure not going back to canola oil.

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[-] lnm225@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

smacks forehead

That is a great idea! Coconut oil was ok,but kinda odd-flavored for popcorn ...

[-] acupofcoffee@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Since ghee is so expensive, I usually do coconut oil and ghee mixed!

I love ghee on my stovetop popcorn! A wok works great!

[-] blueskiesoc@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Go to youtube and watch how to make ghee. It's quite simple. I use butter to make mine. I won't buy expensive storebought again because it's so cheap and simple to make.

[-] deviant@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Dude, my mom makes ghee out of milk. It costs literally nothing

[-] xuxebiko@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

to make ghee at home costs lots of milk, time, and effort. Try making ghee yourself from cratch and you'll know exactly how much it really costs.

[-] BaroqueInMind@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

That's not true because you still have to buy the milk.

[-] Fondots@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago
[-] BloodyFable@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Tiddy butter popcorn is a sentence crafted by war criminals to torture the goodness from the world.

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[-] half@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Avocado oil is great for popcorn. It doesn't add any flavor but I love the resulting texture: very crisp and clean. I like using red or blue corn because the contrast is visually appealing. You want long, skinny kernels to get the butterfly popcorn. Personally I'm crazy for cheesy popcorn, and the secret there is to find cheese powder with some savory herbs like oregano. I also love to do it with Kashmiri (floral hot Indian chili) powder.

Important edit: Do NOT under any circumstance use chili popcorn to spice up Netflix & Chill. This is a snack for lonely degenerates who don't even masturbate daily any more. It's for watching war documentaries and French New Wave, not pervy cartoons and superhero throwdowns with a plot designed to be ignored while you finger your frenemies. You won't look worldly and sophisticated while you're driving somebody to the fucking hospital. Be responsible.

[-] MercuryUprising@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

You can also get brewers yeast

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[-] thesalamander@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Never tried Ghee. I usually use canola, coconut, or bacon grease. I'm up for more buttery flavor though. Thanks!

[-] metalcheems@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Bacon grease sounds incredible. How much of the flavor ends up in the popcorn?

[-] thesalamander@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

It's subtle, but I only use just enough to pop the kernels. I also have a jar of it by the stove most of the time.

[-] minimar@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Sounds a bit like that bacon popcorn...

[-] Dark_Blade@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

…holy shit you’re a genius.

[-] justhach@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago
[-] dojan@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Ugh. That was so bad. I love that for you.

[-] tanin@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I've always just used avocado oil. Sometimes coconut oil but that obviously leaves a faint hint of coconut that not everyone likes. I'll try ghee next time but I never heard of anyone trying to make pop corn with just butter in the pan. That sounds like a mistake folks only make once! lol

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[-] OsakaWilson@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

We use non-virgin olive oil. High smoke point, but good flavor.

[-] parmesancrabs@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

After reading this post a few days back, I was inspired to get some Ghee and try it out. Absolutely delicious, thank you @fubo@lemmy.world!

[-] JusticeForPorygon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Coconut oil

[-] poejreed@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

Also, as far as i know, you can buy the same seasoning they put on the popcorn at the theaters. Its called flavacol.

Also, beware of bagged popcorn a lot of the bags contain PFAS, which is supposedly bad for you.

[-] seth@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Add in a teaspoon of Tabasco to the butter/ghee/oil before popping. 🍿

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[-] lolola@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Don't some companies sell "popcorn oil"? What is that made of?

[-] KreekyBonez@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

soybean oil, usually. and diacetyl can be added as a buttery flavoring.

fun fact: diacetyl inhaled in large enough doses can cause bronchitis. this was a problem in popcorn topping factories, hence the term "popcorn lung"

[-] ohmyiv@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Oil and artificial flavors. I've tried a lot of them and none of them have a "real" butter flavor. It's more of a greasy feel than taste.

[-] jakwithoutac@feddit.uk 2 points 1 year ago

For any dairy intolerant or vegan people here you can get a similar effect by clarifying a vegetable spread like Flora and adding salt until it tastes ‘buttery’ enough for you

[-] nihilist_hippie@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Ghee sounds awesome for popcorn! I use refined coconut oil and Flavacol at the moment.

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[-] mynona@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Olive oil here. The market nearby doesn't sell canola oil because it was never popular. MSG is also great on popcorn.

[-] postscarce@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Nutritional yeast is also amazing. Gives it a cheesy flavor, and it's healthy to boot!

[-] niktemadur@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

I second that comment.

It's been about two decades since I've gone there, but the Landmark Cinemas in the San Diego area had nutritional yeast for your popcorn, right there in the station where you pump your own butter and grab napkins. Curious, I gave it a try...

For the past twenty years (give or take), a can of Bragg's Nutritional Yeast has been an ever-present staple in the kitchen, which I use to season popcorn, as well as slightly charred tortillas with either butter or avocado.

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[-] postscarce@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I prefer to airpop it in the microwave and then spritz EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) on afterwards. EVOO is delicious, and unrefined oils like EVOO retain more flavor if you don't heat them.

Oh, that’s brilliant! We got a whirly-pop last Christmas and have just been using generic vegetable oil but it definitely doesn’t improve the taste any. Looking forward to trying this.

[-] ArugulaZ@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

"Ghee!"
"No, Ghee-T-E."
(that's not how it's pronounced.)
(Silence!)

[-] obi_one@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

I use bacon grease.

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this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2023
66 points (89.3% liked)

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