Of all the available snack foods, perhaps pop corn is the country’s favorite. Pop corn has been around for centuries and the concept is now known worldwide. Popcorn pops because of the moisture contained in the kernel.
To fully appreciate how this works it must be remembered that all popcorn kernels, when dried, still retain a small amount of water, this ensures that the corn will pop. When the kernels are subjected to heat, the moisture inside the popcorn kernels heats up; expands, and forces the inside of the kernel to explode through the outer hull. At the same time, the heat and moisture combine to cause the texture that defines the product.
There are a number of ways to make pop corn; perhaps the simplest is to combine the popcorn kernels with a small amount of oil. When these ingredients are covered with a tight fitting lid and placed over a heat source and gently shaken, the pop corn begins popping. With a little butter and salt it makes the perfect snack. Many campers enjoy making pop corn over an open fire but the identical effect can be had at home when the heat source is the countertop range.
Electric pop corn makers became quite popular in the middle of the 20th century. These devices use an electric heating element and a rather large, clear plastic dome which is used to collect the corn once it has popped. Oil, along with popcorn kernels are placed in the bottom of this machine and covered with the dome. The clear dome makes it possible to watch the process, thus allowing the operator to know when the kernels have finished popping. The machine is simply turned off, turned over and the domed cover becomes the container for serving the treat.
The next development was the hot air popper. This device produced a stream of hot air which caused the kernels to pop. As there was no oil used in the process, many people turned to this device as the popcorn was thought to be healthier.
Today, many people use their microwave oven to make popcorn. There are prepackaged products available in any supermarket that contain popcorn kernels and oil, it takes about three to four minutes to have popcorn with nothing to clean up except to dispose of a paper bag.
Popcorn kernels are available with or without oil and salt, either way you can be assured of great theater tasting popcorn. Epopcorn have these supplies readily available in stock designed for both home and industrial use.
