When we were kids, our parents probably didn’t really tell us too many things about how to make popcorn. They expected us to figure it out for ourselves, however, they did teach us one important thing: you can’t cook microwave popcorn in the oven!
We now know that this isn’t true and some people even made a career off of telling everyone else just that! But why is cooking microwaved popcorn not possible in the oven anyway?
It’s all due to two factors: moisture and heat transfer. When you poach an egg or toast bread, your eggs and bread get hot enough to where water starts to evaporate, but then there’s still warm air around them which helps them set and dry. This is what happens when someone takes regular old butter-covered popped corn and puts it into the oven to bake it.
The butter would melt and burn, the starch would brown, and then nothing would work because the popcorn has no moisture left. It is technically baking, but it wouldn’t stick to anything due to being crispy and brittle.
Oven popcorn
Technically, you can cook your popcorn in the oven! Most people agree that this is not practical or even possible to do every day, but if you are ever craving for some buttery, salty popcorn, it’s definitely worth trying out.
A few things need to be noted, though. For one, make sure to have an adequate amount of space in the oven so that the air does not get locked inside as moisture. This would potentially cause the popcorn to explode due to excess steam.
Also, remember that although baking poppodobs may seem like the healthier option, they are still high in fat and calories. And while most of us might love them once in a while, we should probably try to limit our intake slightly more often than not.
The same
Technically, you can cook popcorn in an oven that does not have a convection setting. This is called “conventional” or “normal” heat!
Conventional ovens usually have two settings: high (around 500–600 degrees Fahrenheit) and low (250 degrees F). Some newer models have only one temperature option though – very hot!
By adding five to six minutes of extra time when cooking microwave popcorn in a conventional oven, all of the kernels will start to pop and then stop due to dryness. This process takes about three to four minutes longer than baking fresh popped corn in the stove top method!
Once done, test a few kernels by rubbing them between your fingers. If they are crunchy and browned, they were cooked in the oven! Avoid using the machine while it is still warm as some materials burn easily. Let it cool down before serving.
Very different
Cooking popcorn in an oven or toaster is not actually considered cooking it, according to TheKitchn.com. When baking poppet number one uses butter as the topping, then takes them out just when they are almost burnt, which makes the popped kernels taste burnt.
When baking poppet two adds salt and then melts the sugar onto the charred bits, creating what some call “butter” flavor. Both of these do not contain any nutritional value due to the processing.
Cooking popcorn in the microwave does indeed cook it but only for a minute and a half! This is definitely not considered true cooking. Due to this, most people agree that recipes using stove top cooked popcorn will not work because they want the full nutrition profile.
Does it matter?
There are two main reasons that people cook their popcorn in the microwave. The first is because they do not have an oven, or they just cannot stand the smell of the kernels toasting over an open flame.
The second reason is cost. Many movie theaters offer special coupons for large bags of popcorn which can save you quite a bit of money.
The answer is no
Cooking popcorn in an oven or toaster does not work, because it requires air to cook the kernels. When you add hot oil to the poppable food, there is no way for the needed oxygen to be incorporated into the corn.
When you process raw foods such as vegetables or fruits in oils or fats, that oil becomes integral to the health of your diet. Therefore, we must bake or toast the rice grains or starch molecules alone to enjoy them fully.
Microwaved popcorns are often heavily coated with butter or other flavorings which have much of their taste coming from additives rather than nature. This loss of nutritional value is one of the reasons why most packaged microwave popcorn is so highly processed.
Here’re 8 amazing things you can do with popcorn
This article will teach you how to make delicious, crispy, oven-baked popcorn. While most people know how to cook microwave popcorn, there are lots of ways to make it more interesting.
Making butter or baking soda/sodium bicarbonate popped popcorn is totally fine when needed, but why not try something different?!
Here are eight easy recipes that require nothing other than plain old airtight sealed containers, a spoon, and an oven! These recipes feature your standard movie theater style kernels, salt as a flavor enhancer, and some creativity for presentation.
Make a movie night fun and entertaining
If you have ever seen an individual cook popcorn in the oven or in the microwave, it can seem like magic. They usually toast the kernels first to make them more buttery and/or flavor some sugar into them. Once these two steps are done, they stick together when mixed with enough milk or melted fat (such as olive oil).
Most people use their stove top to do this, but either method works! The trick is to never let the poofed-up popped corn dry out. You want to keep that air pocket contained so it does not burnish away.
Try new flavors
While some say you can never cook popcorn in an oven because it will get burnt, this isn’t totally true! In fact, cooking regular microwave popcorn in the oven is perfectly fine if you know what temperatures to keep your mouth out of and when to take extra care with toppings.
To ensure your movie night is as delicious as the popped junk food that inspired it, only use butter or oil as a topping and no salt unless the package says otherwise. The sugar content also does not need to be exact, just make sure there are enough carbs for someone to enjoy a few bowls.
Cooking time will vary depending on the size of bag used and how many people eat it so do not worry about timing too much. If you like yours crunchy then up the heat slightly and pull away quickly while soft kernels want to stay longer.