When I make popcorn, one of two things happen: I end up with a good portion of the popcorn unpopped, not-so-silently cursing those dud kernels (I also chipped a tooth once on one of them, but that was my own fault) or my popcorn ends up kind of squat-looking, not nearly as fluffy as the bagged stuff.
Which is why, when I saw a supposedly surefire, easy "hack" for fluffier, less-dud-y popcorn pop featured on blogs around the web (like here and here), I was ecstatic. I jumped (figuratively) around with glee, like a little popcorn kernel poppin' out of the pot. Exciting stuff!
The Internet-approved tip is as follows: Soak popcorn kernels in water for 10 minutes, then drain and pop as normal. The theory is that the extra moisture helps produce fluffier puffs. But does it work?
As a test, I divided 1/4 cup unpopped kernels among two bowls. In one of the bowls, I covered the kernels by about an inch of water, let them soak for 10 minutes, and drained. Then, I popped both bowls in separate pots on the stove using the popping method outlined in this recipe. Here's what happened:
Non-Soaked
- Total time to pop: 7 minutes
- Yield: A little over 5 cups
- Duds: 3
Soaked
- Total time to pop: 6 minutes
- Yield: A little over 4 cups
- Duds: 2
And as you can see from the photos above, the soaked popcorn did, in fact, produce some fluffier popcorn despite having a lower yield (Weird, right? I'm still trying to figure out this one myself). But while some pieces were noticeably fluffier, the difference throughout was negligible.
As for the taste, I couldn't tell the difference between the two, however my boyfriend swore the soaked popcorn tasted more substantial and popcorn-ier. I don't know.
So, will I be soaking popcorn? Probably not. In the time it took for the kernels to soak, I could've already made a batch of non-soaked popcorn, even if it would've had a few more duds.
Do you have a trick for fluffier popcorn? Tell us in the comments!
Written by: Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
Popular on Food52
34 Comments
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1-Poping starts noticeably earlier than unsoaked.
2-Yield is three quarters what unsoaked gives me.
3-Considerable amount of burnt kernel skins at the bottom of the pan, which ended up at the top of the popcorn bowl. Usually the pot barely has any.
4-Strangely I ended up with more duds, 9 vs the usual 2 or 3. Most of the duds were slightly slit open.
Will I soak again? Definitely not. Not worth the wait even had the results been better than unsoaked.
My analysis of the points above, soaking the popcorn seems to have weakened the kernel skin thus:
1-Less pressure needed to pop the kernels, so earlier popping.
2-The early pop against the weaker skin doesn't allow enough pressure to build up and the explosions are thus weaker and cause less volume or fluff; less yield.
3-The softened kernel skins fell off the kernels more readily due to moisture or possibly due to the weaker explosions that didn't trap them in the white part, the burnt skin collected the bottom.
4-The weakened shell/skin broke too early to allow any pressure to build up at all and pop the duds.
Widows = unpopped kernals
Butterfly popcorn = best popped for gobbling
Mushroom popcorn = best for caramelising
Be careful of the shells, especially from popped mushroom kernals. The shells can easily slip between your teeth and your gums and are the greatest cause of abscesses.
If I have not used it for a month I do it again...I like the effects maybe you will also...J
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