Green (Old-Fashioned) Popcorn

With Oscar night upon us, thoughts turn to the movies … and their perfect accompaniment, popcorn. In case you haven’t heard, the microwaveable kind is loaded with health hazards. In addition to the sodium and trans fats in the popcorn itself, the lining of the microwaveable bags contains something called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which has been linked to infertility and cancer. And a common artificial flavoring agent, diacetyl, has apparently caused lung cancer in popcorn factory workers. 

If you need further convincing that it’s time to change your popcorn habits, check out:

• http://www.rodale.com/popcorn-bags
• http://voices.yahoo.com/the-four-dangers-microwave-popcorn-6307736.html?cat=51

Sustainability as easy as 1-2-3

The good news, of course, is that a much better alternative, old-fashioned (non-microwaveable) popcorn, is easy to find in local food stores. If you’ve forgotten how to pop the stuff on the stove top after years of microwaving, just follow these simple steps.

1.   Purchase non-microwaveable, preferably organic popcorn. If it’s organic, it will not contain GMOs. Full-disclosure: The popcorn shown here is not organic, but its purchase helped support a local boy scout troop. (They should start selling organic popcorn!)

2. Measure out the amount of popcorn you want by pouring a single layer over the bottom of your pan. Caution: You probably don’t need more than one cup unless you are planning to feed an army or an entire movie theater full of folks. If there’s too much popcorn in the pan, a good deal of it will not get coated with your cooking oil, which could lead you to add butter unnecessarily. After measuring, pour the kernels into a bowl and set aside.

3. Pour canola oil into your pan and heat the oil. Drop in one kernel.

4. When your test kernel starts popping, pour in the remaining kernels, close the lid and after a few moments, agitate the pan over the flame.

5. When things start getting noisy, take a peak under the lid. Watch out for popcorn bouncing out of the pan.

6. Add seasonings as desired…and enjoy.

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• 7 Tips to Avoid Toxic Chemicals In Food (blogher.com)