It’s safe to say that we love our snacks here at ONK. During the football season, snacking, and snack foods become important so that we can spend less time in the kitchen, and more time in our comfy chairs screaming game-winning advice like “Tackle him!” and “Throw the ball!” Since we’re concerned about preparing foods ourselves rather than using chemical-laden items purchased from the grocery, despite our search for speed, we’re willing to give up the convenience of a few button presses on the microwave in favor of cooking on the stovetop.

Popcorn is a great snack food. In fact, it’s one of my personal favorites. Making it on the stovetop is exciting (the pops are much louder than in the microwave,) and takes hardly longer than waiting by the microwave. Additionally, by making the popcorn yourself, you can control the use of oil and seasonings, and end up with something quite a bit healthier than the microwaveable packets. Today we made popcorn lightly seasoned with cinnamon, but since you are making it, you can choose other seasonings, like Parmesan cheese or garlic and butter.

Stovetop Popcorn

• 1/2 cup uncooked popcorn kernels
• 2-3 Tablespoons Canola oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of your pan
• 2-3 Tablesppons butter, melted, to taste
• other seasonings, to taste

Coat your pan with the oil and start it over high heat. After a couple of minutes allowing the oil to heat, put three or four test kernels into the pan. Once the test kernels have popped, the oil has reached the proper temperature. Leave the burner on, and move the pan to the side. Add the remainder of the popcorn kernels to the pan, and put the pan back over the heat.

If your pan has a lid with a vent, place the lid squarely on the pan. If your lid does not have a vent, place it slightly askew on the pan. Shake the pan gently as the kernels begin to pop. As the pops begin to slow, count the time between them. When the count rises to be greater than five or six, consider removing the pan from the fire. If you managed to get the oil to a good temperature at the beginning, you should have a pan full of delicious popcorn, unburned, and with no (or very few) unpopped kernels in the bottom. Dump the popped corn from the pan into a large bowl. If you’re using butter, pour it over the corn, and give it a quick stir with a large spoon. If you have dry seasonings, in two or three additions, add them to the bowl, stirring in between. Divide into smaller bowls for serving.

How do you season your popcorn? Is there a flavor that you absolutely love? Tell us about it below and share the excitement!