Parmageddon Popcorn – the Best Homemade Popcorn

Homemade popcorn cooked in coconut oil and loaded with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, black pepper, and lots of seasoning is the perfect movie or TV binge-watching snack.

Popcorn has been part of the human diet for thousands of years, and it’s believed that the first use of wild, cultivated corn was, indeed, popcorn, not corn nibbled or scraped from the cob (those early varieties contained hard-shelled kernels that would crack your teeth if you tried to take a bite). There’s much evidence that the Aztecs chowed down on the crunchy goodness. Ancient cobs have been found preserved in caves in New Mexico. And they all enjoyed popcorn as it was meant to be prepared: simply, over a hot fire.

Of all the over-processed snack foods that evolved [or is it devolved?] from technological innovation, it’s popcorn that most easily returns to its healthy, home cooked roots: all you need is a pot with a lid, some oil, and five minutes. Seriously, it’s so easy. Top your popcorn with some insanely delicious seasonings — like fresh (fresh!) parmigiano reggiano and black pepper and other spices — and you have the best homemade popcorn you’ve ever tasted.

When I was a wee sprout, my mom made popcorn on the stove using a Jiffy Pop pan. Remember those? A round, silver aluminum pan with a wire handle and a foil cover pleated in a circle, sealing popcorn kernels and oil within. As the kernels heat up and pop, the pleated foil unfurls into a huge balloon. Rip open the top of the balloon and dig in.

Most of the enjoyment came from watching the bubble of foil grow and grow alarmingly large with the noisy popping inside reaching a firework’s crescendo. The popcorn itself was sometimes burnt, with lots of dead soldiers (unpopped kernels) left behind. Still, it was a good night when we spotted Mom taking the little gizmo out of the cabinet.

Some years later, Mom bought an air popper, and instead of waiting for the silver balloon to expand, we peered through the clear plastic dome and watching the kernels jump about in the heated cylinder before flying out the shoot, fully popped.

Lots of salt and melted butter: good stuff. Really fresh.

Then … microwave popcorn. {Sigh} We all got hooked on the portability of it, and I think we convinced ourselves that it was more convenient, too — not just a little more convenient, which is the truth, but way more convenient — to just stick the bag in the microwave and push some buttons.

Looking back, it’s amazing how something so flawed in construct took over our popcorn-making consciousness. The artificial ingredients in those little folded rectangles give an unnatural flavor to the popcorn (not to mention popcorn lung to frequent eaters), and more often than not, the kernels sticking to the bottom of the bag end up burnt, despite one’s best efforts to grab the bag before the popping stops.

One company I worked for absolutely prohibited microwave popcorn. The ban was a personal crusade of the HR director herself, who loathed the smell of burnt popcorn. We were located in a repurposed, depression-era (and now officially historic) Coca Cola bottling plant with fascinating architecture and curious murals, and even though the cafeteria was in the basement, aromas had a way of permeating the entire building. My lasting memory of Kathy was witnessing a voice-raised, hands-on-hips (and overwrought) scolding she gave to a surprised, wide-eyed newbie, caught holding the bag, so to speak.

The smell of burnt popcorn is a force of nature.

So, if there’s one thing I’d love to accomplish with this post, it would be to convince you popcorn lovers to try homemade popcorn the old fashioned way.

First, it’s economical. Popcorn kernels are inexpensive, and further, it’s worth scouring your local farmers’ market to learn if the corn growers also grow popcorn varieties. I discovered a fun little trick a few years ago from a local farmer: place a whole popcorn ear in a paper bag, fold the end over, and microwave it until popping slows. The kernels pop right on the cob in a big, bumpy mass — kids love it.

Second, you control what goes into homemade popcorn. No weird chemicals. In my case, it’s Parmageddon seasoning, all the way. The name is borrowed from a spice blend I spied at my favorite local spice shop, and the freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, lots of black pepper, plus salt, and mustard, garlic, and onion powders make an over-the-top fragrant and savory blend that perfectly — and naturally — flavors the popcorn. It’s my favorite seasoning invention for homemade popcorn.

Finally, a simple secret will let you make amazing movie-theater-worthy homemade popcorn: coconut oil. Cooking kernels in coconut oil makes the best. popcorn. ever.

The process is so simple, I hope you’ll immediately toss those nasty microwave bags: heat the oil over medium in a roomy pot, add the kernels and cover with a lid. Give the pot an occasional shake until the popping starts. Remove from heat when the popping slows and dump your marvelous homemade popcorn into a bowl.

Drizzle with a quality melted butter if that’s your thing (and it’s definitely mine), sprinkle with Parmageddon seasoning, and fire up the Netflix. Winter binge-watching was never so good.

Karen xo

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Parmageddon Popcorn - the Best Homemade Popcorn

Prep Time2 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time7 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: popcorn

Servings: 2 servings

Author: Karen Gibson

Ingredients

for the seasoning

• 1 tablespoon very finely grated parmigiano reggiano
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

for the popcorn

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
• 3 to 4 tablespoons butter melted (optional)

Instructions

• Combine all of the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
• In a medium pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium until shimmering. Add the popcorn kernels and cover. Shake the pot once in a while to stir the kernels. Once popping starts, stay near the pot and listen. When popping slows to 1 or 2 seconds between pops, remove the pot from the heat and dump the popcorn into a bowl, to prevent burning. Drizzle the butter over the popcorn (if using) and then liberally sprinkle the seasoning over the popcorn, tossing lightly between sprinkles.

Notes

Vegan option:  Equally delicious dairy-free! Here's what you do: For the spice blend, replace the parmigiano with the same amount of nutritional yeast. Also, replace with the butter with a quality buttery spread, such Miyoko's Eurpean Style Cultured Vegan Butter. Delish!

Nutritional information, if shown, is provided as a courtesy only, and is not to be taken as medical information or advice. The nutritional values of your preparation of this recipe are impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, the ingredient brands you use, any substitutions or measurement changes you make, and measuring accuracy.