I love I love I LOVE popcorn.. it's my favourite snack.. but we have no mircowave an no air popper.. How can I make popcorn a healthy snack?? I use canola oil and use a LC popcorn seasoning (not following a LC diet) but HOW! eventually I'm gonna get an airpopper but what can I do in the meantime??

trry using a frying pan and oil. good luck. glen

Get a microwave oven, you'll be glad you did even if you only use it for popcorn! I resisted getting one for many years, and now I wonder why.

I am on a diet plan that allows popcorn twice a week as one of the 5 daily "meals." It has to be Redenbacher's Natural Light, 1/2 bag. It helps make the program bearable.

Good luck!

Homemade popcorn, the best kind..it's pretty easy, actually...if you have a deep pot (not to big, depends on how much u are making...we use a 2 qt pot (for 2 people). place the large pot on a large burner set on medium-high, and add enough olive oil to cover the bottom up to about an eighth of an inch deep. To give some perspective, you want the oil to be deep enough to cover about ¾ of a popcorn kernel, but not to totally submerge it. Now drop in two kernels (you can also use these to judge your oil depth) and cover the pot. Once they have popped, add enough popcorn to obscure the bottom of the pot, and then put the lid back on. Add the popcorn right after the two kernels have popped, or the oil may get too hot and you will end up with scorched and/or half-popped kernels. Pick up the pot and give it a couple of swirls to ensure that all the kernels have been coated with oil. In a minute or two the popcorn will start popping. Give the popcorn pot an occasional swirling shake to keep things moving.

The popping will increase to an almost constant state, and then will begin to slow down. You need to be very careful here, because you want as much popcorn to pop as possible, but even 15-20 seconds too long on the burner will result in scorched popcorn. Once the popping slows to 1 or 2 pops per second, immediately remove the pot from the heat (don’t just turn the heat off) and remove the lid to allow the rest of the steam to escape.

Put it in a container that you can u can serve it in and still have room in the bowl/etc to shake the popcorn up a lil. Here's where u get creative. Add butter PAM (or whatever flavor u like) and any spices you like. We use anything from just salt, to garlic and grated parmasian. If you have any questions or need any help just let me know in PM or here. We pop our own popcorn 3-5 times a week, super healthy!

Have fun!

PainterChick, I'll usually use it your way... I don't add butter tho, can't stand it Thanks all of you tho!!! Reguarding a mircowave, we probably won't get one until we have a bigger kitchen.. There's no room for a mircowave

I don't use butter either...PAM comes in a butter flavor "Butter PAM"

Jenn, you're brilliant! Thank you for posting this. My biggest downfall ever is popcorn, and I have a bag of it waiting for me to experiment with. This came at the perfect time.

hehe..thanks.. EnJoY!

Jenn

(so many Jenn's...so little time!)

Orville Redenbacher now makes 'mini' bags of microwave popcorn...great when you can't share with somebody. =)

Wouldn't popping it in oil add quite a bit to the fat and calories??

You don't need to add nearly that much oil. I use 1 or 2 tbsp in the bottom of a pot, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup popcorn. Over medium heat, move it around once in a while. Once the kernels start popping, move it constantly. When popping slows down a lot, and it doesn't sound like many unpopped kernels when you shake it, take it off the burner. Wait a few seconds, open up the pot and add what ever topping you prefer. Not quite as yummy as the other stove top method, but much lower fat. I use olive oil for this, so I figure I'm getting in my good fats at the same time as my snack.

Thats how my Mom used to make it, in a huge dutch oven type of pot. Poor thing used to stand there and shake it like mad LOLOL !!! Oh but did it taste good.

Health food stores might have it popped in bags already. There's one brand in the regular supermarkets that makes it already popped w/very little fat (or taste but you can doc it up when you get it home). I'll have to find the brand and let you know.

Speaking of popcorn - Jolly Time 94% Fat-Free Carmel Apple - to die for. Found it at Wal*Mart on sale for $2.00 for a box of 6.