Sunday Snackin': Kettle Corn

My most favorite snack on the entire planet is Kettle Corn. I think it’s a mid-west thing though because I have a hard time finding it here in Florida. Up north I could just go to Lowe’s and occasionally there would be a lady out in front set up to make it up fresh and to sell. If she wasn’t there I could try the flea market or sometimes Wally World (Walmart). I would always buy the big bag. It never had time to get stale.
Kettle corn is popcorn popped in a huge kettle with oil, salt and sugar. It’s addictive. My Mom had to force me to try some. Salty and sweet was just too weird of a combo for me at that time (I can’t believe I was ever that picky of an eater but apparently I was!). I absolutely crave this stuff. My Mom likes to call me and rub it in that she just got a bagful and I have none. She’s mean like that. Then she told me I could just make my own on the stove. Her method sounded easy but I was skeptical. With good reason: my stove sucks and my pans suck more. I need a heavy bottomed one for her recipe.

I do, however, own the cutest little popcorn popper to ever gather dust. Its pink, its Hello Kitty! My popper is just like a Stir Crazy popper only slightly smaller (I guess to make it cuter?). This recipe is very yummy. And taste just like the real thing!



Ingredients

¼ cup popcorn kernels
¼ cup cooking oil (I use veggie)
¼ cup sugar
salt to taste

Place the oil and sugar into popper. Add kernels. Turn on machine. Stand back as the sugar gets uber hot and occasionally pops up from the vents at the top (or at least it did in mine!) After it completes popping (when there is a couple seconds between pops), I take a larger bowl and place it over the bowl of popper and flip it over making sure I have oven mitts on my hands. Mine always smokes a little but that’s normal. You have to do this rather quickly as the popcorn and sugar will begin to scorch. I then liberally salt. I like it salty but not too salty. Hard to explain.

WATCH OUT FOR HOT SUGAR!! You’ve been warned.



This same recipe can also be done over the stove. If you know how to pop popcorn on the stove then you can do this. I’m just afraid I’ll burn the popcorn.

You can also occasionally find kettle corn in the snack food aisle of some grocery store and occasionally at the drugstore (like Walgreens). They are very tasty but I can’t stand paying $4.00-6.00 for a bag of popcorn I can easily make at home.

There are also micro-wavable versions available, which I really really detest. They are made with artificial sweeteners and just taste nasty. I have nothing against artificial sweeteners but in this instance I think it just ruins a good thing.