How do I get my home-popped popcorn to be as dry as bagged popcorn?

When using an air popper to pop popcorn, it never seems fully dry as the healthier bagged popcorn from Smartfood, Skinny Pop, etc.

Before putting any toppings on the air-popped corn, I taste some of the plain popped corn and it seems to still have some moisture content.

I've tried to place the popped popcorn on a sheet pan in the oven at 200°F for a while in an attempt to dry it out further, but it never seems fully dry.

My wife makes kettle corn using oil, sugar, salt, and popcorn and it turns out much drier… but then it also has a salty-sweet coating. Perhaps I have to kettle pop plain popcorn to get a drier result?

How do I make really dried out popcorn?

drying popcorn

Best Answer

The problem is not water content but mouth feel, smartfood and skinny pop are coated with a fine powder which has a dry mouth feel. You can dry your popcorn as long as you like but you'll never get to the same place with it.

You can replicate smartfood cheddar popcorn by tossing your corn with mac and cheese powder, I'd give it a try and see if you get where you want to go, if it still seems wet in comparison then some extra drying may be good.

Pictures about "How do I get my home-popped popcorn to be as dry as bagged popcorn?"

How do I get my home-popped popcorn to be as dry as bagged popcorn? - Joyful millennial female in casual clothes with bowl of snack using remote controller while sitting on floor leaning on sofa and watching movie in cozy light living room with luxury interior

How do I get my home-popped popcorn to be as dry as bagged popcorn? - Full body of happy barefooted diverse children with long hairs lying on comfortable bed and eating popcorn while watching funny cartoon on laptop in cozy room

How do I get my home-popped popcorn to be as dry as bagged popcorn? - A Group of Friends Drinking Wine while Sitting on the Couch

Quick Answer about "How do I get my home-popped popcorn to be as dry as bagged popcorn?"

Add the popcorn to the paper bag and fold the top over a time or two.

Microwave on high until the popping has a one second gap in it, 1.5-2.5 minutes.

Stop the microwave, dump the popped popcorn into a large bowl and season as desired.

Repeat as needed to get the desired amount of popcorn.

How do you get moisture out of popcorn?

Air Dry. Remove the husks from the popcorn cobs, then place the cobs into mesh bags. Hang the bags in a dry place, below 130 degrees Fahrenheit, for several weeks until the popcorn kernels appear shriveled. The amount of time will depend on the humidity levels in your climate.

How do you make dry popcorn?

In general, 1 tablespoon of oil for 1/4 cup or so of popcorn kernels tends to be a good ratio to keep your popcorn from getting too chewy.

How do you keep homemade popcorn from getting soft?

When they pop well you can move your popcorn to storage. If you just can't wait to eat a bit you can speed up the process with a dehydrator. Shell a few ears and lay the kernels on a dehydrator tray. Dehydrate between 120-130\xb0F, checking few hours until it's popping well.

How to Get Popcorn Seasoning to Stick to Popcorn Without Butter : Popcorn Recipes

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: JESHOOTS.com, Andrea Piacquadio, Monstera, Los Muertos Crew