How to minimize the impact of unpopped kernels and kernel shards in popcorn?
I've always had a fear of eating popcorn. The idea of breaking my tooth on a popcorn kernel is terrifying, the thought of getting a kernel shard lodged between my teeth or gums makes me squeamish, and I cringe at the possibility of chomping on a burnt piece. I suspect this all stems from some badly-made Jiffy Pop that my mom would serve up as a kid. It's not a debilitating fear or anything, I just avoid eating popcorn.
I don't really talk about my popcorn-phobia, so I can't really blame my brother-in-law for getting me a subscription to a "popcorn of the month" club for Christmas. But that said, I'll be soon stuck with bags and bags of popcorn. I could offload these to my co-workers, but instead I've decided to overcome my fear of popcorn as one of my New Year's resolutions.
It's been a solid few decades since I've tried popcorn, so I'm taking some baby steps and any tips would be appreciated. Specifically, my questions are:
How do you avoid breaking your teeth? Does shaking the bag force loose kernels to the bottom? Is there a type of popcorn that doesn't "shard" as bad?
Best Answer
Don't eat the popcorn straight from the bag. Put it into a nice large bowl. This will provide enough room for the unpopped kernels to fall to the bottom. As for hull shards between your teeth, dental floss or a toothpick will take care of that quickly and relatively neatly. Avoid burnt pieces by watching as you pour the popcorn into the bowl and as you take pieces to eat from the bowl.
Alternatively, set it all aside and serve it (in a nice bowl) when you have guests over. They are unlikely to notice you're not eating any.
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How can we reduce unpopped kernels?
I listen for the popcorn to start popping, once it begins to slow down or stop for a couple seconds, I stop the microwave. If there time left I know I can reduce it next time. If the popcorn is still popping strongly when the time is up, I add a little more time (10-20 seconds), the next time through.Is there anyway to reduce the number of unpopped popcorn kernels?
Place the kernels in a brown lunch bag and fold it closed. Heat the bag in the microwave for about one minute, using no oil. Most popcorn bags advise against repopping, though, and you can save time by simply switching to a better popcorn brand.How do you Repop unpopped popcorn kernels?
Repop Unpopped Kernels in the Microwave on Another Movie NightDoes soaking popcorn make it pop better?
When you soak popcorn kernels in water, the seeds absorb extra moisture. This increased water content causes the kernels to pop slightly faster. The increased speed of popping is not significant when soaking kernels in water. It can and does cause some of the kernels to be fluffy.Why some of the kernels in your popcorn don't pop
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Answer 2
There are 2 keys to minimizing the loose kernels,
- Quality Popcorn
- Quality Appliance
For Quality Popcorn it starts with "Orville's" for basic quality grocery store popcorn. However there are a variety of popping corns available. I received a gift pack like this several years ago. Searching Amazon for Pop Corn will lead you to a variety of choices.
As for a qualify device, the key is a constant stirring motion to allow the kernels to be heated uniformly and prevent the early poppers from burning while the rest of the corn pops. The uniform heating will cause most of the kernels to pop within a very short period of time.
I personally have had great experience from the Whirley-Pop and the West Bend Stir Crazy. I have a slight preference for the Whirley-Pop, but I cannot necessarily qualify "why".
Answer 3
If you are using microwaved popcorn, after you take it out of the microwave, pull two opposite corners just slightly, so that opening of the bag barely opens... maybe 5mm wide at most. Turn the bag upside down and shake over the sink (or trash can once you are good at it) and almost all of the unpopped kernels will fall through the hole.
This of course doesn't work for stove top or air popped corn, but is a nice trick in a pinch.
Answer 4
If you're having problems with unpopped kernels, and this isn't microwave bags, consider an air popper.
As the kernels pop, they're pushed up by the air, and out into the bowl nearby. Although occassionally you get unpopped or only partially popped kernels that eject, those that don't are then heated longer, giving them more of a chance to pop without scorching those that have already popped.
Once it's done, if there are any remaining unpopped kernels in the popper, you can just trash them directly. (when I turn the popper off, those last few settle against the hot bottom and might give a late pop)
I direct the outflow into a rather large bowl, so that I can mist them with a pump oil sprayer and some popcorn salt, then flip it a few times (generally mist a second or third time, too, so I'm not just getting the ones on top), and in that agitation process, the under-popped kernels fall to the bottom of the bowl.
... and with all of that being said, I know some folks who specifically seek out the unpopped kernels. I'll occassionally chomp on them, and unless you have problems with calcium deficiency or teeth problems in your family, I wouldn't think that cracking a tooth would be likely (assuming no rocks got in there). And I say this after having shattered a tooth as a kid (eating a Snickers bar ... I still won't touch them 25+ years later).
And the shards ... occassionally you'll get a hull trapped in between your gums and teeth, even when you're not chomping on the unpopped ones. It's annoying and uncomfortable, but I've never had one that a toothpick and/or floss couldn't take care of.
Answer 5
Heat a spoon of oil in a medium saucepan with a lid to medium hot. Then add enough popcorn to cover just one layer thick. Place lid on tightly. After the first minute briefly shaken pan every ten or so seconds, when popping starts shake more often. When popping subsided take off heat and pour into a large container.
Shake the container gently and the un-popped kernels will be at the bottom. Do not attempt to eat these!
If you shake the pan enough while cooking there will not be any burnt pieces. Do not shake too much that the cooking processes stops though!
It's not hard, it just take a few goes to practise it. You can always through the first few batches away, until you get it right!
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