Popcorn is now a popular snack food all over the world.
But there was a time in the Appalachian coal fields when popcorn was the primary recreational nibble, according to Jess Vance of Eccles.
The retired miner and popcorn enthusiast counts popcorn among his most cherished childhood memories. “There was a time when it was all we had to snack on,” recalls Vance, who still pops his kernels the old-fashioned way, in a pot on the kitchen stove.
He buys his popcorn in 50-pound sacks at Sam’s and seldom goes to bed without his traditional fare. “I have a bowl every night at about 8 o’clock,” he says.
The tide may never turn back to eating popcorn out of a kettle.
But don’t tell that to Vance, a popcorn aficionado, if there ever was one.
“We’ve become a nation of microwave-users and that’s a shame,” says the mild-mannered former miner who once loaded coal into hoppers with a number-nine shovel.
And if the 77-year-old Wyoming County native had his way, all 21st century adolescents would have to take a course in popping corn as part of their school curriculum.
“There are children out there who don’t know that you can buy popcorn kernels and pop them in a pan,” he says.
The popcorn purist, meanwhile, is a gourmet when it comes to preparing the little yellow cores on his kitchen cook stove. After all, Vance reasons, how can you appreciate the miracle of the whole popcorn experience unless you witness the popping episode up close and personal?
And yet, the popcorn epicure seems amazed at the number of popping devices all vying to replace the good old kitchen standby.
“Microwave bags are convenient for some people,” Vance concedes. “But I prefer to do it my way: popping corn in a kettle.”
His way of popping corn might be a little behind-the-times but Vance is undaunted when it comes to preparing the tasty popcorn treat. He just adds heat and watches the tiny nubs do their thing, when the moisture in the kernel converts to steam and expands, creating pressure that pushes against the hull—and voila: the white part explodes, crackles, pops.
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And for all the microwave-popcorn weenies, perhaps it’s time to relive the magic that only stove-popping can produce, according to Vance, who is aware that the optimal temperature for popping corn is 479 degrees Fahrenheit.
That is, if you want artisan popcorn the old-fashioned way, from scratch, by hand.
Vance opts for a medium size sauce pan. He covers the bottom sparingly with his choice of oil, usually vegetable oil, and adds enough popcorn seeds to cover the bottom of the pan. He places a lid on the pot and cooks over high heat until the corn is popped up to the lid.
“It pops fairly quickly,” he says. “It’s truly a perfect path to get great tasting popcorn.”
Even so, Vance admits that when he pops corn for youngsters, it creates quite a stir in the kitchen, because many of them couldn’t conceive of such an idea unless they witnessed it firsthand.
“Today, most people think of producing popcorn as putting a bag in the microwave for three minutes and wait for it to stop popping,” the past master popper adds.
While this is easy and convenient, some people still prefer Vance’s outmoded manner—popping it on the kitchen stove.
“It allows you to add salt and butter to your taste,” Vance observes. “As for me, I don’t use butter. I like to eat it just as it is, the way it pops in the kettle.”
He can’t argue that popping popcorn in a kettle is easier than manufacturing the microwave item but the gulf in quality is far wider than the gulf in work, according to Vance.
The skillful kitchen artist says all you need to produce superior popcorn his way is to start with popcorn that’s fresh, a pot of any size, with a lid that really fits; some good tasting oil (corn oil or extra virgin olive oil) to fill the pot’s inside surface, enough popping corn to cover the bottom, and salt. Butter is optional.
Here’s a refresher course in popping corn the old-fashioned way:
- Put the oil in the bottom of your pot and turn the heat to medium-high; add three kernels of corn and cover pot;
- When the three kernels pop, remove the cover and add corn to just about cover the bottom; cover and shake the pan to coat the kernels with oil, holding the lid as you do so;
- Cook while shaking the pot occasionally, keeping the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape, until the popping stops, usually about 5 minutes;
- Turn the popcorn into a large bowl, sprinkle with salt; serve immediately.
“It’s really that simple,” Vance explains. “That’s about all there is to turning out tasty popcorn treats for the family.”
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Top o’ the morning!