Oh Joy! Homemade Kettle Corn

Seattlest doesn’t have a long history with kettle corn. Which is unfortunate because kettle corn seems to be one of those olde tyme state-fair foods that deserves one--something reminiscent of the old Werther’s Original ads with the grandfather and the toy boat. (Sorry, we can only find versions in French and German).

Instead, our story goes something like this: last week we were at friend’s house. She had some kettle corn. We tried it, we tried some more, and then, unceremoniously and without asking, we ate the whole bag.

Slightly sweet and salty at the same time, kettle corn is a highly addictive snack. Unlike caramel corn, which is much sweeter and made by coating plain popped corn with a hot caramel syrup, kettle corn is perfectly balanced, and conveniently made in one pot with the sugar cooked right alongside the popping corn.

Kettle corn is becoming more and more popular these days as fresh kettle corn stands become a mainstay of farmer’s markets (ED: and sporting events!) and trust us, their kettle corn is delicious. But as usual, we couldn’t rest until we had made it ourselves. We tried kettle corn made with brown sugar, with white sugar, with oil, with butter--and finally came up with a recipe we liked. Joyously, this homemade version of kettle corn requires few ingredients and even less equipment. Although it’s not quite what you could produce with this, it’s pretty damn great.

The recipe is after the break.

Kettle Corn
As the name suggests, kettle corn must be made in something approximating a kettle (we used a 4-quart saucepan with a lid); an air popper (which for conventional popcorn is great) simply won’t do. This makes a largish portion for one, but feel free to double it.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup popcorn kernels
2 tablespoons white sugar
kosher salt to taste
melted butter (optional)

In your saucepan, heat the oil and popcorn kernels over medium-high heat, shaking the pan to keep the kernels from burning. When the kernels are about to start popping, they will become slightly lighter in color, and most importantly, they will start to smell like popcorn. At this point, sprinkle the sugar over the kernels and cover. With the lid on, continue to cook the popcorn by gently shaking the pan over the heat. When the popping has slowed (don’t keep cooking until the very last kernel has popped, you will end up burning the sugar), remove the pan from heat and empty the popcorn into a large bowl. Toss with salt immediately (when the sugar on the popcorn is still hot and sticky, the salt will adhere to the kernels better) and sprinkle with melted butter if you like. Enjoy while still warm.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@seattlest.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Rachael in Food on February 23, 2007 10:16 AM

Comments [rss]

KettleCorn.co

Not to be arrogant, but we still have the best homemade kettle corn recipe portal on planet earth. Got homemade kettle corn ice cream? :-)

John McConnell
The Kettle Corn Guy
http://www.kettlecorn.co/

crude4u

Just an update. I recently discovered rice bran oil from the California Rice Bran Oil Company. This is not a plug for them but rather for rice bran oil. It has a higher smoking temp and can stand more heat, thus better for popcorn. It also actually lowers your bad cholesterol and raises the good one. But best of all, it tastes better than any cooking oil you'll ever try. It has a very nutty flavor when used in mild foods and is completely tasteless in stronger foods where you don't want an oily after taste.

This is a must try for cooks.

Velma

I recently got into the kettle corn biz because I love the stuff so much. Here's some tips that I would suggest if you're doing at home. There's a difference between using corn oil and vegetable/canola oil Corn oil somehow gives the kettle corn a little more "corny" taste. Before I bought a giant hot kettle to make the stuff, I tried doing it on a stove. It wasn't the same as the festival stuff, just OK. The reason is you need a VERY HOT heat source to BROWN the white sugar. Just using brown sugar gives it a different taste. What I would suggest if you DO try to attempt it at home is melt and brown the white sugar somehow before you put it in a popper.

I've got a funny video on my website which shows how us pros make kettle corn

Julia

Using one hand to type this while eating this YUMMY popcorn with the other. Thanks for the great recipe!

Rachael

Amy--the Splenda will certainly work in terms of imparting sweetness, but I'm not sure how Splenda responds to cooking, whether it would properly caramelize or not, you would just have to try and see!