Instant isn't always the best
Sometimes our quick and instant way of life just doesn't cut it.
We have so many devices and procedures that make life simple, and so many more that cut the wait time from just a few minutes to just a few seconds. For most of them I am thankful. High-speed Internet lets me watch video clips of Scrubs or Drunk History on YouTube on a whim. Car companies boast that their products go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.4 seconds (I only wish I had that Porsche). And Something Brewing right down the street from our office gets my order of coffee to me quicker than most other coffee shops.
And while I love those quick things in my life, one fast and instant thing I put up with for way too long in my life is microwave popcorn.
The premise is simple. Pop the bag in the oven, press the popcorn button and you get hot kernels packed with buttery goodness. There's movie-theater style, kettle-corn style and even caramel. For years upon years, this was the only type of popcorn I would make for myself.
But dangit, I am a cook! I make fantastic food from scratch, be it my spaghetti sauce made with Samuel Adams, chocolate cloud cookies or pizza margherita. If I can put extra care and love into making those foods, why should I put up with microwaved popcorn?
So a few weeks ago, I bought some popcorn kernels, ready to undertake the complicated process of making popcorn over the stove. But the thing is, once I read through the instructions, it was no more complicated than microwaved popcorn. All you do is get a pot with a lid, pour a little oil in the pot and turn the burner to medium. Add three or four kernels, cover the pot with the lid, and when one of the kernels pops, add 1/3 of a cup to the pot. Then you gently slide the pot around on the burner to keep the kernels moving (so they don't burn while sitting in one place) and watch in awe as the pot fills with popcorn. When there's a few seconds between pops (just like the microwave), you remove it from the heat. Add sugar, salt or butter as you see fit.
It's simple, and takes about five minutes longer than a bag in the microwave.
You may ask why all this trouble is necessary. After all, doesn't microwaved popcorn taste just as good?
No. Non Placet (Latin for "It does not please."). And in the words of a man falling off a cliff, Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Simply put, microwaveable popcorn doesn't hold a candle to popcorn cooked over the stove.
Why? Aside from the simple fact that anything over a stove tastes better than a microwaved product, when you cook the popcorn over the stove, you can control the taste a lot more. It's up to you to decide how much sugar, salt, or butter you want to have on it, making it a lot more of a healthy snack. Also, melting real butter over the kernels is much better than the butter-like residue on the inside of the microwaveable bag.
Another perk is the range of flavors you can give your popcorn. Sure the trusted salt and butter combination is a great way to enjoy it, but add a little sugar and you've got your own batch of kettle corn. Or get some white corn syrup and brown sugar, and use that to make your own homemade Cracker Jack-style popcorn. The internet is filled with recipes for homemade popcorn should you choose to forsake your microwave.
Another perk is cost. And by cost, I mean cheap. One bag of kernels will cost you just a little over a dollar, and will make at least 20 nice-sized batches of popcorn. Compare that to nearly $3-4 for the 20 batches only half the size, and you save can save a lot of money (and who doesn't want that?).
Since my employers are kind enough to keep a stove in the break room, I started making popcorn at work, much to my co-workers delight. After about two weeks of doing this, one of our sports writers approached me and told me that he started making popcorn over the stove at his house. Aside from the superior taste, he said it was a nice way to bond with his daughter, as she loved to look through the clear lid and watch the kernels pop all over the place.
It made me feel special, that by doing something as simple as cooking popcorn over the stove, I was able to give him a way to get closer to his kids.
Bonding with your children. Yet another reason to cook popcorn over the stove.
While I may long for the speed a Porsche brings, I'll choose the extra five minutes of waiting for popcorn over the stove. Anything that can bring a family together and taste absolutely great ought to be worth waiting for.
Dustin Faber is an avid Boston Celtics and Red Sox fan, page designer and podcast anchor for The Log Cabin Democrat. You can reach him by phone at 505-1260 or by e-mail at dustin.faber@thecabin.net.