DIY Snacks: Microwave popcorn
Popcorn is a wonderful thing — natural, filling, non-fat (unless you use oil to make it), full of fiber — and super cheap. However, if you buy microwave popcorn, the price pound-for-pound goes way up!
Most of the time, I just use my air-popper to churn out a gallon bag full of snacking fodder. I can season it with nacho seasoning powder, or butter flavor, or whatever. But, because of the lack of oil, it doesn't really stick. Spraying it with some oil-spray before seasoning helps somewhat, but most of the time, all the seasoning ends up at the bottom of the bag. Plus, sometimes, you just want HOT popcorn.
Alton Brown to the rescue! He came up with DIY microwave popcorn, that he calls the plain brown popper. I decided to give it a whirl, with a few modifications.
My tools: a paper bag, a stapler, 1/4 cup of popcorn, 2 tsp of EVOO with Tabasco mixed in, and Hot & Spicy popcorn salt. Yes, it does use oil — but it is the good kind, and a minimal amount. Plus I imagine a lot of it get soaked up by the bag.
I put the oil and the salt in the ziploc with the popcorn and mixed it all up, then dumped it into the bag, folded over the opening and stapled it shut.
With dread, I put 3 minutes on the microwave, stuck the bag in, and stood back. Much to my surprise, the microwave did not implode, nor was a rift torn in the fabric of the universe. In fact, the staples didn't even spark. There was a weird crackling noise, however. Since our microwave is older than television, it took the whole 3 minutes to pop the kernals. The result:
Despite my high hopes, I found that a lot of the seasoning was glued to the inside of the bag by the oil. So I had to re-season. I don't know if putting Tabasco in the oil had any effect whatsoever, but the popcorn was pretty spicy.
In fact, if you ever use that hot & spicy salt, do NOT inhale while you are eating your popcorn. You will spend the next hour coughing and sneezing!