Sweet popcorn
Traditional sweet popcorn requires only 3 ingredients: popcorn kernels, vegetable oil, and refined white sugar.
- 3 tablespoons of neutral vegetable oil (canola, sunflower, corn, etc.)
- 2 tablespoons of white sugar
- 1/3 cup popcorn kernels
- Place the corn, oil, and sugar in a saucepan and cook over very low heat. Cover the pan.
- Stir frequently to redistribute the grains.
- When the corn starts to pop, stir a few times to redistribute the unpopped kernels.
- Remove from heat as soon as the popping time of the kernels is about 2 seconds.
- Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly before serving. The caramel will be very hot and could burn your hand and mouth.
- This alternative reduces the chance of the sugar and popcorn burning, as the sugar will be on the heat for less time and the popcorn kernels will heat evenly, causing them to pop almost simultaneously.
- Add the oil to the pan. Also add 3 kernels of corn and cook over medium heat with the pan covered.
- When the kernels pop, the oil has reached the ideal temperature. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sugar and corn, stirring well. Wait 30 seconds and return to the heat.
- Stir until the corn starts to pop. At this point, the sugar will have begun to melt and brown. Cover the pan and stir occasionally to redistribute the corn kernels.
- Remove from heat when the corn starts popping at 2-second intervals.
- Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly before serving. The caramel will be very hot and could burn your hand and mouth.
One of the biggest problems when preparing sweet popcorn is that the sugar burns before the popcorn finishes popping. To prevent this from happening, we recommend using very low heat and only adding the popcorn when the temperature of the oil and sugar mixture has reached the popping temperature of the popcorn, which is 180 to 1190 degrees Celsius.
Why does sweet popcorn burn?
The ideal popping temperature for popcorn is 180 to 190 degrees Celsius. This is the same temperature at which we prepare a very dark caramel. Slightly above this temperature, the caramel decomposes and becomes unusable for culinary applications (burnt and bitter). Therefore, it's important to keep a close eye on the pan and use a low heat when preparing sweet popcorn.
Sweet popcorn recipe
We make sweet popcorn in small batches to prevent the sugar from burning before all the corn has popped. It's important to use low heat so that the sugar temperature doesn't rise too quickly and go past the caramelization point.
With just two tablespoons of sugar, the popcorn will be sweet without being overly sweet.
- Medium non-stick saucepan with lid
Option 1 - All ingredients at the same time
Option 2 - Let the oil heat up first.
- This alternative reduces the chance of the sugar and popcorn burning, as the sugar will be on the heat for less time and the popcorn will heat evenly, causing them to pop almost simultaneously.
