Peeeeee-yew! I’m done with the stinky stench of microwave popcorn. Actually, I haven’t popped a single bag of that toxic smelling stuff in years since I hate the thought of being swindled by a stank bag of greasy kernels. That’s right people, I’m calling foul on microwave popcorn since it’s a reeking wallet rip off.
Doing the mathy math, microwave popcorn costs around $22.65 for 12 boxes with 3 packets per box (source Amazon) — that’s an eye-popping $3.53 per pound!
Sure, you may think you’re paying all that delicious cash for a magic metal-lined bag that pops better kernels and cooks your corn more evenly. But think again. I can do the same popping magic trick with a cheapo plain brown paper bag. And at a tasty 50 cents per pound, plain popcorn kernels bought in bulk cost FAR less than that slimy packaged stuff.
Now let me pop the big question: have you ever recycled your leftover microwave popcorn bags? I cringe to think how much of this product graces our landfills, all in the name of snack food. But no fear, by switching your home movie snacking habit using this frugal trick, you can compost or recycle your used brown paper bags and create no waste. See How To Compost Without Raising a Stink for easy composting help.
Speaking of waist, do you know how many calories are contained in those popcorn flavor packets? What about the ingredients? Here’s the ingredient list from the Act II popcorn page on Amazon. Note: I couldn’t find this information on the company’s website.
Act II Popcorn Ingredients: Popcorn, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Annatto Color. Contains: Fish, Milk
Fish? Milk? In my popcorn? Um, no thanks. I’ll skip the hydrogenated oil, fish, and milk additives in my snacks by sticking to my frugalicious and homemade popcorn version. Here’s how to make Microwave Popcorn in a Brown Paper Bag:
Step One: Get a brown paper bag
This is ridiculously easy, internet people. Just head on over to your local grocery store and pickup a package of no name flat-bottomed brown paper lunch bags.
I nabbed a package of 100 brown bags for around $2, on sale.
Step Two: Bag your popcorn
Add a 1/2 cup scoop of bulk popcorn kernels to your brown paper bag.
Fold the bag over twice. Don’t use staples to secure the bag — this might spark in your microwave.
This is so exciting. I’m popping with excitement.
Step Three: Pop in microwave
Stick the popcorn bag into your microwave. I set mine for 3 minutes on high.
Popping Tip: Stop the microwave when the popping slows to one to two pops per second. You don’t want to burn your tasty snack.
Step Four: Add gourmet topping
A pinch of salt with a dab of butter is the most popular way to eat popcorn.
But why not get creative and try some sweet or savory flavors to mix up movie night?
Try these toppings for some gourmet popcorn fun:
- Mexican: Add chili powder, hot sauce, and salt.
- Kiss My Breath: Shake in onion powder and garlic powder — hold the kiss.
- Cheese Please: Mix in Parmesan cheese with a little salt.
- Sweet Tooth: A dash of cinnamon, a sprinkle of sugar, and a topper of honey. Now that’s money.
- Classic: A shake of salt with a pat of butter.
Squawkfox: How do YOU make popcorn? Got a favorite gourmet popcorn topping to share?
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Your Two Cents:
try butter, salt and nutritional yeast. very high in vitamin b. tastes like powdered cheese. in a good way.
What an interesting idea, Kerry.
We use a microwave popcorn bowl instead. This works very well and uses no paper or oils. You can pop 1/4 to 1/3 cup at a time depending on the type of popcorn.
We buy our kernels directly from an organic popcorn farm (see blog post http://bit.ly/POPcorn). Our favourite is Ruby Red. It’s dark red on the outside, snow white inside and delicious. It’s time to get more … but hard to rationalize that an eight hour round trip drive saves us money.
Inexpensive seasoning packets also work great: spaghetti sauce mix, taco seasoning, etc. It doesn’t take much to add a some good flavor!
Please add a warning about not leaving the microwave unattended!
People are always letting microwave popcorn burn, and the smoke stinks up a place forever!
I have never tried this, because I thought maybe the brown bag might burn! I am going to have to give it a test! I love popcorn!
My 2c – I’d ditch the microwave along with the microwave popcorn. Go for *real food* by cooking it the traditional way in a pan on the hob.
I can’t believe how ridiculously easy that is.I will definitely try that out and maybe finally cure myself of my movie popcorn habit. I hate myself just a little every time I succumb to movie popcorn and spend more on it than I would on lunch.Thanks for the tip!
I’ve been doing this for years. I’ve found that 1/2 cup overflows: 1/4 fills my regular lunch bag brimming. The fumes from the store micro bags is toxic, dangerous to your lungs.
Thanks, Kerry. Once again, you posted a blog that was just
what I needed. In the quest for something healthy for a light snack(this, by definition, rules out any packaged crap from the industrial food folks), I was thinking about air-popped popcorn. Unfortunately, I have no clue where my air-popper is. But no problem, you have given me the very information I needed to deal with a popcorn craving in a healthy way. Thanks, girlfriend!
I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now. Very cheap and tasty. I use 1/4 cup of popcorn for one person and I melt about 1/8th of a cup of margarine to drizzle over it and then add some salt. I worked it out to about $0.25-0.30 per bag fully prepared.
Note: Microwaves vary – you have to stand by it and wait or you WILL burn your popcorn. You’ll learn after a few uses how your microwave works. My microwave at home is an older model (not sure how many watts) that starts burning after about 2:10. My work one starts burning at 1:55. I’ve learned that I can set the microwave to that time and get the margarine ready for the microwave while the popcorn pops.
I prefer a saucepan with a little oil. Either way, I find the tastiest way to dress it is:
- a few spritzes of extra-virgin olive oil from a pump sprayer
- powdered salt (sticks better, just grind regular salt in coffee grinder)
- nutritional yeast (my meat-eating hubby thinks this stuff is magic!)
Butter, Sugar and Cinnamon for me!
After it cools, use one of those butter spray bottles,
like I can’t believe it’s not butter spray…. Lots of flavor for very little calories… if you worry about that.
Personally – I like it the old fashioned way – in a large lidded sauce pan in oil, then melted butter and salt on top!
But…. that cinnamon sugar one sure sounds good!
or some cheese powder
I line my paper bag with parchment paper, put in the popcorn and a small dab of margarine. The parchment stops it from leaking (the bag will still end up with some marg on it). Works great, the margarine disperses evenly throughout the popcorn. Then add salt or other seasonings.
The parchment paper is very cheap at Costco and you don’t need much, just enough to line the bottom and up the sides a bit.
Just got an email from Joan. She says, “Sometimes I spray the popcorn with “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” spray and THEN sprinkle the garlic powder, etc. This would be less calories than butter.”
Great idea. I like the control you have in making only what you want and adding only the flavors you want. Sadly for my hips, I like butter best.
Curry powder is great too!
I’ve done this for years now.
AND, I don’t pay for bags. I re-use the paperbags I occasionally get bulk products in at my food co-op (when i forget a container and really need dry beans or something).
One bag works for about 2 dozen popping events. So you can even buy the bulk popcorn in a paper bag, put in a jar when you get home and use the bag for popping. Closed system if you compost the bag when you’re done (the worms in my vermicomposter like the paper bags)
I like it with some bragg’s liquid aminos and nutritional yeast or just fresh cracked pepper.
I have use an air popper for the past few years, and I’m in the butter spray and sprinkle of salt camp. Faster and easier than melted butter, although probably not as healthy since it’s fake. For a treat, I add Parmesan and garlic salt. Mmm, popcorn is one of my favorite snacks! I think I’ll make some now…
I gave this a shot, and it worked as advertised.
A few issues though. I bought cheap, store-brand kernels. The first try, about one-third of the kernels didn’t pop. If I leave the bag in longer, more kernels pop, but the ones that popped first burn.
So, if you’re going to use this technique, don’t cheap-out on the kernels. If you want to buy cheap kernels, use an air popper: it’s practically impossible to burn the popcorn.
I’m trying this tonight – thank you so much.
I have a never-ending supply of brown paper lunch bags as my mom and dad (both 86 years old) get 2 of these every day with their Meals on Wheels. I was starting to get quite a collection.
For those of you having problems burning the popcorn in the microwave before all the kernels are popped…
My Mom showed me this trick. I invert a saucer (like you’d set a coffee cup on) in the microwave and put the bag on top of it. I don’t know why this works but it does. It seems only certain microwave ovens burn prematurely – I’ve only ever had one that burned the kernels before they were all done and the inverted saucer fixed the problem.
Drizzling some tamari on popcorn is a great replacement for salt & butter. And it makes a fun sizzle
a fantastic tip.
we love to top our paper-bag popcorn with a little truffle oil, olive oil, salt and pepper.
I gave it a try with white paper bags: that works for me, too!
For a Chesapeake Bay evening – try Old Bay seasoning – they even have a lower sodium version – and the spray butter if you like
This is a great suggestion! While I have an air popper this is actually easier than pulling it out and making a mess of a bowl.
Just a tip… Our microwave is large and one of the more powerful ones and continually burned popcorn.
To fix it, we stopped putting the popcorn in the center and put it on the side. I assume this more even distributed the microwave heating.
I saw a poster on YouTube explain that with bagged popcorn, you get a better popped kernel ratio on older microwave when you preheat the microwave by running a glass of water in your microwave first. I never even knew that was such a thing to consider. So for the people having issues with scorched kernels you may try this. I’m going to try it with a glass pyrex bowl and some oil. Another tip in my set up was that you preheat the oil with a few kernels as testers and then put in your full amount when those pop.
Happy popping!
I do this all the time. I also use staples. It isn’t a problem. They don’t spark.
Now I’m really hungry! Thanks for the brown bag in microwave tip. We use a popcorn-popper, which is also very economical (use you’ve purchased the appliance)
Chocolate Popcorn! (I learned this from my ex, who had a sweet tooth.) Mix oil & sugar & coco powder in skillet. Add corn & pop!
The absolutely best way to pop corn is this method, the way my mother and grandmother did it:
Take a large stockpot with a lid, something you’d make a chili for a crowd in. Pour enough plain vegetable oil over the bottom to coat, no more. Pour in enough corn kernels to cover the bottom. Shake to coat with oil. Put the lid on. Put the pot on a burner, turn the flame to medium high.
Shake occasionally. Listen for the popping to slow, until you’re hearing only a few pops every now and then. Remove from the heat, carefully remove the lid. Pour into big bowls. Sprinkle with kosher salt if desire, add melted butter if desired. We usually don’t add butter because there is enough flavor from the popping oil. Enjoy!
Another great way to add some flavor to it is a little bacon grease and salt. It is quite good. I also love grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and some olive oil, maybe a little salt if the parmesan cheese is not salty enough.
I wish I had known about this in college! I first learned about this in one of Alton Brown’s books a couple months ago. He explains that it’s okay to use a couple staples (as long as they’re not right next to each other), because they have such a small size and mass, they’re actually smaller than the microwaves cooking the popcorn. You just need to make sure you have a turntable microwave, and that the staples don’t touch the sides of the nuke box. But hey, if you don’t have to use staples, I’m all for that too!
I’ll have to try the paper bag method.
As far as adding after popping, I use powdered Parmesan, grind some Black Peppercorns, a healthy dash of Curry Powder and if needed (when not adding the Parmesan) the piece de resistance is the Salt from McDonald’s. Grab a few packets when you are there or passing by. It is incredibly fine salt, so it sprinkles beautifully for popcorn!
To keep the bag closed I fold the top and punch a couple of holes an inch or so apart and thread a tooth pic through them. Bigger cocktail type pics work best. I use a hand-held single hole paper punch since puncturing my finger with a knife!
when microwaves first came out there was no bags of microwave popcorn. this is how i first made popcorn in the microwave. way back in the 80′s. i still prefer the tate but i have a microwave popcron bowl now. i ad the butter and kernals together and pop. add salt and yummy.
I coat the kernels with Tabasco before cooking.
I make my popcorn on the stove, so as far as frugality goes, I save on the bags. My favourite topping is Cavender’s all purpose Greek seasoning. It’s a very fine seasoning that latches on to the popcorn without butter. But, I go for the sugar sometimes as well
Nice to see a solution to why all my kernels weren’t popping, when using the microwave bag method!
Still like the oil in saucepan method. Don’t need butter, just a little salt. The olive oil does the rest!
That’s what I call “If you doing something, Do it Right! and that’s DONE IT”
Popcorn with olive oil is healthy too
As an advocate for stove top popcorn and it’s deliciousness, this too sounds wonderful compared to the dreaded Act II. For more topping ideas consider:
Buttermilk Ranch mix packets
Mac n Cheese cheese powder packet (my family did this when we had O.D.’d on mac n cheese for the time and really just didn’t mind the noodles with other things)
Don’t forget that a solid carmel popcorn trick is always an option. I prefer my Grandpa’s secret family recipe of course.
…I think I might have to try the parmesan trick.
Popcorn with curry powder & maple syrup — pure win.
Thanks! I’ll have to try this! We uaually make ours on the stove-top w/ a whirly pop. We’ve added old bay seasoning to after popping–awesome w/ beer! Sometimes we cook up fresh garlic and rosemary in olive oil and use that to whirly pop the popcorn.
How much is 1/2 a scoop? 2 tablespoons perhaps?
This way looks handy for some situations but I prefer using a sauce pan and coconut oil to get good flavor.
When it’s done popping I put the stove on “Low” and drizzle butter while shaking the sauce pan back and forth to mix around the popcorn. This way I get a good amount of butter without soggy popcorn.
FISH????
Looks like you missed one key step; Sneak this into the movie theater. I don’t know what I’m more excited about saving, the calories or the $5.
One reason kernels don’t pop is because they don’t contain enough water to produce the steam required to get them to pop. My dad showed me a long time ago that if you soak your kernels in a bowl of water for a few minutes before you begin popping that you’ll get a much better pop corn to kernel ratio.
Did this years ago before microwave popcorn was in the stores. This was one of the first tricks we tried when we got a new microwave. Another cool thing to do is “roasting” marshmallows in the MW. They puff up nice. This is a rainy day treat when the campfire wont start.
Yeah, so I kinda Effed this one up. I guess I left in there for too long and it started to burn, then it caught on fire in the microwave. Luckily I was standing right there and was able to grab the bag and throw it in the sink and put it out. It was going on about 2:30 when it caught. Be care guys =]
To get rid of the burnt stench of the microwave, just boil lemon.
If you’re more patient, boil cinnamon.
Love your idea! I guess I’m a classic popcorn kind of guy. I do remember seeing a seasoning salt in the movie theater snack bar once. I think I paid $5.00 once for a large popcorn. Too bad I can’t bring my own microwave popcorn into the movies.
i’m old school. i make popcorn in a small pot on the stove – about 1/8 of a cup…just a little scoop of kernels goes a long way. i heat up some olive oil, toss in the kernels, jar the lid, and wait! i bought the cheese/salt next to the popcorn kernels at the grocery store. I’ve already made about 15 servings and the bag of kernels isn’t even close to empty. the kernels cost me about $2 and the same for the salt!
oh yea and one other thing. I just remembered i made it once with olive oil, and i tossed in a teaspoon of sugar to see what would happen. the results — perfectly sweet, lightly glazed, kettel corn!!
@danielle OK, that sounds delicious.
I pop my popcorn in a pan and use a little oil and pour some Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning in the bottom and then add the popcorn and this way it is cooked in.
This way makes the popcorn have a little zing to it!
Worked pretty well for me, though I found that 1/2 cup was too much for my bag. For the paper lunch bags I have, a scant 1/4 cup worked better. I liked a mix of butter flavored popcorn salt and smoked paprika on top.
Problem is…All the chemicals required to turn wood into pulp to make these bags…Brown bags like these are for utilitarian use and not meant for food cooking unless you enjoy a little mercury or heavy metal additives with your popcorn…And adding butter or margarine to the bags only helps to leach out the chemmies…Please visit a pulp mill sometime, I work at one, and you won’t want to blow your nose with a tissue…
I love my jiffy pop, the oil used for popping replaces any butter I would normally use so I just add salt. Also Microwave popcorn is dangerous and causes a disease known as popcorn lung. Just making the popcorn at an average rate won’t have you get it, but the people who work in the factories making it. Dunno how true that is, but it makes sense (mainly because EVERYTHING can cause cancer these days lol).
I never liked that smug look on Orville Redenbacher’s face anyway!
Great article thanks for the tip.
We buy the popcorn kernels while still on the cob. We put one cob in a paper bag, fold the top of the bag a couple of times and set the microwave for 3 min. Most of the kernels pop off the cob but it also leaves a few so that we can put the cobs out for birds and squirrels.
I have read that regular microwave popcorn has toxins in it-No thanks, I’ll this with squakfoxes’ or my way.
I had saved this in my reader and FINALLY got some paper bags.
Yum!!
I liked reading through all the variations too. In the end, I made salt and freshly ground pepper popcorn tonight.
Oh my, be still, my beating heart.
Thanks for this. My husband has been antsy to get an air popper, and I kept insisting (at his scoffing) that “we can make in paper bags!”
He had butter and salt tonight.
I would never have thought of using a bag. At home, we always used a homemade popcorn maker. It does the same thing, but it adds an extra appliance. I’m definitely gonna try this bag technique!
Just fyi, your popcorn has milk in it too.
Wonderfully old idea! We line the bag with parchment paper also, and add about 2 TBL of butter and about 3 TBL of finely ground pot for a great movie night! Thanks for the post!
@Kimba: finely ground pot? that sounds quite interesting, actually lol.
Maple Butter is so delicious on popcorn – and so easy to make – maple syrup, butter and brown sugar. mmmmmmm.
Curry powder is awesome, mix with some olive oil and drizzle all over- more for spicy, less for savory.
Nice little trick, I may copy this page for some gourmet topping ideas but I have no problem buying 1 lb. bags of unpopped kernels and popping them myself on the oven range, in a pot with a little cooking oil, and of course a lid. The trick is to start everything at room temperature and let the kernels heat up WITH the oil, so when they finally burst they are big fluffy kernels. (I actually considered it sort of a psuedo-scientific experiment.) If you wait too long to add the scoop of kernels (I use those little plastic scoops that come with powdered iced tea mix) then while the exterior of the kernels gets hot enough to pop, the interior ‘meat’ of the kernel isn’t as hot and they ‘barely’ pop.
By the way, doing them on the stove (with the cheapest dry-kernels I could find, (something like 63¢/lb, $1.59 for a bag) leaves next to no unpopped kernels.
This is an incredible idea. I always thought you needed some sort of oil or fat in order for the kernels to pop! I have been pot on the stove guy for years because I didn’t want the crap in the microwave kind.
For toppings, I use a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some salt. It’s similar to butter but has a slightly more interesting flavor and is way more healthy.
I’m not sure exactly what microwave popcorn you were buying, or how you were cooking it, but it never smelled bad to me. It just smelled like popcorn.
In any case, I’m defiantly going to try this
A great variation on the old school pan method, a wok. the sloped sides help insure the unpopped kernels are in the heat. I like adding some cloves of garlic to mine and roast them at the same time the corn pops.
It is amazing I never thought to look at the ingredients on a bag of popcorn. Thanks for the great idea.
I love this and cant wait to try it, i like to incorporate my flavors with my theme’s. we always have dinner and movie night with company, so if I make a chicken enchilada casserole, we might have magaritas for a cocktail and then make spicy mexican popcorn with a taco seasoning packet or i’ve even put a touch of lime juice and salt on mine, yum. thanks for posting
this is a real nifty idea , i use to do it lots.
though I must add use your own microwave , i did it ages ago when baby stitting AND THE BAG CAUGHT FIRE IN THE MICROWAVE , recycling bags increases the chance this will happen so do not leave it even for a second
Why do we call un-popped kernels orphans?
Because they have no pops.
@Barbara Funny!
I like adding salt to my popcorn. The paper bag trick works very well. Thanks!
Ok, so I tried this last night, and it was fantastic! The kernels popped perfectly. Nothing burned, and it tasted so much more light and fresh than the pan on the stove method. Thank you so much for this wonderfully easy idea!
I have been living off (and on) popcorn for years. My big meal of the day is lunch, where I ensure the intake of at least 20g of protein plus veggies n fruit. Optimal would be to then skip dinner, but it feels so wrong even though I’m not particularly HUNGRY.
I satisfy the cultural urge to have “dinner” with air-popped popcorn (made in a slope-sided microwave popping bowl w/lid that I ordered online)with about a TBS of old-school Kraft Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top. Yum. And about 250 calories for a whopping big bowl.
If I’ve had a bad day I might add a couple tsp of melted butter for a few magical bites. Bliss.
Another popcorn note: I broke the root (really!) of a front canine tooth last month on an “orphan” (see above) and in the process (still ongoing) of root canal and capping the endodontist said she once had a flight attendant who regularly ate air-popped and cracked the roots of FOURTEEN of her teeth — not all at once, of course, but sheesh! That makes for an expensive snack at $2,000 per tooth (including root canals) not to mention tear-inducing pain.
I’ve vowed, now, to no longer chomp on the delicious, crunchy hardness of orphans. It’s hard (no pun intended) though — they’re the treat at the bottom of the bowl!
I have an air popper, but that heats up the house, so I might try this. It’s the smell of the burning oil in microwave popcorn that really stinks. Burning corn isn’t that bad.
I use a little olive oil, some nutritional yeast powder, and Veg-It. The BEST. Furry kernels rule.
Goodness (and I mean that in more ways than one) … never heard of “nutritional yeast powder” but I just Googled it and it sounds yummy (and not a well known USA product). Interesting that Wikipedia entry sez it’s used by vegans as a Parmesan substitute. Hmmmm. Sounding a bit more yummy.
Gotta go pop me some cornz!
Why would you want dry popcorn from a microwave when you can have much tastier, fluffier popcorn on the stove top. Use a Whirley Pop (or similar pot) to get vastly superior results to any other method. Here’s the link for info; http://www.popcornpopper.com/stovetop-poppers.html. Now stop using a microwave to cook popcorn, microwaves aren’t good for much and popcorn is the last thing they’re good for, so stop using them.
season-all salt and sugar
I LOVE IT,screw the pop corn man this is awesome…..
NO really this is great thanks for the idea…Rox
This is delicious. And it is so low calorie and inexpensive.
Erm, the milk in your popcorn is from the butter :\
Greasy paper cannot be recycled, and will ruin an entire batch of recycling if it does indeed get in the mix. Just so you know.
Growl n sputtah. Popcorn popped in a bag is greasy ONLY if one adds grease to it in the form of butter or oil. One could use the same bag several times. If one MUST butter, do it in a bowl. (do you really want butter spots on your jammies?)
… and “whirly pop” or Jiffy Pop as we call it in the States, is chock-full of salt and oils (or faux butter).
… and popping corn at stovetop in a pot or pan requires oil.
I’m ALWAYS looking for ways to get a tasty nosh that’s guilt free, and microwave poppin’ rules over those big “air poppers” that spit out tasteless packing materials.
There, I’m done.
… and OTC popping corn reeks od and drips with chemicals and all sorts of nasties to coat your arteries.
This method worked GREAT! I had to lower the amount very slightly so as not to burst the bag like it did the first batch I did … but it turned out great!