As we head into fall, I find that my family starts to crave the cozy goodness of fresh popcorn.  It’s a perfect after school snack on a gray afternoon and it makes a delicious accompaniment to a Sunday movie.

I know on the surface it may seem easier to grab a bag of microwave popcorn and throw it in for three to five minutes.  But is it three minutes to fresh popped corn or three minutes to a chemical coated health risk?  You be the judge…

Two weeks ago we talked about TBHQ, a preservative added to some processed food to preserve freshness.  The kicker was that we discovered TBHQ is a form of Butane (that’s right, lighter fluid).  Now, let’s discuss.  In my humble opinion, lighter fluid in our food is disgusting.  Just my opinion.  I’ll leave it to the experts to determine how harmful it is to our bodies, but let’s just say I’m not willing to take a chance on my children.

It is amazing to me how many processed food items I have found containing TBHQ:  McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, Eggo frozen waffles, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and now several varieties of Orville Redenbacher’s microwave popcorn.  If I may be so bold, “yuk”…

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THE COMPARISON: Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop! Butter vs. Out of the Box Olive Oil Popcorn

(All ingredients followed by an * can be referenced at www.wikipedia.org by clicking on the ingredient)

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Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop! Butter

Ingredients:

• popping corn
• palm oil

Less than 2% of:

• salt
• potassium chloride*
• natural and artificial flavor*
• butter (cream, annatto)
• color added
• TBHQ* and Citric Acid (for freshness) [Also see our Trick-or-Treat post for alarming information on TBHQ]
• Contains: milk

For the same three to five minutes it takes to pop a bag of microwave popcorn, you can pour bulk popping corn and a splash of heart-healthy olive oil into a saucepan and get a hot, fresh, chemical-free snack…no lighter fluid.

**All listed product ingredients are taken from product’s package label.  Though Out of the Box Food makes every effort to provide complete ingredient information, please check the package for the most current information.

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Out of the Box Food Olive Oil Popcorn

SERVES: Makes a family sized bowl of popped popcorn

TIME: 3-5 minutes

SUPPLIES:  medium-large sauce pan with lid

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 C popping corn
• 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1-2 tbsp melted butter or olive oil for drizzling (if desired)
• assorted toppings (see ideas following recipe)

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat pan over medium heat.
• When pan is hot, add 1/2 tsp EVOO and popping corn into saucepan.  Place lid on pan.
• Shake pan occasionally to keep kernels from burning.
• When the kernels begin to pop, start shaking pan constantly until the popping subsides.
• Remove from heat and drizzle with butter or olive oil (if using).
• Sprinkle with topping of choice and serve.

Topping Ideas:

• olive oil and sea salt
• melted butter and sea salt
• melted butter and cinnamon sugar
• olive oil and paprika
• olive oil and curry powder
• grated Parmesan cheese
• melted butter and finely grated dark chocolate

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I’ve been scratching my head trying to figure out how microwave popcorn got to be so popular.  Not only is fresh popcorn easy to make, but it’s nearly as quick and definitely more budget friendly than the microwave version.  Microwave popcorn must have a really good publicist.  Until next week…