Popcorn Explosion

Anyone who knows about my obsession with the Food Network should also know that Alton Brown is hands down my absolute favorite cook. I have his first book, Food + Heat = Cooking, and my wife now has his second book, Food + Mixing x Heat = Baking. He's a bit quirky, but that's why I find his show so entertaining.

Anyway, in his first book, he has a chapter all about Microwave cooking. In it, he explains which foods are best suited for the microwave, and (not surprisingly) popcorn tops the list. In fact, you don't even need any fancy pre-packaged Orville Redenbacher popcorn or anything like that. All you need are a few popcorn kernels and a brown paper bag.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

Pour the popcorn [1/3 cup] into a paper bag and fold the top of the bag over twice to close (each bag fold should be 1/2 inch deep; remember, the kernels need room to pop).

Seal the bag with 2 staples only, making sure to place the staples at least 2 to 3 inches apart.

Put the bag in the microwave oven and cook on high power for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the pops are 5 seconds apart.

Remove the bag from the oven and open it carefully, avoiding the steam. Pour the popcorn into a bowl and drizzle it with butter, then toss with salt and cheese, if desired.

Now, I know this recipe might seem strange (hazardous even) since it says to put staples in the microwave, but Alton Brown insists that it is safe. He even took the effort to add this extra note:

"...despite the fact that I had tested this in no fewer than ten different ovens, and despite the fact that the product was delicious and cheaper than dirt, I received tons of angry mail. People were just sure their houses would explode. No. Relax. It's okay."

He goes on to mention that as long as you're using a microwave with a turntable and you don't place the bag where the staples can rub against the wall, nothing bad will happen.

Now, I tried this idea and it worked just fine. No problems at all, and the best part is, it's super cheap!

Well, a few days ago at work, a co-worker of mine was eating some popcorn and he offered some to the rest of us (our boss included). As we were all taking a short popcorn break, I casually mentioned how it was possible to pop popcorn in a brown paperbag with a little bit of salt (oil if you want).

It turns out my boss actually tried this, but his attempt was not nearly as successful as mine. After a few seconds in the microwave, he heard a very loud POP, and when he opened up the microwave he saw a red-hot plate that had shattered into several pieces. Don't ask me what compelled him to pop the popcorn on a plate! I have no idea why you would do that. I mean, does he normally use a plate to pop popcorn? I highly doubt it, but even if he did, the results should be no different -- there's nothing magic about those pre-packaged bags of popcorn afterall.

Now, I can understand using a pie plate in certain instances if your microwave calls for it. My microwave for example, specifically says to use a microwave safe pie plate when popping popcorn, but it says NOTHING about using a normal everyday dinner plate. If my boss's microwave is like mine, I can sort of understand why he put a plate in there, but I really don't feel like I can take any responsibility for it. I mean, c'mon! It's his microwave; I can' t be responsible if he's not following directions.

So he exploded one of his wife's dinner plates, and I feel a little bad since I gave him the idea. But I think I outlined pretty convincingly why I should not be held responsible.

So don't be afraid to try this recipe. And oh yeah! try adding a little bit of brown sugar to the kernals before popping! It's great.

Comments welcome.