I tried my hand at something completely new this week- something I had never done before- making stovetop popcorn.

Some of you probably read that and rolled your eyes, but it’s true! I did a lot of microwave popcorn early in my marriage, and then started doing a lot of air-popped popcorn once I got my hands on a popcorn machine. And so I never saw a need or reason for me to learn how to make popcorn on the stove.

Until living in an RV, that is. Power is a little harder to come by, since we boondock all the time! Sure we can plug in the generator if we really need power, like to use the microwave or if I’m needing my stand mixer, but for anything in which I’m able to use the stove, I try to use that as often as I can.

I knew that if I could make stovetop popcorn, it would be a game changer! I love popcorn. And it’s actually a great, healthy snack! Sure, you can load it with butter and salt and it’s simply amazing, but even just lightly salted with a drizzle of olive oil it can be the perfect way to curb your salty cravings with lower calories. Plus, it’s perfect for movie nights!

My first attempt was- not good. I was a little nervous, but I figured as long as I followed the directions exactly, I should be fine!

I poured in the 2 tablespoons of oil, put the two kernels of corn in the oil, covered it with a lid and set it on the burner at medium heat. I waited. And waited. And waited. I’ll be honest, I didn’t anticipate it taking so long! I kept lifting up the lid to see if the kernels had popped, wondering if I had missed the sound, and stressing because I knew if the oil got too hot and started smoking, the popcorn would taste smoky.

Well, eventually I had two popped kernels. They had looked pretty dark before popping, but popped they seemed- decent? I put the rest of the measured out kernels in, waited the recommended 60 seconds, and eagerly awaited the wonderful sound of rapid-fired popping of corn.

I waited. And waited. And waited! Surely, it shouldn’t be taking this long? I had left the lid open a tiny amount to let steam out, as I read that that would ensure crispy popcorn. After what seemed like eternity, the popcorn started popping- but not very fast. And it never really got fast! I had my bowl ready, anticipating the overflowing of delicious popcorn, but alas- I was left with a ¾ full pan of mostly burnt popcorn.

I was irritated, but I was determined to get this down. So I tried it again the next day.

This time, I turned the heat up just slightly. I stayed by the popcorn so I could hear it pop, rather than stressing and lifting the lid a thousand times. I heard the beautiful popping sound and saw to my delight that the popcorn was not burnt but looked great! This time, I waited 60 seconds and then put the remaining kernels in. After setting it on the burner. I tilted the lid to let out some steam, but only just barely.

And guess what? After just a couple minutes, I started hearing that glorious, rapid popping sound that assured me that this time I had done it right. The popcorn was about to spill over the pot so I poured some into a bowl and more kernels kept popping. By the end I had a big bowl of perfectly popped popcorn!

I think the key differences were: PATIENCE- don’t lift the lid to check the oil every 30 seconds. I also think waiting for 60 seconds before adding the kernels helped. I believe keeping more of the heat in by only barely tilting the lid also made a difference. I’ll have to try it again to see if these hold true or if it was just a stroke of luck, but either way- I’m so excited to keep honing my popcorn making skills!

If you’ve never given stovetop popcorn a shot, here’s the recipe that I followed!



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Good luck in your popcorn- making endeavors!

    Camille Hoffmann
    Monthly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! camille@dvo.com