Place Corn in Ghee for a Fat-Free Buttery Flavor

It’s not that I don’t like the fluffy corn I cooked in ghee. I just found it a bit disappointing (at least until I added the salt, but more on that in a bit). “It’s because you’re drowning your popcorn,” my boyfriend suggested, stuffing another handful into his mouth. “That’s why you don’t like it. You’d rather drown in this oil.

Somewhere on the internet, I came across a claim that using ghee as your popcorn cooking oil will give your popcorn a buttery flavor without leaving it moist or greasy, and they were right. The popcorn did have an unmistakable buttery flavor… but it was subtle , and I’m not a fan of subtleties . It tasted slightly oily. Moderately oiled. Buttered one who loves but does not bathe in milk fat. It was and is the perfect butter popcorn for my boyfriend.

If, like my boyfriend, you love the concept of incredibly crunchy, lightly buttered but not greasy popcorn, I highly recommend cooking corn in ghee or ghee (they’re nearly identical, but with one key difference ). And even if you’re a reckless butter lover (like me), you’ll probably enjoy it if you add some salt.

Use a lot of ghee

If you’re going to fry corn in ghee, be generous. The use of high amounts of fat results in popcorn that is very similar to fried, with a crunchy texture approaching that of potato chips.

There are two ways to measure ghee: the exact method and the Cameron Diaz method . The exact method uses a diet of 1/2 cup fat for every 1/3 cup unopened grains. It seems indecent, but it makes the popped grains ultra crunchy, but not greasy. The Cameron Diaz method also requires a fair amount of fat, but no measuring cups. Simply melt the ghee in a saucepan until it comes out “down the curve of the pan”, then add the popcorn until the fat just covers the grains.

Whichever way you measure, then you need to cover the pot and let the corn pop without shaking. The kernels will burst and rise – you may need to hold on to the lid to keep them from spilling out. As soon as you hear the hiss subside, pour it into a large bowl and season.

You must season it with salt

Salt doesn’t just make things taste salty; it enhances other flavors, especially oils. Tasting ghee popcorn with no salt was a real disappointment—I had to squint to detect butter—but a few pinches of fine sea salt took care of the problem, strengthening the ghee and giving the popcorn a rich flavor. tongue could easily detect.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be a fully reformed popcorn lover – I like mine to be almost brash – but it’s nice to have a more sensible approach to buttered popcorn in my back pocket. (Of course, I’m not known for being sensible. Maybe this popcorn will change that.)