Eating popcorn at the movies is a tradition as old as Oscar himself, who turns 74 on March 24, when the Academy Awards air on ABC. But microwave popcorn, which became a staple when families began staying home to watch rented movies, has lost its mystique. What was once a fascinating process now has us wondering, as we nurse our steam burns, "What shady ingredients go into that artificial-butter flavoring? Where in nature does one find ‘natural’-flavored popcorn that tastes suspiciously like chalk?"
In the spirit of Jiffy Pop, still available at Shaw’s Supermarkets ($1.19), popcorn has made a triumphant return to the stovetop, and the Whirley Pop leads the way. This six-quart popper is a large pot with a hand-crank lid. Turning the crank rotates two steel rods inside the pan, which evenly distribute loose kernels in oil, producing a batch of perfectly popped corn in about five minutes. Crate & Barrel and Kitchen Etc. bundle this popper with corn and a recipe book ($29.99). The electric-powered West Bend Stir Crazy hot-oil popper ($34.99), also sold at Kitchen Etc., does essentially the same thing as its manual counterpart. And for a completely oil-free pop, Target offers the Salton Hot Air Popcorn Popper, while Kitchen Etc. carries the Presto Orville Redenbacher’s hot-air model (each $19.99).
Kernel connoisseurs can check out Wabash Valley Farms multi-packs; Bed Bath & Beyond has White Birch, Sunset Red, Harvest Gold, and Blue Moon in 15-ounce jars packaged together ($14.99). For authentic movie-theater taste, try Real Theater Popcorn, sold at BB&B in individual packages sized for the Whirley Pop ($1.59) or in five-packs ($5.99) at Kitchen Etc. Bread & Circus has organic yellow corn in the bulk-bin section (59 cents a pound), and of course Shaw’s carries 30-ounce jars of Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn ($3.59) and 12-ounce containers of Orville’s Popping & Topping Buttery Flavor Popcorn Oil ($1.99). The health-conscious may opt for a 24-ounce bottle of Wesson canola oil ($1.69), while flavor fanatics should try the four-flavor cheese topping ($4.99), including sour cream and onion and zesty nacho, at Kitchen Etc.
Finally, the perfect batch of popcorn deserves a proper display. Check out Kitchen Etc.’s decorated popcorn bowls ($14.99/large, $4.99/individual) in white ceramic with red print that mimics old-school popcorn cartons; Crate & Barrel’s similar-size bowls declare POPCORN in raised letters ($12.95/large, $5.95/individual). With such attractive ways to distribute those six quarts of popcorn, there’s no excuse for not sharing.
Where to find it:
• Bed Bath & Beyond, various locations, www.bedbathandbeyond.com.
• Bread & Circus, various locations.
• Crate & Barrel, various locations, www.crateandbarrel.com.
• Kitchen Etc., various locations, www.kitchenetc.com.
• Shaw’s Supermarkets, various locations, www.shaws.com.
• Target, various locations, www.target.com.
