Easy Sweet And Spicy Kettle Corn Recipes

SWEET-AND-SPICY KETTLE CORN

Steps:

• Mix 1/2 teaspoon each paprika and salt, 1/4 teaspoon each ground coriander and white pepper and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper in a bowl. Make a bag of microwave popcorn. While it pops, cook 5 tablespoons sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until it melts and turns light brown. Remove from the heat; stir in 1 tablespoon butter. Pour the caramel over the popcorn in a bowl, sprinkle with the spice mix and toss. Spread out on a baking sheet to cool.

SWEET AND SPICY KETTLE CORN

Steps:

• 1. Heat the oil in the bottom of a heavy 4 qt pan over medium heat until warm, about 1 minute. Add popcorn in a single layer; sprinkle with sugar. Cover pan.
• 2. Let kernels cook, shaking occasionally to prevent burning. When popping slows to 3-5 seconds between pops, remove pan from burner and pour into bowl. Sprinkle the chili powder/salt mixture onto the popcorn, shaking popcorn to evenly distribute the salt/chili powder mixture. Serve immediately.
• 3. I don't actually measure my ingredients for doing this. The measurements are an estimation only. I usually just mix up some salt and chili powder and keep it in a lidded bowl and "eyeball" the oil and sugar. The popcorn measurement is the only thing that is an exact amount because it makes the amount of popcorn I want when I do this.

KETTLE CORN

Steps:

• Mix the salt and sugar, set aside: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and salt, and stir with your finger to combine. Set aside.
• Heat oil, pop test kernels: Place a medium to large stockpot (at least 5 quarts) with a tight-fitting lid over medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil and 3 to 4 kernels of popcorn. Secure the lid.
• Add popcorn and seasonings, stir to coat: Once the test kernels begin to pop, add the rest of the popcorn, along with the sugar and salt mixture. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon to combine (skip this step and you risk the sugar burning).
• Shake the pot: Quickly replace the lid and continue cooking, constantly shaking the pot. At first there won't be any popping, but in less than a minute, the popcorn will begin to pop. Remove from heat when you smell a whiff of caramel, or the popping slows to 1 second between pops.
• Empty kettle corn into bowl, let cool briefly: Moving swiftly, turn the popcorn into a serving bowl and let it cool a few minutes. If there's some melted or burned sugar residue in the pot, add a few cups of water, bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar; dump the hot water down the sink, and your pot should be in much better shape.
• Pick out unpopped kernels, then enjoy: Before you dig in, sort through the kettle corn and pick out as many unpopped kernels as you can. A few stragglers often stick to clusters of the popped kernels. Serve warm, or, for maximum crunch and flavor, at room temperature. The kettle corn will keep three to four days in a tightly covered container.

SWEET AND SPICY CHIPOTLE KETTLE CORN

Steps:

• Regular Pot Instructions:.
• In a large heavy-bottomed pan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil and the 3 extra kernels over medium high heat with the lid in place. Shake the pan every 10 seconds. When you hear the three kernels pop, act quickly (while wearing oven mitts.) Dump in the 1/4 each of popcorn kernels and sugar. Put the lid back on very quickly and start shaking in a circular motion. Listen to the popping of the kernels. It should pick up in tempo until you can't distinguish the popping of individual kernels. Keep shaking the pan. After that it will gradually decrease. This is where you need to pay the most attention. When the popping tapers off to the point where you hear a two to three second pause between pops, you need to pull the pan off the heat and empty it into a bowl very quickly.
• Whirly Pop Instructions:.
• In a Whirly Pop pan, heat the oil and the 3 extra kernels over medium high heat with the lid in place. Keep turning the Whirly Pop handle. When you hear the three kernels pop, act quickly (while wearing oven mitts.) Quickly open one side of the Whirly Pop and dump in the 1/4 each of popcorn kernels and sugar. Knock the lid back into place very quickly and start turning the handle. Listen to the popping of the kernels. It should pick up in tempo until you can't distinguish the popping of individual kernels. Keep turning the handle. After that it will gradually decrease. This is where you need to pay the most attention. When the popping tapers off to the point where you hear a two to three second pause between pops, you need to pull the pan off the heat and empty it into a bowl very quickly.
• ~~Now for the good stuff....
• No matter which way you cook it, when you've emptied it into a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and chipotle powder to taste, toss and stir with a long wooden spoon. You don't want to stir by hand because that melted sugar seriously burns! Let cool for a couple minutes and then dig in! Kettle corn keeps well in a paper bag with the top folded down and crimped for a day or two at room temperature.