Snacks Archives - Alton Brown

I miss going to the movies. I miss the usher with the bad clip-on tie, the squeaky seats, the sticky floors, the lights going down, the previews, the feature. I miss laughing in the dark with strangers, and forgetting about the world for a couple of hours…or at least ninety minutes.

But what I don’t miss is popcorn.

That’s because home-made popcorn is about a thousand times better than most movie theater popcorn, and I know because I used to pop professionally for a 13-screen multiplex back in the 80s. Not only does home-popped taste better, it’s fun to make and no, you don’t need any special equipment.

Nope, great popcorn starts in the home, and no, I’m not talking about pre-packaged microwave popcorn, which even at its best is fairly wretched, if you ask me. So for national popcorn day 2021, let’s take a closer look at the only food I can think of that has to explode in order for us to eat it.

First, some science…

Ever wonder why popcorn pops? Two words: structure and pressure. Like most explosives, popcorn is all about the pressure of rapidly expanding gases rupturing a rigid, fragmenting enclosure.

First, there’s the pericarp. All grains have this hard outer shell, but in the case of popcorn, it is unusually hard. It’s also unique in that it can absorb and radiate high amounts of heat to the interior of the kernel without actually burning.

All grains also have an interior fuel tank, or endosperm, composed of two different types of starch: hard and soft. Popcorn, however, possesses an unusually high percentage of the hard type of starch compared to other types of corn.

The last ingredient it needs is water (ideally about 14 percent) to act as an explosive agent.

When heat is applied, the water inside turns to steam, which in turn creates a tremendous amount of pressure inside the kernel. Eventually, the steam combines with the starch to create something akin to lava. When the pressure finally reaches a critical point, the kernel explodes. The pericarp ruptures, spewing hot liquid starch in every direction. As the pressure is released, the corn-lava cools and sets into these curious shapes, no two of which are alike, all of which are delicious.

Now, the tasty stuff…

When it comes to making homemade popcorn, we prefer simplicity over complicated gadgets (aka, unitaskers…). All you need to make perfectly popped popcorn is a big ol’ heavy-bottomed bowl, some fat, and a little salt.

What kind of fat, you ask? We like to use either peanut oil for its high smoke point or ghee for flavor. Whatever you do, do NOT use butter. The milk solids in the butter will burn in the bottom of the bowl, rendering your freshly popped corn basically inedible.

As for the salt, we highly recommend adding it before popping to ensure proper coverage and a practically perfect dissemination of flavor. And when it comes to additional toppings, some of our favorites include nutritional yeast, Japanese furikake, and sifted cheese powder.

Here’s how we do it.

Darn Near-Perfect Popcorn
A big bowl and a few pantry staples are all you need to make (almost) perfectly popped popcorn every time.

Triple Cheese Popcorn
Be forewarned, this super cheesy, buttery mix is extremely habit forming. Placing it on popcorn only makes it better… I mean, worse.

Kettle Corn
Our hack for making sweet and salty county fair-style popcorn at home. Is it healthy? No, but it’s darned delicious.

Popcorn Balls
These crunchy, candied balls with cocoa nibs are a sweet way to use up leftover popcorn.

Oh, and one more thing: Popcorn doesn’t last forever, just so you know. It does eventually dry out, but typically, you’ve got a few years to use up those kernels. All you need is for that moisture to still be locked in.

Over the years, I’ve tried almost every method of hard-cooking eggs: steaming, starting them in cold water, baking them in the oven, even throwing them into boiling water. I still stand by steaming as a reliable method for perfectly hard-cooked eggs that are relatively easy to peel, but recently, I’ve taken to steaming eggs in a pressure cooker for the easiest peeling I’ve ever experienced.

I realize that this method is nothing new to the interwebs, but I’ve been bothered by the various explanations I’ve found for the phenomenon.

The general consensus is that the increase in atmospheric pressure inside the cooker forces the airspace inside the egg to expand. Any trained scuba diver can attest to the fact that this makes no sense whatsoever. It’s just not how gasses work.

However, I do believe that pressure is a factor. As the temperature of the air inside the egg rapidly rises in the pressure cooker, it wants to expand. It makes sense that the increased atmospheric pressure (typically 7 to 8 psi in most electric pressure steamers) prevents that air from escaping through pores in the shell.

But even if pressure makes some difference, I don’t think it makes that much difference. Three other factors are of far greater importance in easy peelability:

Age increases the size of the airspace as well as the pH of the eggs, thus weakening the bonding power of the internal membranes. The ideal pH is 8.6 to 8.9, which a typical chicken egg reaches about 10 days after being laid.
Eggs that are quickly heated are easier to peel than eggs that are slowly heated. Fast cooking prevents the white from bonding so epoxy-like to the outer membranes. Since pressure seamers can generate temperatures between 230°F and 250°F, I suspect that this is actually why folks think they’re magic egg machines.
Thorough cooling eases peeling by allowing the proteins in the albumen (the egg white) to fully set and harden, thus preventing tearing.

So, do I like a pressure steamer for hard-cooked eggs? I do. They’re fast, economical, and they definitely heat eggs to a higher temperature than boiling water. But, they’re not magic. In the end, you’re still better off letting your eggs age a few days before putting that cooker to the test.

Here’s how to do it:

You can use a steamer basket for this application or, you can fashion the famed and fabled Steel Lotus: 3 collapsible metal steamer baskets threaded together with a few odds and ends from the hardware store. It’s perfect for pressure steaming…as long as you don’t make it too tall for your cooker.

Eggs Under Pressure

12 large eggs

1 cup cool water

In a Stove-Top Pressure Cooker

Set the eggs on a steamer basket or a two-tiered Steel Lotus. Pour the water into the electric pressure cooker and add the steamer basket of eggs. Secure the lid.

Bring the pressure cooker to low pressure over medium-high heat. If your pot doesn’t have a marker for “low,” listen for a low hiss. The pressure cooker will take about 7 minutes to come to pressure, then set a timer for 6 minutes for a total of 13 minutes of cook time.

After 13 minutes, kill the heat and release the pressure on the cooker — most modern cookers use a spring-loaded device and will feature a release switch-button. If you don’t want to wait, simply move the cooker to the sink and spray the lid and sides with cool water. Immediately plunge the eggs into an ice bath. Cool to the touch (at least 5 minutes, 20 is better) and peel.

In an Electric Pressure Cooker

Set the eggs on a steamer basket or a two-tiered Steel Lotus. Pour the water into the electric pressure cooker and add the steamer basket of eggs. Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and set to “steam” on low pressure for 6 minutes. The pressure cooker will take about 9 minutes to come to pressure, then it will start the 6-minute timer (15 minutes total cook time).

After 15 minutes, release the pressure valve until the cooker loses all pressure (about a minute) and immediately plunge the eggs into an ice bath. Cool to the touch (at least 5 minutes, 20 is better) and peel.

Store peeled eggs covered in water to reduce the sulfur smell associated with boiled eggs.

Hardware: stove-top or electric pressure cooker, steamer basket or Steel Lotus

Yield: 12 steamed eggs
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 38 to 40 minutes

COOK

First, some science…

Now, the tasty stuff…

Here’s how to do it:

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