Cretos received a patent for his machine in 1893. However, heat is the only force of nature needed to pop the corn kernels, which people have known about for thousands of years. Mesoamericans popped corn kernels over heated sand. Ancient cultures like the Aztecs depended on corn (maize) for survival. Knowing the type of kernels needed for popping was a matter of skill for Aztec farmers.
Poppers using heated air hit the market in the 1970s and were heralded as a way to enjoy low-fat popcorn. The problem with air poppers is the taste. Hot air doesn’t add flavor to anything without adding something fatty to the popped corn. Air popper design meant popcorn makers had to put a stick of butter into a well that dripped butter onto the popcorn as it moved out of the popper. Although it works, air poppers can’t make movie theater popcorn because they don’t heat corn kernels with oil.
Unfortunately, movie theater popcorn doesn’t skimp on fat. How many pumps of melted butter do you take in your popcorn? The better question is, how fattening do you want your popcorn? Most commercially popped corn uses cooking oil like canola for popping corn. Popcorn isn’t popped kernels fried submerged in oil. Instead, kernels sit on a small layer of oil that goes into the kernels. If you know how much oil goes into popcorn kernels while cooking, you know that most of the oil disappears into the kernels, adding the oil’s flavor to the popped corn kernels.
Charles Cretos figured out the smell of popping corn attracted people to his outdoor popcorn cart. The smell comes from the oil heating up and vaporizing into the popped kernels. You can use any oil for popcorn. However, taste matters, so coconut oil is the best choice for popping corn.
All cooking oils have a flash point temperature measured in the degrees it takes to vaporize heated oil. Corn oil’s flashpoint temperature is 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Olive oil takes less heat (325 degrees Fahrenheit) before vaporizing. Coconut oil’s flash point is 350 degrees Fahrenheit, the ideal temperature for popping corn.
Butter is pure fat and provides most of the flavor. Popping with coconut oil gives the popcorn a subtle buttery and nutty taste and doesn’t require as much real butter to get the same movie theater flavor. Remember, the coconut flavor goes into the kernels, essentially replacing moisture in the kernels with vaporized and favorable oil. This is a game changer for popcorn because coconut oil has health benefits as a food supplement. Cooking corn kernels in coconut oil makes Topsy’s popcorn a healthy snack.
Topsy’s Popcorn is a Kansas City tradition sixty years in the making. All popcorn comes from quality kernels cooked using coconut nut oil. Visit your local Topsy’s for authentic street popcorn cooked the healthy way.
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