When I first heard about microwaving popcorn in a brown paper lunch bag I could not imagine that something so simple would 
really work. A blog reader actually shared this suggestion with me, and it took me a while to work up enough courage to try it out. I am so glad I finally did because approximately 3 minutes and 15 seconds later I had fresh, fluffy, whole-grain popcorn that hadn’t been touched by a drop of oil, salt, sugar, or any other additives. And after lightly seasoning it myself with a tad of oil and salt it was delicious! I will never waste my money on those store-bought microwave bags ever again.
The Popcorn Trick
You'll need a brown paper bag + kernels, and that's it!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup popcorn kernels preferably organic
- butter optional
- salt optional
Instructions
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Pour the kernels into the brown paper bag.
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Tightly fold over the top three or four times. No tape or staples are necessary.
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Put it in the microwave and start it on high for 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
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Listen for the popping to slow down to 3 or 4 seconds apart at which point you will take it out of the microwave. This usually happens for me around the 3 minute and 15 second mark.
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Pour popcorn into a bowl and drizzle with melted butter or spritz with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt. If you don’t use oil or butter the salt won’t stick.
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I have had a Nordic Ware Microwave Popcorn Popper for years and love it! It was around $10 at Walmart (at least 10 years ago). It’s healthier and environmentally friendlier ;)
Not sure what I did wrong but mine started burning with 1:30 left to go! Won’t do this again!
This method doesn’t work for me, leaves too many unpopped kernels at the bottom of the bag. For our family of 6, we need at least 3 bags and each subsequent bag has more unpopped kernels than the last.
I bought the stainless steele stovetop popper and use organic cococnut oil, non-GMO popcorn, grass-fed butter and unrefined sea salt. The stuff gives me a headache, but the $2/8ct box of off brand store bought variety doesn’t bother me.
Would love to know what gives.
My bag caught on fire. :(
We just pop our corn in a pyrex bowl with a microwave safe plate on top, tilted a bit to let the steam out. Works great! Add butter and salt after if you want.
I love this idea, BUT…..my popcorn burned! I used 1/4 cup of popcorn kernals and pulled it out after about 2 minutes. BURNT POPCORN! It popped really fast but definitely couldn’t eat it. Is there another trick?
I have concerns about the food’s nutritional value being diminished by the microwave cooking process. I have done some research and the opinions are mixed.
My favorite example is microwaved water does not sustain a plant… And yes, I have tried this myself – with a control plant. That’s scary to me!
What is your take on this?
Lisa really has taken a strong position on microwave use. :) Here are some articles that offer insight: http://theconversation.com/health-check-is-it-safe-to-microwave-your-food-66776, https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/how-safe-is-your-microwave/2014/11/11/eea75518-6452-11e4-bb14-4cfea1e742d5_story.html?utm_term=.76e57bf15b26 and https://www.thepaleomom.com/are-microwaves-safe-to-use/.
Better check your research or actually do the experiment correctly. It’s a total myth.
http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave/plants.asp
I have burned mine so bad it almost caught fire doing it this way. I like the comment that someone uses a pyrex bowl with a plate on top. I just gave my biggest one away because it is heavy and awkward, now I wish I’d have kept it. I have a “whirly pop” that I use, i like it a lot, it’s just kind of hard to clean. Guess an old fashioned pan is my best bet!