Watch the recipe here:

 

Whether its a bag of already popped corn or a box of microwavable popcorn bags, this Netflix-and-chill snack is commonly sold in non-recyclable plastic.

And as is often the case, the consumer is paying a considerable amount just for the packaging – useless pieces of non-reusable, non-recylable materials that end up in landfill.

Bulk popcorn is very cost effective, my local Whole Foods sells organic, bulk popcorn kernels for $1.79 per pound, or $0.11 per ounce. Two hungry people will eat about 1/3 of a cup of popcorn kernels, which cooks up to about 10 cups of popcorn! (1/3 cup of kernels weighs about 2.6 ounces, so it costs around $0.28 for two people)

At the same store, Arrowhead Mills sells 28 ounces of popcorn kernels for $4.49 ($0.16 per ounce) packaged in a non-recyclable bag. That’s a 45% increase for packaging.

Now compare that to microwavable popcorn. Orville Redenbacher’s Movie Theater Butter Microwave Popcorn, 6-Count goes for $4.59 on Amazon Prime, or $0.76 per bag. The bags are said to contain 2.9 ounces of popcorn kernels, but including the flavoring, the weigh 3.29 ounces. That’s $0.26 per ounce, or $4.19 per pound, more than double the cost of the bulk kernels.

There are two easy ways to pop your kernels: microwaving or stove top. Microwaving requires a paper bag.  I like to reuse the paper bags my bread comes in for this purpose, it works perfectly! If you want to opt for stove top, it only takes a few seconds and a little bit of oil. Find the full instructions below:

Microwave:

Ingredients: 

• 1/3 cup popcorn kernels
• 1 paper bag

Directions:

Pour 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels into a regular lunch-sized paper bag. If you have a smaller paper bag, use less kernels, like 1/8-1/4th a cup.

Fold the top of the bag over onto itself a few times to keep the kernels from popping all over the place.

Microwave on high for about 2 minutes, but stand by. Once the kernels stop popping for more than 2 seconds, it’s ready!

Stove Top:

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup popcorn kernels

Directions:

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a deep cooking pot and turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil starts to shimmer, test the temperature with 2-3 kernels, once they pop, the rest are ready to go in.

Pour 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels into the pot, be careful not to spatter and oil onto yourself! Cover the pot and give it a good shake every 10 seconds or so, like Jiffy pop. Just be careful not to knock off the lid. Once the kernels stop popping for more than a second, they’re ready to serve.

Toppings:

Top with your favorite oils, seasonings and salt. I love adding a bit of nutritional yeast to give it a nutty and subtle cheesy flavor.

Store in a sealed container for up to one week

*BONUS Recipe*

Pop-corn ball recipe – no corn syrup or butter required!