Today, any place associated with public recreation is associated with popcorn. The caramel smell of warm puffed corn attracts not only children, but also adults, so retail outlets with special machines are never empty. Children can eat several servings at a time, so parents ask themselves the question: “Is popcorn healthy?” The benefits and harms of this product have become the cause of ongoing debate about how safe such food is, so it is worth understanding the issue in more detail and finding the answer.

What is popcorn?

Popcorn is a dish that is prepared by cooking individual kernels of a certain type of corn. Each grain contains liquid starch, which, when heated to 200 degrees, explodes the shell. The foamy mass instantly hardens, which is why the volume of popcorn is much greater than the volume of raw materials.

Properties of popcorn

If the grains are prepared without additives, then the calorie content of 100 grams will be about 300 kcal. The Indians fried popcorn in spices, and today many not entirely healthy ingredients are added to the dish: salt, flavorings, dyes and flavor enhancers. The amount of salt or sugar that one grain may contain is undesirable even for an adult, let alone a child. And a product with caramel can harm a child’s body. When parents buy popcorn, the benefits and harms of it should be assessed by them from the point of view of the basics of proper nutrition.

What kind of popcorn should you eat?

Corn grains, prepared without harmful additives and an abundance of spices, sugar and salt, are rather a healthy product. It contains B vitamins and polyphenols, which help the body tissues maintain youth. A large amount of fiber helps fight excess weight and also cleanses the intestines.

The dangers of popcorn that tastes too sweet or salty are undeniable. This product should be consumed in small doses and very rarely. In addition, after using it you are very thirsty. Large amounts of liquid can cause swelling, especially if it is sweet soda. Such nutrition is the first step to obesity and diabetes.

What are the benefits of popcorn?

Many novice cooks are interested in what popcorn is made from. Fried corn kernels are an independent dish that contains all the necessary elements and a sufficient amount of calories. Therefore, in order not to get additional folds of fat, you need to eat popcorn in small portions.

Thanks to vitamin B1, this snack is good for the condition of nails and hair. It also normalizes metabolism and the functioning of the heart and blood vessels. This product is especially useful for people of retirement age, athletes and those who receive physical activity.

Vitamin B2, which is contained in popcorn, is indispensable for stress and depression. It helps overcome these conditions and has a beneficial effect on the body as a whole. If you consume roasted grains in their pure form, they will only bring benefits.

What's wrong with popcorn?

People need to remember that the effect of this product on the body depends solely on how it is prepared. In retail outlets it is offered with flavor enhancers, synthetic ingredients and caramel, and you can also try salted popcorn.

The buyer has the opportunity to choose a snack to suit every taste, but it is better to give preference to one that contains a minimum amount of additives. Otherwise, popcorn will turn into a rather dangerous product.

For those who are wondering whether to buy popcorn, the benefits and harms are important criteria for making a decision. American scientists have proven that consuming the product in large quantities provokes the development of many diseases.

The healthiest popcorn is homemade!

Today, buying puffed corn is not difficult. Retail outlets offer customers various types of popcorn. But the benefits of such a product are very doubtful. It's much better to make popcorn at home. Some people think that this is a very difficult process, but in reality it is not so. It is enough to purchase special dry grains that are used to make popcorn. The package should be placed in a microwave oven or the product should be fried in a dry frying pan. Of course, it is better to give up salt, sugar and seasonings completely, but if you wish, you can add salt or sweeten just a little so that the body does not experience stress.

Using your imagination, you can give the dish a new and unusual taste by sprinkling it with something on top, for example, powdered sugar or grated cheese. Italians add tomato paste and basil to ready-roasted grains.

Some experts believe that popcorn can be harmful to humans, since when diacetyl is heated, special substances are formed. These are flavorings in oil, they are used in cooking.

How to cook popcorn?

To please your family, you can prepare a healthy treat at home. What is popcorn made from and what raw materials are needed? You need to purchase natural corn, and before cooking it, you should put the grains in the freezer for several hours. Place it in the pan when it is very hot. It is important that there is a sharp temperature change, then the explosion of the grains will be very strong, they will practically turn inside out.

Making popcorn involves a little finesse. When the grains are laid out, it is better to remove the frying pan from the heat and then quickly pour in any oil, one spoon is enough. To ensure that they are all covered with a film, you need to twist the vessel.

Then you should immediately return it to the heat and cover with a lid. It is not removed until the cracking sound of popping grains stops. For the treat to be beneficial, you need to season it with a small amount of salt or sugar, without using chemical additives.

Another useful recipe

Many people worry about whether popcorn is safe. The benefits and harms are easily assessed if you make the snack yourself. It is better to cook the puffed grains correctly right away. To do this you will need fine salt and frozen butter. It requires approximately 40 g per 100 g of corn. The dishes should be heated and the product and salt should be added there. After all the grains have fully opened, they need to be removed from the heat and sprinkled with shavings of butter while they are hot. It is worth remembering that even homemade popcorn should be eaten in small quantities.

Most of the goodies that children cannot live without are, if not downright harmful, then at best conditionally useful. A pleasant exception in their environment is popcorn, or in our opinion, popcorn, which can be fried at home without any special difficulties or equipment. It turns out to be completely inexpensive, fast, and most importantly - healthy, because the starch in which it is rich, after being heat treated, is easily digestible.

Roasted corn is also very profitable from an economic point of view. So, to fill a 4-liter container with flavored popcorn, you only need 100 g of corn kernels and a couple of tablespoons of any vegetable oil. This favorite delicacy of movie lovers takes just a few minutes to prepare.

A little history

It turns out that the ancient inhabitants of Mexico, the Aztecs, knew how to make popcorn. Of course, they did not cook it in frying pans, which had not yet been invented.

Everything was much simpler: corn grains were covered with very hot sand. The seeds could not withstand the high temperature and “exploded” from the inside. Then the sand was sifted using a sieve and delicate white “flowers” ​​were selected. They ate them, brought them to the gods and made supplies from them. Primitive fashionistas decorated their clothes and hair with them.

Microwave or frying pan?

It depends on how convenient it is for anyone. The main thing is the result, and it, that is, crispy puffed corn with a salty or sweet taste, turns out the same.

You can see how popcorn is made from corn at any city festival: someone will put out a popper, that is, a machine for making this delicacy. Its operating principle is high temperature and pressure. It works in the microwave too, and in a frying pan - in any closed vessel that can be heated sufficiently. The main thing is that it closes well.

Special varieties are used. Cobs suitable for popcorn are quite easy to recognize: they are much smaller in size than regular ones, and the kernels themselves are oblong in shape with a pointed top. Corn kernels are very small and much harder. This is due to the skin that envelops each of them: it is quite hard, but even it bursts, unable to withstand the pressure of water vapor.

Where do they come from in corn? From the grains themselves: in the starch-rich core there is water, which, when heated, turns into steam and seeks release. So he literally turns the corn kernels inside out, turning them into beautiful and tasty “flowers.”

The question arises: how to make popcorn from ordinary corn and is it possible? Of course, it’s real, and the delicacy it makes is even more airy. But to prepare it, you need a special unit. At home, doing this is quite problematic. Therefore, popcorn requires special corn. It can be found in a supermarket or at the market, so to speak, on hand.

Popcorn: preparation

What you can't do without:

— without a microwave (frying pan, cast iron);

— containers for mixing finished fried corn;

- corn grains;

— butter (you can use any vegetable or melted butter);

- salt (powdered sugar).

In the microwave

Popping corn in the microwave is quick and completely easy.

1. Take some corn cobs. There is no need to wash them - the sterility of the product will be ensured by high temperature.
2. The grains must be pulled from the cob.
3. Pour oil into the pan at the rate of 4 tablespoons per 4 liter container.
4. We put the grains there.
5. Close the lid and place the pan in the microwave.
6. When the timer goes off, take out a container filled with delicious popcorn. All that remains is to salt it or add powdered sugar - whichever you like best.

* Cook's Tips
— The number of grains per stack in the microwave oven depends on the size of the glass saucepan (special dishes for the microwave).
— We make the calculation based on the fact that 25 g after frying takes up a volume of 1 liter.

If the microwave power is 800 watts, the popcorn will cook in just 4 minutes.

Corn fried in a frying pan

Finally, how to fry corn without a microwave oven.

1. You need a frying pan with a thick bottom and high sides, or even better, a cast iron.
2. Pour oil into it at the rate of 3 dessert spoons (if the container is within 1.5 liters).
3. Pour the grains – a 50-gram glass – into well-heated butter and immediately cover with a lid.
4. If a “cannonade” begins underneath it, that is, cracking of the grains, the process is proceeding correctly. As soon as it is finished, remove the frying pan (cast iron) from the heat.
5. Carefully pour the finished roasted corn into a plate with salt or sweet powder.

* Cook's Tips
— It is best to heat the frying pan over medium-intensity heat;
— It is best to mix ready-made and slightly cooled popcorn with salt or powder in a regular food bag.

Now we know how to make popcorn from corn, so to speak, without leaving the stove or microwave. There is absolutely nothing complicated about preparing this healthy delicacy. And for it to be the most delicious, it must be shared with friends!

Adults and children love to crunch on delicious, fluffy popcorn. But you can go to the store for this delicacy not only - if you buy special varieties of corn, you can grow it on your own plot. But what varieties of corn are suitable for making popcorn, and how to grow this crop correctly?

Description and review of popcorn corn varieties

The corn kernels from which popcorn is made contain a small amount of starch, but there is more fat and protein in such varieties compared to sweet corn.

Another feature of these grains is the presence of a thin but durable, as if varnished, shell. It is this that prevents the grains from cracking immediately after heating, as happens with other varieties of corn.

Popping varieties contain moisture, which turns into steam when heated. Filling the grain, steam, when it breaks, helps transform the pulp into a foamy mass. As it cools, it hardens and becomes hard and crispy. Proper cultivation and storage of corn for popcorn allows you to achieve a minimum number of unpopped grains.

The most popular varieties of puffed corn include:

Growing rules and storage

One thing to keep in mind is that popcorn corn will not grow well in light or sandy soils. Plant roots develop slowly and are strongly suppressed by weeds.

It is recommended to plant seeds in the ground in early to mid-May, when the weather is warm. 1-2 grains are thrown into one hole, the distance between holes should be 50 cm, between rows - 60 cm.

This crop grows best after potatoes and tomatoes. If you have sweet corn on your property, then the popcorn variety should be placed as far away from it as possible to avoid unwanted pollination.

Young plants need to be watered at least 1-2 times a week, since the crop is very demanding of moisture.

Another feature of it is its requirement for fertilizing. Due to its relatively weak root system, the soil in which plants grow needs to be enriched with nutrients - organic and mineral fertilizers.

Harvesting is carried out after the grains have hardened and become covered with a glassy shell. At the milk stage, the cobs can be broken off and cooked like sweet corn. But you won’t be able to make popcorn from young grains yet.

Bean storage

Proper storage determines how the grains will explode during cooking.

Harvesting for subsequent storage is necessary only after the cobs are completely dry - this will ensure uniform drying of the grains. Under no circumstances should you pick the cobs raw. Broken heads of cabbage need to be dried for a month in a dark, cool place - in the attic or in a closet.

After a month, the cobs are put into bags made of cotton fabric or made of thick paper.

It is necessary to take into account that grains that are too dry will not break easily during cooking. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to place overdried heads of cabbage for a week in a room with high humidity, for example, in a basement.

Cooking popcorn and its properties for the body

The easiest way to make popcorn is to heat the grains in a frying pan or other suitable container. To prepare large portions of popcorn, special devices are used:

Before cooking, it is recommended to place the grains in the freezer for 1.5-2 hours, and after removing them from the freezer, immediately place them on a hot frying pan. This will make it possible to achieve a sharp temperature difference, and, accordingly, rapid and powerful rupture of grains.

Cooked corn must be quickly removed from the pan, first removing it from the heat. You need to pour 1-2 tablespoons of oil into the frying pan and tilt it in different directions several times so that all the grains are covered with an oil film.

Popcorn has a fairly good yield when cooked - one handful of kernels yields a large bowl of finished product. Sprinkle the cooked popcorn with powdered salt or powdered sugar. It is better not to use all kinds of chemical seasonings.

When cooking in the microwave, the beans are poured into a paper bag, sealed and placed in the oven. There are dishes that were specially designed for cooking popcorn in the microwave, which can withstand the required temperature. This product is cooked at 200 degrees, and if you use a container that is not designed for such temperature loads, it will most likely be damaged.

The health benefits and harms of popcorn

Popcorn is regular corn enriched with fiber, which has a beneficial effect on the digestive system. The usefulness of the product lies in its rich composition:

Vitamin B1 helps normalize the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, improve the metabolic process, and the condition of nails and hair. Vitamin B2 normalizes the functioning of the nervous system, so popcorn is useful for stress and nervous disorders. Antioxidants prevent the development of cancer and heart disease.

However, it must be taken into account that consuming this product in large quantities can lead to the development of respiratory diseases due to the diacetyl flavoring content present in the oil. In addition, regularly eating large portions of popcorn can cause excess weight.

Therefore, it is recommended to cook popcorn yourself, without adding harmful seasonings. 100 g of popcorn, generously sprinkled with sugar syrup, contains 400-450 kcal, which means it is not advisable to eat it too often. However, it is best to replace unhealthy snacks such as chips and salted nuts with popcorn.

Often, when entering a cinema or entertainment center, we buy ourselves a whole bucket popcorn. It’s delicious, and the movie (or show) seems more interesting. This filling, low-calorie product can be prepared at home.

The best varieties

Everyone knows what popcorn is made from. From corn. But not everyone knows that Not every variety is suitable for its preparation. The grains should burst easily when fried, have good taste and the airiness inherent in popcorn.

Corn for cooking and canning is called sugar corn. It contains more starch, the shell of the grains is dense and when heated, it immediately cracks without opening. Puffed corn kernels accordingly contain less starch; The film on them is thin, but durable. Therefore, they do not burst immediately and “puff up” perfectly.

How to make popcorn from such corn, Let's look at it below.

The best varieties for preparing delicacies are considered to be “Vulcan”, “Lopai-Lopai”, “Zeya”, “Ping-Pong”, “Gostinets”, “Vnuchkina Joy” and others.

The variety is a heat-loving plant, resistant to. The variety is mid-early, productive. Plant height up to 2 meters. The yellow grains have an oval, rice-like shape. The length of the cobs is about 15-22 cm. You can get up to 100-120 g of grain from one cob. This variety is also called "Volcano depraved" or "Volcano bursting."

"Gobble-gobble"

"Gobble-gobble"- mid-early, high-yielding. The plant is slightly lower in height than other varieties - 130-170 cm. The grains are yellow, wide, elongated. The cobs are cylindrical, weighing about 200-250 g.

"Zeya"

"Zeya"- early ripening variety. 80 days after planting, you can harvest. Everything is similar to other varieties, except for the grains. They are burgundy or dark red in color, wide, rounded on one side, pointed on the other.

"Ping pong"

"Ping pong"- mid-early variety. Ready for harvesting approximately 100-110 days after planting. It has short, up to 15 cm, cobs and small yellow grains.

Early variety, ready for harvest in 80 days. Its peculiarity is its high drought resistance and resistance to lodging. It tolerates high temperatures easily, so it can be grown in dry, hot regions. The plant reaches a height of more than 2 m. The cobs are about 20 cm long. The grains are yellow, pearl-shaped.

"Granddaughter's Joy"

"Granddaughter's Joy"- a variety similar to “Zeya”, early ripening. Only it has small ears, up to 12 cm. Shoots up to 1.5 m, the grains are light orange. It has high productivity. Corn of this variety is moisture-loving, does not tolerate drought well, grows and yields only on well-fertilized soil.

U "Red popcorn" A distinctive feature is low shoots, only up to 110-120 cm. This is also an early variety. It is also distinguished by its beautiful ears, small, only 5-10 cm, similar to red grains. The taste is excellent.

Did you know?- the main food of Mexicans and Indians.

Features of cultivation

To make popcorn at home, you first need to grow corn. Anyone can do this on their own site. All you need is optimal conditions and, of course, desire.

Corn is grown on any soil, except sandy and particularly loose soil. The plant is tall, it needs to take root firmly, but on such soils this is difficult. The crop is most often grown in the steppe and forest-steppe climatic zones, because all varieties are heat-loving. The winds in this area are strong. On weak soil, plants may “lodging”, which will negatively affect the development of the shoot and, consequently, the yield.

Landing

One of the first conditions for successfully growing popcorn corn is planting in well-warmed soil. This means planting is in May (although everything depends on the weather).

First we prepare the soil. Let's start with an analysis of the soil and its “predecessors”.

We have already talked about soil. You can add here that the crop does not tolerate soaking, so alumina in the lowlands is also not suitable.

Everyone knows that corn cannot be planted in the same place. It will grow well after, etc. The area for planting should be such that it can accommodate 4-5 rows. The yield of a crop, if it is planted in 1 row, falls.

Before planting, you can apply for every 10 square meters a day before planting. m. about 150 g. The soil needs to be loosened to a depth of 10 cm and cultivated. There shouldn’t be any on it, otherwise the corn will take a long time to break through them. He might even die.

In addition, the grains need to be prepared for planting. First of all, they need to be soaked. To do this, they are placed in warm water with the addition of (slightly pinkish in color) and kept for a day. The grains have time to swell.

Plant directly into the ground (without growing seedlings) with mandatory watering. The best method for the crop is a square nest method of 50 cm by 50 cm. 3-4 grains are placed in a hole, watered and sprinkled with 2-3 cm of soil. Shoots will appear in 10-12 days.

Important! Sweet corn and popcorn should not grow side by side to avoid cross-pollination.

Care

The culture does not require special care. Frequent watering may only be necessary for moisture-loving varieties. In other cases, one watering per week at the root will be sufficient.

For high yield required 3-4 weeks after germination - organic matter. Before the emergence of “tassels” - During the formation of cobs - and

As already mentioned, weeds are the enemy of culture. You will have to weed the rows and aisles 3-4 times during the summer. The Swedish fly and corn borer can also spoil the harvest. Products purchased in a specialized store will help you deal with them.

Corn is wind pollinated. If the weather is calm, then you can shake the stems when pollen appears on the panicles and embryos of the cobs in the leaf axils.

Collection and storage of cobs

You need to collect the cobs only when when they are well dried on the stems. Previously not recommended. If the cobs are collected raw and they do not dry out on the “root”, this will affect the opening of the grains. But we grow them precisely in order to get puffed corn.

If collected and stored correctly, the disclosure rate will be 95%.

You need to pick the cobs from the stems in the “clothing”; we will remove it immediately before storing it. After harvesting, the heads of cabbage need to be kept for another month in a cool and very dry place, then loaded into fabric or paper bags. You also need to store cobs (namely cobs, not grains) in a cool, dry place.

Important! Consumption of corn is contraindicated in case of gastric and duodenal ulcers, thrombophlebitis and increased blood clotting, low body weight and anorexia.

Making popcorn. Recipe

Next, we’ll take a closer look at how we can make popcorn at home. It turns out that this is much easier than cooking regular soup or making our own pizza, which is already familiar to us. Moreover, contrary to the assurances of household appliance manufacturers, we will not need either a special machine or a microwave. You need a cast iron pot with a volume of one and a half liters, or an ordinary frying pan and a gas stove.

Many people do not trust so-called “convenience foods”, which is why they even prefer to make popcorn at home. In principle, it turns out just as tasty, but you need to tinker a little with preparing this everyone’s favorite dish. What secrets you need to know and what technique is best to follow can be found below. So, let's try to answer the main question, how to make popcorn from corn so that the homemade product is no different from the store-bought one. The first step is to choose the right main ingredient, and use only a special exploding variety of corn; otherwise the dish simply won’t work. Plus, it's important to remember that the popping variety has a very large final yield, as a handful of raw corn provides a large bowl of delicious popcorn.

So, having finally decided on the type of corn, you can start preparing the dish itself. To do this, you will need a little vegetable oil and a deep frying pan with a lid, as well as free time and a desire to please your household. First of all, you need to heat the frying pan over a fire, then carefully pour a tablespoon of the vegetable base into it and wait until it starts to boil. Then add enough raw corn so that it covers only the bottom of the pan and does not crowd the neighboring kernels too much. Quickly cover the lid and listen. Within a few seconds, the grains will begin to explode with a roar, reminiscent of military operations. However, when they finally subside, you can consider that the popcorn is ready and feel free to remove the hermetically sealed lid from the hot frying pan.

So the answer to the main question of how to make popcorn from corn is extremely simple, the main thing is to simply select the right food ingredients and adhere to certain cooking requirements. For example, you need to understand that it will take time to create delicious popcorn, since it takes several batches to get a large bowl of “popcorn”. If the oil is once again absorbed or evaporated, then you should definitely pour a new portion into the pan, otherwise the popcorn may burn, completely ruining the taste of the finished dish. As for the frying pan, there are two main nuances here: firstly, choose a model only with high sides, and secondly, the lid must close tightly so that the popcorn does not fly all over the kitchen. Well, the choice of corn variety has already been discussed above.

There are simply no other ways to make popcorn from corn in modern cooking, and the above recipe for making “puffed corn” is known to every schoolchild and his parents. However, it is quite possible to change the very taste of the finished dish, based on the taste preferences of all household members. For example, for those with a “sweet tooth,” you can always sprinkle it with the right amount of powdered sugar, but for those who don’t like sweets, lightly salted popcorn is more suitable. To do this, you just need to use extra salt to taste, which is sure to be found in any kitchen. It is not recommended to use any sweet or savory fillings for this dish, since the popping corn used is already very tasty and aromatic. So there is no need for any frills.

In any case, before making popcorn from corn, it is recommended to remember some tricks and patterns. Firstly, it is strictly forbidden to use butter and margarine, since the grains based on such an oil will not open. Secondly, you shouldn’t hope that all the corn in the pan will explode, but the number of unopened grains depends entirely on the quantity and quality of the natural product used. Thirdly, it is best to use pre-dried corn kernels to make popcorn. Lastly, unopened kernels can still turn into popcorn, but how do you do this? You just need to place them in water, but, as many years of practice have shown, these actions are absolutely useless and ineffective. So it’s better to get rid of unopened grains.

Modern Americans prefer to eat not just popcorn, but popcorn with sweet caramel, and this dish “abroad” received the funny name “crunch munch”. To prepare it, you also need to heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan, preferably under a covered glass lid. After it starts to boil and foam slightly, you need to add a few dessert spoons of granulated sugar to the pan and wait until it completely dissolves and a homogeneous caramel is formed. Next, you need to act immediately, before the prepared “filling” hardens: while hot, pour all the caramel onto the pre-fried popcorn and mix thoroughly so that each “lamb” is sweetened. In just a couple of minutes you can taste the finished dish.

It is worth noting that every country has its own favorite flavor of popcorn, which both adults and children simply adore. For example, the French mix rosemary, sea salt and dried tarragon as a filling; Germans most like the taste of popcorn with bacon; Yankees love sweet popcorn, but Italians prefer to eat this delicacy with various sauces, “to suit everyone,” so to speak. So now every gourmet can choose an unforgettable taste of “puffed corn” to enjoy while watching a movie.