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Making popcorn at home with a large saucepan is easy and cheap, will save you a bundle on a popcorn maker or microwave popcorn, and is also a lot of fun!

Ingredients

  • A pack of maize/corn kernels
  • Oil or butter
  1. How.com.vn English: Step 1 Buy a bag of dry maize kernels.
    You can get this from most supermarkets nowadays, and it's easy to find at ethnic stores too. The bigger bag you buy, the more money you'll save in the long term.
  2. How.com.vn English: Step 2 Select your biggest saucepan with a lid (a see - through one makes all the difference!
    ), put it on the stove and drizzle a small amount of oil on the bottom. If you have an oil spray pump, spray the sides too.[1]
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  3. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Make Popcorn in a Pan
    Remember how big your average piece of popcorn is and use that to work out how many will comfortably fit in your pan.
  4. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Make Popcorn in a Pan
  5. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Make Popcorn in a Pan
    [2]
  6. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Make Popcorn in a Pan
    DO NOT TAKE OFF THE LID WHILST THE HEAT IS ON AND POPCORN IS POPPING. When the noise dies down to only 1 or 2 pops every few seconds, turn the heat off and remove the pan from the stove.[3]
  7. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Make Popcorn in a Pan
    Your popcorn should be good and done, so take off the lid. You will smell the buttery aroma.
  8. How.com.vn English: Step 8 If you want sweet popcorn, take sugar or Splenda and sprinkle it over the popcorn (still in the pan).
    Put the lid back on and give it a gentle shake. The oil should allow the sugar to stick well to the kernels.[4]
  9. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Make Popcorn in a Pan
  10. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Make Popcorn in a Pan
  11. How.com.vn English: Step 11 Finished.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How can I make the popcorn yellow?
    How.com.vn English: Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Melt some butter and pour it on top of the popcorn.
  • Question
    What can I do about unpopped kernels?
    How.com.vn English: Community Answer
    Community Answer
    You should just avoid eating them and throw them out. If they didn't pop the first time around, they most likely won't pop if you try again.
  • Question
    Why do my kernels sometimes burn?
    How.com.vn English: Community Answer
    Community Answer
    The pan may be too hot, which has resulted in some scorching. It may help to turn down the temperature down.
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      Tips

      • If you want butter, melt the butter in the pan first instead of using oil.
      • If a lot of the corn didn't pop, chances are you didn't put enough oil in, used too low a heat, or put too much corn in.
      • Popping in stainless steel cookware can be tricky to get the heating right without burning, so its best to test a small sample in the pan first, or use a heat diffuser.
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      Warnings

      • If you take the lid off whilst the pan is on the hob, hot, oil - covered popcorn will fly all over the place.
      • Hot oil and hot pans and cooker hobs are hot. Be especially careful if you're making the popcorn for children.
      • Don't try to make toffee popcorn at home. Chances are you will not succeed in anything but setting the kitchen on fire.
      • Don't make a second batch in the pan if you put sugar or salt in there.
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      Things You'll Need

      • A big pan
      • A big pan lid

      About This Article

      Tested by:
      How.com.vn Test Kitchen
      How.com.vn is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 49 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 483,044 times.
      2 votes - 100%
      Co-authors: 49
      Updated: February 2, 2024
      Views: 483,044
      Article SummaryX

      If you want to make popcorn in a pan, drizzle a small amount of oil on the bottom of a large saucepan with a lid. Add 2 small handfuls of dried popcorn kernels to the pan and turn the stove to medium heat, then quickly cover the pan with a lid. Soon, you’ll begin to hear the popcorn popping, but do not lift the lid to check. When the noise dies down to 1 or 2 pops every few seconds, remove the pan from the heat, uncover the pan, and enjoy! Keep reading to learn different ways to season your popcorn, like how to make it sweet!

      Did this summary help you?

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 483,044 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • How.com.vn English: Katiba Brian

        Katiba Brian

        Nov 19, 2022

        "I have tried and it actually worked."
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