Have you been microwaving your popcorn wrong this whole time? Little-known heating trick could be to blame for all of those leftover corn kernels
- FEMAIL has discovered the correct way to microwave your popcorn packets
- On the back of the packet there are a number of ‘hints’ for first-time makers
- One of them says to ‘preheat the microwave by heating a cup of water first’
- By doing this for one minute the microwave will already be warm for the popcorn
- This should prevent leftover unpopped corn kernels from remaining in the bag
If you place a bag of popcorn into the microwave before ‘preheating’ the microwave itself then you’re not getting the best results from your corn kernels.
Most microwave popcorn devotees are more focused on the time they leave their bag inside for, there is another way to avoid unpopped popcorn.
A small sentence on the back of most packages reads: ‘For best results, preheat the microwave oven by heating a cup of water for one minute on high. Remove the cup of water before popping corn’.
If you place a bag of popcorn into the microwave before ‘preheating’ the microwave itself then you’re not getting the best results from your corn kernels
Most microwave popcorn devotees are more worried about the time they leave their bag inside for but there is another way to avoid unpopped popcorn
By following this important step the microwave will be warm before you begin, ensuring the popcorn will come out nice and fluffy once you cook it.
It’s a trick not many people are aware of, and only became known to the reporter when she struggled to get her own bag of popcorn to pop evenly.
There are other ‘popping hints’ on the back of the bag worth noting, including raising the popcorn off the microwave oven floor by placing an inverted dish under the bag.
This brings the bag in line with the microwave ‘heater’, ensuring the whole bag is warmed at the same time.
It also says that stopping and starting the microwave while popping can bring about poor results.
There are other ‘popping hints’ on the back of the bag worth noting, including raising the popcorn off the microwave oven floor by placing an inverted dish under the bag
It also says that stopping and starting the microwave while popping can bring about poor results
‘Shake bag before opening for even salt distribution. For crispier popcorn, pour contents of the bag into another serving bowl after popping,’ the hints continued.
Depending on your microwave, the bag can pop for between one minute and 15 seconds and five minutes, so it’s worth noting when you get a perfect batch how long it took to cook.
‘Because microwave ovens vary listen carefully and stop the microwave when rapid popping slows to two to three seconds between pops,’ the packet read.
Finally, the bag should be opened away from the face to avoid steam hitting your skin and by pulling the top corners on either side.