Popcorn: benefits and harms, making homemade popcorn. Corn fried in a frying pan

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.

Popcorn is a wonderful airy cereal that both children and young people love, and even a serious male group will not refuse to crunch on salty popcorn with beer. But you don’t have to buy this delicacy - you can grow special varieties of corn for popcorn and pop it in a frying pan to your heart’s content.

Growing corn for popcorn is not difficult, but you need to know that to get popping corn you need to plant the right varieties, keep the garden in the right condition, and there are some nuances in caring for this crop. We'll talk about them today.

Corn for popcorn: the best varieties

Corn grains used for popcorn have a number of features: they contain little starch, but the fat and protein content is much higher than that of sweet corn. Another secret of popcorn corn is its thin but durable shell, like a varnished shell. It is thanks to this that the grains do not immediately crack when heated, as happens with regular corn. In bursting varieties, the moisture inside the grains expands, the steam is distributed evenly throughout the grain, and at the moment of bursting, the moisture fluffs the pulp. If the corn for popcorn was grown and stored correctly, there will be only 1-2% of unpopped kernels.

Let's look at the most popular varieties of corn for popcorn

Corn for popcorn: variety “Vulcan”

It is a plant up to 2 m high, the cobs are 20-22 cm with yellow grains, shaped like rice. The Vulcan corn variety is good because it is quite resistant to disease, cold and drought, and popcorn made from this corn variety is very tasty.

Corn for popcorn: variety “Burp-burp”

Corn plants of the Lopay-Lopai variety grow 1.5-1.7 m high, the cobs are 18-21 cm long, the corn kernels are yellow, elongated and wide. The variety is considered mid-early - from germination to technical ripeness it takes an average of 85-90 days.

Corn for popcorn: Zeya variety

A very beautiful variety of popping corn with burgundy-red kernels with a rounded top, elongated and wide. Corn plants of the Zeya variety grow up to 1.8 m, the cobs are 18-20 cm long. This is an early ripening variety of corn for popcorn - ripening time is 80 days.

Corn for popcorn: “Ping Pong” variety

Mid-season variety of popping corn with a ripening period of 95-110 days. The ears of corn of the Ping-Pong variety are small - 12-15 cm, but the plant itself is tall - 1.8-2 m. The grains are quite small and yellow.

Corn for popcorn: variety “Gostinets”

The corn plant of this variety is tall - 2-2.2 m, the cobs are large - 20-23 cm, the kernels are yellow. This is a mid-season hybrid with a ripening period of 80 days. The popping corn variety Gostinets is resistant to high temperatures, lodging and drought.

Corn for popcorn: variety “Granddaughter’s Joy”

This is an early ripening variety, ripening period is 78-80 days. Corn plants of the Vnuchkina Joy variety grow up to 1.6 m, the cobs are small - 10-12 cm, the grains are pale orange. The variety is moisture-loving, demanding on soils, but resistant to diseases and very productive.

Corn for popcorn: “Red Popcorn” variety

It is distinguished by low plants about 1.2 m in height, ears 15 cm long with very beautiful mahogany-colored grains. A very popular variety due to its excellent taste and decorative qualities (the cobs are used in flower arrangements).

There is also a lot of varieties of corn for popcorn– choose those that will be suitable for your climate zone (residents of the northern regions should approach their choice especially responsibly, since popping corn is a heat-loving plant).

Corn for popcorn: growing features

Planting corn for popcorn

When planting corn for popcorn, keep in mind that this crop and its root system grow rather slowly, it is strongly suppressed by weeds, and does not like sandy and light soils.

Planting corn on popcorn begins no earlier than May, since during the period from germination to flowering this plant needs heat, and during the period from flowering to ripening, corn needs much less heat. Popping corn is planted in rows according to the pattern 50x50 cm, 40x60 cm or 30x70 cm - according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Place 1 or 2 grains in the hole.

It is best to plant corn for popcorn in beds where potatoes, tomatoes and early crops previously grew. Avoid planting in close proximity to sweet corn to avoid “unnecessary” pollination.

Corn for popcorn: planting care

Growing corn for popcorn will be successful if both harrowing and inter-row cultivation are carried out approximately three times during the growing season. popping corn it is more picky about the content of air and moisture in the soil, and besides, cultivation helps get rid of weeds, which take away a lot of vitality from this type of corn.

Popping corn needs regular watering - about twice a week. If you have the opportunity to organize drip irrigation, you can add mineral fertilizers to the water.

Very important corn feed for popcorn- this is due to the peculiarities of the development of its root system (rather weak). Therefore, the soil must contain many nutrients. Corn for popcorn responds well to both.

So, in the phase of 5-6 leaves, liquid urea or organic matter is used to feed popping corn, before the panicles are released, that is, in the middle of the growing season - nitrophoska or azofoska. Potassium and nitrogen fertilizers are applied during the formation of cobs.

The flowering of popping corn is accompanied by the throwing out of panicles (male inflorescences), and after a couple of days, cobs begin to appear in the leaf axils (female inflorescences). Since corn is wind-pollinated, the plants need to be lightly shaken in calm weather to ensure pollination.

Corn for popcorn: collection and storage of cobs

If you break out popping corn varieties at the stage of milk maturity, it can be eaten like sweet corn - boiled and eaten. However, you won't be able to make popcorn from corn that is pulled so early.

A corn is harvested for popcorn almost at the “seed” stage when the grains “dress” in a glassy shell (depending on the timing of planting - late summer - mid-autumn). The grains on the cobs should be dry (humidity - 15-20%), it is best to store corn directly on the cobs. To ensure that the grains dry evenly, you need to wait until the grains are dry on the root. That is, there is no need to collect damp corn cobs for popcorn and dry them - such raw materials will not explode well. Dry heads of cabbage are broken out, dried for about a month in a cool, dark place (attic, closet) and placed in rag or paper bags.

True, there is a danger of over-drying the grains - This type of popcorn will not tear easily in a frying pan. Then the bag with the cobs is placed for ten days in a more humid place - a cellar or balcony.

How to make popcorn from corn?

To conclude our article, here is a classic, simple recipe for making corn popcorn.

To begin, take a deep frying pan (popcorn will just pop out of a shallow frying pan), pour in about 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil, pour enough corn onto the popcorn so that it covers the bottom. You can do less, but not more. Now quickly cover the pan with a lid and wait until the “corn burst” ends. After the pops stop coming from the frying pan - after about a minute - remove the lid, add salt, or sugar, or any other spices. Corn popcorn is ready!

So don’t be afraid to experiment - an ordinary garden plant, with its own demands and needs. But you can provide your entire family and relatives with cheap, nutritious and long-storable delicacies in the form of “semi-finished products” ( corn for popcorn can be stored for 3-4 years without losing its explosive properties).

Tatyana Kuzmenko, member of the editorial board, correspondent of the online publication "AtmAgro. Agro-industrial Bulletin"

Adults love this delicacy, and children are simply delighted with it. We can say that a Sunday holiday in the park with children cannot be imagined without a bucket of popcorn, just like watching movies in the cinema.
To be sure of the quality of the product, it is better to make it yourself. To do this, you need to know all the features of the process and, in particular, which corn is most suitable for popcorn.

Making popcorn itself is not difficult. Purchased or selected grains are heated in a large, deep frying pan until the shell breaks. The main thing here is not to overcook and not burn the dish.
For lovers of popcorn who cook it constantly and in large quantities, special devices have been created to facilitate this process.

What you will need

You can cook corn in different ways, using different equipment.

• Popcorn machine. It is equipped with a plate that controls the temperature inside by constantly stirring the grain. As a result, the product is homogeneous and does not burn;
• A machine whose operating principle is based on the supply of hot air. It is fed into the lower holes. Finished grains are discharged into an attached container;
• A cauldron with a long handle. This is a fairly old device that has been used by chefs for centuries. Of course, cooking in it requires skill, otherwise the grains will burn. In addition, it requires a lot of vegetable oil, which is not very healthy.

Popcorn machine

How to cook

A couple of hours before cooking, you need to put the grain in the freezer. It should be removed when the pan is already hot. A sudden change in temperature will cause the corn to burst quickly.
A little oil is poured into the frying pan, which is distributed over the entire surface of the dish so that all the corn is covered with a small layer of oil.
Homemade popcorn should be quickly poured into bowls to prevent it from burning.

Important! You need to act carefully, because popping corn can fly all over the kitchen.

This is a very economical product. After all, from a small handful of grains you get a whole mountain of airy delicacy. The corn is ready, just sprinkle it with fine salt or powdered sugar and you can enjoy its taste.
The calorie content of such a dish is quite high, so you shouldn’t get carried away with it, especially for people who care about their health.

Benefits and harms

The corn from which popcorn is made contains a large number of useful substances, such as:

• Fast carbohydrates.
• Vitamins of groups B1 and B2.
• Microelements.
• Antioxidants.

They have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the digestive tract, the condition of the skin, hair and nails, as well as the heart and blood vessels. However, you should not overuse this dish. This can lead to breathing problems and weight gain.

The most popular varieties of corn for popcorn

To prepare a truly high-quality dish, you need to know what kind of corn is needed for popcorn. Compared to regular grains, these varieties should be high in fat and protein and low in starch. The shell of their grains is thinner and breaks easily when heated. And they also contain a lot of moisture, which, when heated, is converted into steam, breaking the structure of the grain into a foamy mass.
The most popular varieties of puffed corn are:

• Gobble, gobble. Medium early variety. It has elongated yellow grains.
• Hotel. The plant is tall with large ears, resistant to sudden temperature changes and lodging. It is a mid-early variety.
• Ping pong. It has small ears with small grains. Belongs to mid-early cultures.
• Granddaughter's joy. An early ripening plant with small cobs. It has high yields, but does not grow well in poor soils and dry weather.
• Red popcorn. The grains have a very beautiful, rich red color with excellent taste. Even the name of the variety says that this crop has high decorative properties.

Gobble-gobble

Important! To understand which corn is suitable for growing popcorn, you need to study the composition of its grains. If the fat and protein content of the grain is more than 21%, it is suitable for preparing this dish.

Features of growing and caring for crops

The main stages of growing corn for popcorn are identical to caring for a conventional crop. However, there are still some features:

• slow development of the root system;
• the need for constant weeding;
• correct choice of soil.

This type of corn is planted in early May. The seed or seedling method is suitable. The distance between neighboring plants should be at least half a meter. Another condition for obtaining a good harvest is compliance with the rules of crop rotation. You can’t plant it in one place for several years. The best predecessor is nightshade crops.

Important: To prevent cross-pollination, two varieties of corn cannot be planted side by side: for popcorn and for regular consumption.

• To grow corn for popcorn, several conditions must be met:
• Harrow the area before planting.
• Cultivate between rows at least three times per season.
• If necessary, carry out regular watering.
• Periodically feed the plants with mineral fertilizers.

Granddaughter's joy

In retail you can find popcorn in the form of a semi-finished product. Just throw it into a frying pan and fry. This is an absolute advantage. However, very often it contains many harmful substances. Therefore, it is best to grow such corn on your own plot.
Harvesting begins after the ears have fully ripened. At the stage of milk maturity, it will not make popcorn.
After harvesting, the grain is dried for about a month in a dry and cool place and then stored in cotton or paper bags.
Just like raw, overdried grains are difficult to burst when frying. The problem can be solved by leaving them in a damp place for a week.
These are the main features of choosing and growing corn for popcorn on a farm. If you take them into account, you can get a wonderful harvest of ripe cobs and enjoy popcorn all winter.

Corn is a very valuable food product originally from distant Mexico. Corn has gone through a rather complex selection path - from a plant with tiny cobs up to 5 cm in size to a huge variety of varieties and species of this plant. One of the varieties of corn is corn for popcorn. Indian tribes were the first to discover this unusual property of popping corn more than five thousand years ago. Our country learned about popcorn only at the beginning of the twentieth century. Popcorn differs from regular corn in the shape of the grain and its density. Corn for popcorn is sold in supermarkets, but it can also be easily grown at home if you have a plot of land. For the production of popcorn, grains that are carefully sorted and dried, without deformations and pests, are suitable. In appearance, these are ordinary corn kernels of a rounded small shape; depending on the variety, the color can be from yellow to dark brown. Popcorn is cooked at a temperature of at least 175 degrees in a closed form. Popcorn is a great treat for children and adults.

The benefits of corn for popcorn

Corn has a very powerful chemical composition. This is a very healthy and nutritious product for humans. Corn is an excellent fighter against cancer cells, perfectly helps the body slow down the aging process, has a positive effect on bone tissue, has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, accelerates metabolic processes, and enriches the composition of the blood. Corn is also an excellent dietary product; even if you are on a diet, a handful of popcorn is quite acceptable as a dessert. Popcorn corn has a cleansing effect. This product is also a wonderful antioxidant. If popcorn is prepared without the use of various additives, then this product can be safely classified as a healthy food item.

Harm and contraindications

Speaking about the dangers of corn for popcorn, it should be noted that corn itself has virtually no harmful effects on the body, but the additives used in the production of popcorn are very harmful to humans. It is not recommended to include corn in the diet for people with poor blood clotting or individual intolerance.

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.