Description
Homemade kettle corn blends sweet and salty flavors in a classic fair-style snack. Crunchy kernels coated with sugar and salt create an irresistible treat you’ll want to share with friends.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ cup (120 ml) corn kernels
- ⅓ cup (66 g) white sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- ¼ to ½ tsp (1.25 to 2.5 g) salt
Instructions
- Preparation: Position a large, heavy-bottomed pot on medium-high heat, dropping in vegetable oil and three test kernels to verify optimal cooking temperature.
- Kernel Activation: Once test kernels pop, swiftly introduce remaining popcorn kernels and granulated sugar, distributing evenly across pot’s surface and immediately covering with a tight lid.
- Dynamic Heating: Continuously agitate pot over heat source, ensuring constant motion to prevent sugar caramelization and guarantee uniform kernel expansion, maintaining vigorous shaking until popping intervals slow to 2-3 seconds.
- Cooling and Seasoning: Transfer hot kettle corn into a spacious serving vessel, cautiously navigating the molten sugar coating, then delicately sprinkle kosher salt across the batch, gently separating any clustered pieces to achieve consistent flavor distribution.
- Resting Phase: Allow kettle corn to stabilize for 2-3 minutes, permitting sugar coating to solidify and reducing potential burning risks before serving.
Notes
- Prevent Sugar Burning: Constant pot shaking is crucial to distribute heat evenly and avoid caramelization of sugar, which can create bitter or burnt flavors.
- Test Kernel Technique: Using 3 initial kernels helps determine perfect oil temperature, ensuring precise and consistent popping without scorching.
- Handle with Caution: The sugar coating becomes extremely hot during cooking, so allow 2-3 minutes cooling time to prevent potential mouth burns and let the sweet glaze solidify.
- Salt Distribution Matters: Sprinkle salt immediately after popping and gently break sugar clusters to guarantee balanced seasoning throughout the entire batch of kettle corn.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg