We had a box of Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn in the basement, and I was wondering if it was genetically modified corn. I checked the website one time and it said, “Exclusive hybrids…that’s our 40-year passion for whole-grain perfection.” I found their phone number and called customer service and the woman eventually admitted it was genetically modified corn. Orville Redenbacher is now a ConAgra company. I took the rest of the popcorn to my office kitchen, and it was gone in no time.
There are a lot of choices for organic, non-GMO popcorns, even in pre-popped and microwave versions. Nothing beats popping it yourself. I keep an old pot and dishtowel in the pantry just for popcorn since oil drips can eventually stain a nice, new pot.
Perfect Popcorn
Put the stove on medium-high and oil the bottom of a pot – I use avocado or melt coconut oil. Drop 3-4 kernels in the oil; the oil should half cover the kernels. Watch the kernels until they start making bubbles and they may start spinning a bit – see the video. Now you know the oil is hot enough.
Dump in the rest of your kernels to cover the bottom of the pot and they will immediately start bubbling too. Put the lid on the pot. It will take a few minutes to start popping, then they will pop quickly. While the kernels are popping, gently shake the pot so none of them have a chance to sit on the bottom and burn. When the popping slows to where you can count to three and not hear a pop, carefully dump the popcorn into a large bowl. Almost all the kernels will pop. I always toss it with pink Himalayan salt but you can experiment with other toppings.
