For Great Popcorn Taste try some of these Gourmet Popcorn Seasonings!

 

For Great Popcorn Taste try some of these Gourmet Popcorn Seasonings!

While some people like their Popcorn Plain, many people feel that the best popcorn requires special seasonings or flavors. NOTE: before going crazy with the seasoning you might want to read our article  Is Popcorn Healthy? where we show that this IS a healthy as long as you don't go crazy with the seasoning and butter!

We all know the common  Seasoning and flavors:

1. Salt and Butter Seasoning and flavor
2. Powdered Cheese Seasoning or Flavor
3. Caramel Popcorn Topping
4. Chocolate Popcorn topping

BUT In this article we are going to blow you away with some wild spices and give you sources for all of these  as well as a few great FREE recipes. OK? Lets go!

 

A Variety Gourmet Seasonings that will surprise you

As I said at the start we all know the basic Seasoning and flavors because that is what you are exposed to Most often. To give you an idea of whats out there here is a bullet point list.

This is not a complete list of all the potential spices because really, you can season Popcorn with any flavor you like. This is just to get the conversation started:

• White Cheddar and Bacon Salt  (as seen in the photo above – it is great)
  

• Traditional Movie Theater Butter
  

• How about Cajun Popcorn Seasoning – most excellent for Football Games!!!

• Traditional Cheddar Cheese Powder

• Chocolate Topping and other Gourmet Popcorn toppings (Pretty much any chocolate you choose)
  

• Chocolate Caramel (Note this is a dual topping. Caramel first. Let it cool, then the chocolate second)

• Kettle Corn – which is really just a light caramel coating

• Nacho Cheese  Seasoning
  

• Parmesan Garlic

• Traditional Salt  – or Sea Salt or even Garlic Salt!

• Salt combinations (Salt and Vinegar seasoning on Popcorn, salt and cheese, even salt and chocolate!

• Jalapeno

  

Where to Get The  Seasoning including Gourmet  Seasoning

Amazon.com has some great seasonings. it is a good place to shop because you can check the ratings other buyers gave the product BEFORE you buy  it!. You can find them in most grocery stores too but go for the name brands NOT the generic to make sure they are a excellent quality. Believe it or not there really is a big difference in the seasoning. Especially the Cheese seasonings when it comes to flavor and the toppings when it comes to consistency.

For any topping that is a liquid – butter, chocolate, caramel, etc) You want one that either drys to a hard coating OR that air drys quickly. If you have ever poured Hershey chocolate syrup on popcorn (and I have) you know that you have 2 problems:

    1) it is a mess. Chocolate on all fingers, clothes, everything.

    2) The popcorn gets soggy!

There are better solutions so check out a few of the links on this page or read farther down to our Homemade  Seasoning guide below.

How to Make The BEST  Homemade Seasoning

This really is easy! Here is a list of my recommendations based upon experience. Some are a matter of taste

1) Butter Flavoring - For ease of use, use the "I can't believe its not butter" in the pump spray bottle. This is less then $2 bucks at the grocery store and will last you months. You just press the pump and spray it onto the popcorn in the bowl, bag or box, shaking the box as you go. For thicker butter on the popcorn use the squeeze bottles of I can't believe its not butter or parkay, etc. then heat it just a little to get it to melt slightly, or else you will have some popcorn with gobs of butter and some with none!

2) NOTE: Salt and seasonings go on after the Butter! The butter holds it in place on the kernels> BUT ALWAYS SHAKE tor stir the popcorn or you will get some popcorn LOADED with seasoning and butter and some with none!

3) Popcorn Salt, Regular Salt, Garlic Salt etc. – Are all available from the spice rack of your local grocery store. but you will pay more per oz that way then thru some of the popcorn suppliers that we have ads on here. The assortments that they supply are especially good deals.

4) Cheese  - Cheddar Cheese, White Cheddar, Nacho Cheese – These are usually available in the larger grocery stores but are generically meant for all dishes. I find the real Popcorn cheese seasonings  to be superior  cheese powders that result in  better tasting on Popcorn. But Nacho cheese popcorn is great even if you just ge the Nacho Cheese packets meant for Tacos and dips.

5) Other Seasonings – Garlic, Jalapeno, Cajun, Barbeque, etc. Again either thru the specialty popcorn supplier or your grocery store BUT look at the ingredients. Many will already include salt so DON"T double or triple salt (some off the shelf cheese powders will include salt so pay attention or you will end up getting way to much salt on your popcorn and while it may not taste to bad it can make you sick to your stomach and is bad for your health long term OK?

6) Chocolate and Caramel Topping – The chocolate you need to get a special kind that dries at room temperature OR melt some that will then harden at room temperature, The caramel you can make your own or get special kind a well. See the free popcorn topping recipes below.

FREE  Seasoning Recipes

Some seasoning ideas:

1. Sugar/cinnamon mixture. Mix sugar and cinnamon together using a ratio of about 2 teaspoons cinnamon per 1/3 cup sugar. Store any extra mixture in a covered container to keep moisture out and prevent sugar from hardening.

2. Sugar/Chinese 5 spice powder mixture. Use the same ratio as in number 1 for cinnamon and sugar.

3. Chili powder. Though some chili powders contain salt (check label), the amount of sodium in a teaspoon of chili powder averages 26 milligrams according to the USDA National Nutrient Database at www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl or this link <Seasoning Nutritional Values >. This is much less than a teaspoon of salt which has 2,325 milligrams of sodium. To make your own salt-free chile powder check RecipeSource at www.recipesource.com/side-dishes/spices/chili-powder6.html or this link Salt Free Chilli Powder Recipe
   

4. Experiment with saltless seasoning blends. Check out the various seasoning blends available at your grocery store or favorite Internet spice site.

1) Corn syrup recipe for Popcorn Balls – or to just make clumps of popcorn that can then be seasoned additionally or served as is:

Ingredients

OPTIONAL NOTE: you can add in sugar to taste or caramel if you want

1/2 cup of corn syrup,

a teaspoon of vinegar and

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla.

1 large bag of popped popcorn

Preparing the binding syrup

Combine 1/2 cup of corn syrup, a teaspoon of vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a saucepan.

Heat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, or until a small spoonful of the mixture forms a hard ball when dropped into water.

Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Making the Popcorn Balls

Put warm popped corn in a large greased bowl.

Slowly pour the syrup over the popcorn, tossing with a greased fork until mixed thoroughly.

Be careful, it's hot!

When it's cool enough to handle, butter your hands and shape popped corn into 3-inch balls.

Place on waxed paper until cool and no longer sticky,

then wrap in waxed paper.

Additional decorating ideas:

Since the syrup is sticky you can use it as a paste to stick on any number of festive additions to your popcorn balls!

This is a great way to tie the popcorn balls into any holiday or special occasion:

1. 4th of July? Roll the balls in red white and blue sprinkles!
2. St Patrick day? Roll the balls in green sprinkles!
3. Football parties roll the balls in sprinkles made up of your favorite teams colors!
4. Or stick on any number of treats such as:

• M&Ms
• Candy Corn
• Confection cake decorations like bats and such for Halloween,
• etc!

OK thats it for thisarticle!