HOW TO FRY POPCORNS AT HOME SAFELY

Popcorns happen to be a favorite snack at home for the kids. I do not mind this session as we get readymade packs in the market. We only need to cut the pack, empty the contents in a pressure cooker or a flat thick base utensil.

I used the word safely in the title due to the recent incident that occurred at my home when I was frying popcorn at home. The incident was a near miss, avoiding a burn to my hands / legs. I’m emphasizing this incident to bring in awareness to all.

Frying popcorn is a normal activity in many homes. This process is followed commonly by several homemakers but small negligence can have serious consequences. We normally purchase ACT II pack , it has a range of flavors. The other day when it was drizzling and children were demanding for snacks, I remembered the popcorn packs lying in the cupboard.

I used the small cooker. I heated the cooker for 3 minutes and emptied the pack contents into the cooker. Spread the oily layer uniformly at the base of the cooker. I placed the lid on the cooker and went to the dining hall to collect the bowls.

I heard a loud sound and could identify that it was from the kitchen. I rushed to the kitchen and saw the cooker lying on the floor. The contents were spread on the  marble floor. Oh! What a mess. It was a major cleaning job as the floor had oil stains . I had to remove all the corns from the floor.  The snack time was extended further. I then took another cooker and emptied a second pack into it.

Must read :HOW TO KEEP YOUR KITCHEN FREE OF GREASE

This time I left a small gap on the cooker lid for the vapors to escape. I could hear the popping sound. I gently lifted the cooker and shook the contents. After 3 to 4 minutes all the corns had fried sufficiently and it was served to my hungry boys.

I took the cooker that fell on the floor. I noticed two impressions on the sides of the cooker. After 2 days I planned to use that cooker. I placed the cooker on the stove for cooking, the steam was leaking constantly. That is when I realized that the lid had been damaged ,to be precise dented when the cooker fell on the floor.

I’m sure it is going to cost big. At the same time I’m thankful to God that the cooker had fallen on the floor only after I left the room. There were no children standing around watching the cooking with curiosity.

The safety lapse that happened was that the cooker lid was placed without leaving any gap for hot vapors to evaporate. Due to this there was an imbalance and the cooker toppled and fell on the floor.

The next time you fry popcorns ensure that you use a sturdy vessel . Leave a tiny gap on the lid .When you shift the lid to check for frying, you will notice the corns jumping out of the vessel. If the lid is kept open, the popcorns will fall all over the stove. The sight is enjoyable when you place a glass lid on the frying pan.

A big learning for this simple tasks. Follow safety norms at all times irrespective of the job involved. Assess the work you plan to do , check the surroundings and only then proceed to do it.

Act II pack can be microwaveable too. Check for the image of Cooker for regular ones and the note for Micro oven variety.

At the end of this posts I want to share a simple method to fry popcorns with dried maize corns.

Frying popcorn at home:

1. Take a wide and thick bottomed vessel. Pour oil to cover the base.
2. Add the dried maize corns to be fried. Spread it evenly with a large spoon. Maintain full flame.
3. Add ¼ spoon of table salt. You will observe the heat is slowly passing on to the corns. Now place the lid with a small gap on the vessel.
4. After 5 minutes put off the flame. You will observed the entire vessel filled with popcorn. A salty tinge will be present on each popcorn.

Hope you enjoy your snack time too…