It almost seems like magic when you
have popcorn kernels in front of you, knowing that it can turn into delicious
popcorn. Whether you cook it in the microwave, an air popper, or in a
commercial popper that uses oil, you can make popcorn in just a few minutes.
The question is, how many kernels do
you need to make a serving size? A small amount of kernels will go a long way.
¼ cup unpopped popcorn equals how
much popped? The easiest answer is around 7 cups, but there’s a bit more to it
than that.
How
Much Does ¼ Cup of Unpopped Popcorn Make?
¼ cup of popcorn kernels is around 2
ounces. When you pop it in any kind of popcorn machine or kettle, you will get
approximately 7 to 8 cups, which also measures out to be 2 quarts.
It’s easy to do the math to know how
many kernels you need if you’re going to make 4 quarts of popcorn or
significantly more.
Consider that the average serving
size of popcorn is 4 cups. If you plan on feeding 100 people that amount of
popcorn, you will need to do some quick math. ¼ cup of popcorn kernels will be
enough to feed 2 people. For 100, you will need ¼ cup x 50, or 12.5 cups of
kernels. That may also be easier to measure out as 100 ounces of kernels.
Basically, if you plan on dishing out
serving sizes of 4 cups of popped popcorn, you need 1 ounce of unpopped kernels
per person.
How
Many Calories are in Popcorn?
If you want to focus on the nutritional
value of popcorn, you’ll want to figure out what kind of popcorn you’re
serving.
Air-popped popcorn is the
lowest-calorie option because it’s cooked with hot air instead of oil. It’s
approximately 30 calories per cup. If you were to eat all the popcorn that you
get out of cooking ¼ cup of kernels, you would have 8 cups x 30 calories, so 240
calories.
Now, if you decide to use oil in the
cooking process, the number of calories will increase to approximately 35
calories per cup. If you have all 8 cups that are popped from ¼ cup of kernels,
it would be 280 calories.
And, the calories for movie theater
butter popcorn, depending on how much butter you put on, could be up to 90
calories per cup. That same 8 cups of popped popcorn could end up being 720
calories.
What
are the Different Ways to Pop Unpopped Kernels?
When you want to pop unpopped kernels,
it’s important to know that there are many options.
Air popper. These are residential
countertop appliances where you load the kernels into the popper. Within
minutes, the heat will cause the kernels to pop.
Commercial air popper. Theaters,
convenience stores, schools, and more will have commercial air poppers that are
capable of popping a significant amount of popcorn at once. The size of the
hopper (the component that holds the kernels) can vary, which determines how
much popcorn pops in a single batch. The average hopper will hold 8 ounces,
which means that you could pop 32 cups of popcorn at a time.
Microwave. You can either buy
prepackaged bags of popcorn or you can choose to buy a microwave-safe container
that will help you to pop popcorn.
Most of the commercial air poppers
will use oil – coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil, or canola
oil are among the most popular.
For every ¼ cup of kernels, you only
need 1 tablespoon of oil. This is why the calorie count isn’t too high.
Additionally, if you use too much oil, you risk the popcorn tasting greasy.
Once the popcorn is popped, you can
choose to flavor it with butter. While melted butter is an option, most
commercial locations will use a butter-flavored oil or syrup. This provides the
flavoring without moistening the kernels too heavily.
Of course, you can also choose to
pop the popcorn with a flavor in mind. For example, kettle corn, which offers a
sweeter flavor, is popped using equal parts sugar and oil mixed in with the
kernels.
Can
You Reuse Unpopped Kernels?
There’s nothing more frustrating
than popping your kernels only to find out that there are some that didn’t pop.
First of all, why didn’t they pop?
There are a few reasons. Often, it’s because they didn’t get hot enough. You
may have put too many kernels into the hopper. It may also be because the
popcorn is too moist inside. You can test this out by trying to dent the kernel
with your fingernail. If it dents, let it dry out for a day or two and try
getting it to pop.
You can gather up all of your
unpopped kernels and reuse them to create another batch of popcorn. These can
be placed back into a hopper so that they re-pop with your next batch. If
you’re at home and have discovered a large number of kernels, you can even
place them into a paper bag and place them into the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Additionally, you can choose to place them into a pan over medium heat with
just a splash of oil. When you cover the pan, the kernels will heat up within a
minute or two and start to pop up.
If you don’t want to try popping the
unpopped kernels, there are a few other things that you can do:
- Use the kernels to feed animals
- Place the unpopped kernels in grits
- Use the kernels to create an ice pack
You might be surprised by all of the
creative ways you can use unpopped kernels. No matter what, it’s never really a
waste.
How
to Buy Bulk Popcorn
There are plenty of ways to buy bulk
popcorn, regardless of whether you need it for a movie theatre, a convenience
store, or you plan on repackaging it for a retail setting. Once you know how
much ¼ cup unpopped popcorn equals when it’s popped, you can decide just how
much you want to buy. Choosing a reputable bulk supplier, such as Shumway
Farms, ensures that you get high-quality
popcorn kernels that provide you with great flavor.
Take the time to calculate the
amount of popcorn that you actually need. Then, contact a few suppliers. Get a
sample of the popcorn and ensure they can provide you with the bulk quantities
that you need. Once you have popcorn on hand, you can see how ¼ cup of unpopped
kernels can turn into for yourself.
