How do theaters make popcorn

There are probably way more calories than you think. Bags of microwave popcorn have to display a nutrition label. Movie theaters do not. Although, a medium popcorn at certain theaters can contain over 1, calories.

Time to find out what the real secret ingredient is in every bucket of movie theater popcorn. Flavacol is a butter-flavored, popcorn seasoning salt made of extra fine salt flakes. The product is made of four ingredients: salt, artificial butter flavor, and Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. Snuggle in with your family, fire up a movie, and enjoy movie night! Jump Directly to Recipe. Wholefully Protip Making stovetop movie theater popcorn is way more affordable than microwave popcorn bags.

Wholefully Protip Butter and salt make popcorn taste delicious, but the true movie theater taste comes from cooking the popcorn in coconut oil. Wholefully Protip Melted butter turns popcorn soggy because of its high water content.

Wholefully Protip Make sure to use a nice, big pot for stovetop popcorn. Popcorn expands! Wholefully Protip Milk solids from clarified butter are a great addition to pasta sauce, omelets, and baked goods to give a bit of creaminess. Instructions Place the butter in a glass measuring cup with a spout.

Microwave on high for seconds until foamy. Let cool for minutes, to allow the layers to separate. Using a spoon, gently scoop off the foamy top on the butter and discard no need to be perfect, just get as much as you can.

Set the butter aside while you make your popcorn. In a large soup pot with a lid, melt the coconut oil over high heat. Add in the popcorn kernels, and swirl to coat all the kernels. Shake the pot frequently to avoid burning. Once the first kernel pops about a minute or two , immediately place the lid on the pot, but leave it ajar so steam can escape.

Continue shaking the pot frequently until the popping slows down. Once it does slow down, remove the pot from the heat and let sit for a few minutes while the final kernels pop. Once all the kernels are done popping, slowly stream the butter over the popcorn, stopping when you reach the opaque part of the melted butter see photo in post. So, what exactly is Flavacol? Basically, it's a super-fine salt that sticks easily to popcorn , with artificial flavoring, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 added to give it that buttery color and flavor, all without actually being butter.

Want to replicate the same texture and flavor of movie theater popcorn in your own home? Traffic Alert. By Bethany Jean Clement. Related Dinner at a Movie cracks the code for movie-theater-style popcorn at home — and paired with The Rock, it is perfection.

Show caption. Bethany Jean Clement is a Seattle Times food writer: bclement seattletimes.