Learn the best techniques for getting butter all over popcorn whether you eat air popped, microwaved, or stove top popcorn. We weight the pros and cons of other methods.
No one wants all the butter all on a few kernels!
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Is there anything better than homemade popcorn?
The smell. The taste. The warmth.
And of course the melted butter.
On occasion I will use coconut oil on my popcorn but in most cases I go with butter. They just belong together.
The challenge with butter is getting it evenly distributed on the kernels. Most methods that are used to butter popcorn you end up with the butter on the top and once you get through that first layer you are eating butterless popcorn.
In this post we are going to provide with some tips on how to share the butter love with all the kernels in your bowl. Plus we will share with you the tool that we have been using that has made the job so much easier.
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🏆 Best Method
I have tried different methods for getting the butter on the popcorn.
The method I used for a long time was melting the butter in my Pyrex measuring cup and then pouring the butter over the popcorn. The spout helped prevent me from overdoing it. It worked better than just using a jar without a spout.
If I am not careful I can still overdo it. I thought there could still be something better.
Enter the Mini Ergo Spout.
It's a device that you attach along with a ring to a regular sized Ball or Mason Jar. It's a cone shape with a just a small hole at the top. That small hole is just enough to drizzle melted butter out without it being too much at once.
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Now I actually store a jar of butter in the fridge with a Mini Ergo attached to it.
Keep in mind that if you are going to melt the butter in a jar from the fridge, you need to bring it out first and bring it to near room temperature. We accidently put a cold jar of butter in the microwave and it cracked due to thermal shock.
Also make sure to take the spout and metal ring off. I put the whole thing in the microwave once and had to stop myself when realizing I just put metal in the microwave. Thankfully I didn't start it first!
Check out our review of the Ergo Spout - a device that attaches to a mason jar and turns it into a pitcher.
📽️ Video
Here is a short video of the Mini Ergo Spout in action from inside our travel trailer! (Yes, we take it with us camping).
2️⃣ Problems
The two main problems that experienced when buttering popcorn are:
- Unbuttered kernels
- Soggy kernels (overbuttered)
You've got the two extremes. Your goal is to meet in the middle. Unbuttered kernels come from simply not getting the butter to them.
When it comes to putting butter on popcorn, the first thing we want to prevent is soggy popcorn. The most likely culpirt of soggy popcorn is over buttering, at least that kernel. Also if you use oil to cook the popcorn you already have added some fat, so it's even easier to end up with soggy popcorn if you aren't careful.
What I like about the Mini Ergo Spout is that is spreads the butter out well enough that you aren't ending up with soggy kernels. When I have used other methods it's been easy to accidentally overdo it. The small hole on the Mini Ergo helps so that you don't.
🥄 Common Methods
We did a survey of some of our email subscribers asking them what method they use for adding butter to popcorn. The most common methods were spoon butter over the popcorn or spraying it on.
Spoon Method
? Pros: This is better than just dumping it on the top and everyone already has a spoon.
? Cons: The problem with using a spoon is that it's very easy to dump too much butter on at once. And I find the whole process to be kind of clunky.
Spray Method
? Pros: A device that sprays butter on popcorn can be effective. Not to mention kind of fun!
? Cons: But cleaning them isn't super easy and they can be costly. they have cordless electric butter sprayers that go for over $60! The last thing I need in my kitchen is something else to charge.
🎆 Popping Method
Whether you make microwave, air popped, or stove top popcorn getting the kernels on the popcorn is the same. The only thing you have to watch out for it popcorn that you pop using oil will already have some fat on it, so it could become soggy if you over butter.
🥶 Cold Butter
If you aren't buttering all your popcorn at once, you will need to deal with cooling butter. As butter cools it will naturally start to solidify. That could cause some issues.
If you are having that problem, you can add a small amount of a neutral tasting oil to help the butter to continue flowing. When you buy a spreadable butter at the grocery store, often oil has been added to it, so it's softer when cold. You are applying that same principle here.
I prefer to use all the butter up before it cools or keep it warm.
♨️ Keep the Butter Warm
Use a coffee cup warmer to keep the butter warm. It's the same method I recommend using on Thanksgiving to keep the gravy warm.
🍿 More Popcorn Posts
Here is more posts all of you popcorn fans are going to want to check out.
- How to Microwave Popcorn
- Yellow vs. White Popcorn
- How to Make Your Own Popcorn Salt
- Best Salt to Use for Popcorn
- Popcorn Varieties to Try
- How to Not Oversalt Your Popcorn
We want to hear from you! Tell us all about your popcorn habits below.
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