In the microwave. It's not what I like best, but if I do it on the stove, I end up adding way more butter than is good for me.

When the kids were little, I started buying popcorn in microwave bags for them. Never got out of the habit. It's just easier.

We use the presto popcorn popper in the microwave. Best popcorn we've ever made. Orville Redenbacher's natural popcorn with his oil and some salt. A few squirts of butter spray and we're on our way. If I'm in the mood for "kettle corn", I add a tablespoon of sugar to the oil/salt/popcorn and I'm good to go. Love, love this popcorn.

In the microwave but I only buy the lightly salted kind. Is one bag enough for both your DH and you? I wish the bags were just a little bit bigger.

I make it in an old Mirro pan (Mom's from my childhood) on the stovetop. I've been making it with a little bacon grease, like I had as a child, as opposed to oil or something else. Buddy (furbaby dog) sure likes it with bacon grease too.

(the other) Sue

I do it both ways. Most often, it's 97% fat free microwave, but occasionally I'll splurge and use my heavy aluminum stockpot (the same pot Mom used for popcorn when I was a kid) on the stove and toss it with clarified butter and salt for a real treat.

Popcorn's a comfort food. Notice that a couple of you mention using "Mom's pot/pan".

I have the same kind as Marilyn. I would never pop it anyway else! I usually have a spare popper tucked away from a yard sale-just in case! I often find these poppers in brand new condition at sales. I think its every bit as fast as the microwave kind. To me, the microwave kind tastes like chemicals. Sometimes we even bring the popper on vacation. Last ime we didn't and I bought some kind of bag of popped corn from Walmart that you microwave and it was pretty darn good! All I remember was that it was in a potato chop type bag.

Big heavy pan, little bit of oil in the bottom, popcorn, lid and shake, shake, shake until it's (almost) all popped. Larry loves popcorn!

I love popcorn, but along with corn and other seed things, no longer can eat it.

In a pan on the stove here too.
I use olive oil instead of veg.oil.

On the stove, on the camp stove or even on a wood fire I use my old chinese iron WOK...and when I have a group to feed I can pop up to 3/4 cup of popcorn at one time

I don't make a lot of popcorn but my preferred way is on top of the stove.

I have been making it on the stovetop. I don't like most micro popcorn - it leaves a weird waxy film in my mouth even while the corn is hot. And some of it has the worst fake butter - it smells like hot feet in there!

Air popped corn always tastes stale to me.

Popped on the stove, I like the texture and find it really brings out the CORN flavour. I can even eat it without butter that way.

Dances.

I remember the old Jiffy foil stuff and mama popping corn in a a pot with oil. We use an air popper, love it! I would say it's healthier because it needs no oil but after the kernels are popped we butter and salt the snot out of it. We probably eat popcorn once a month or so.

My GOSH that picture is a HUGE! lol I swear I'm not a Presto salesman!
LOL
Geez

Not to self; Always pay close attention to the "preview"...

Hot Air!

What a timely post. I have had such a craving for real buttered popcorn. With the glass top stove I can't use my Mom's old heavy Wearever pot that I used to cook popcorn in and I am with Dances, don't like the taste of store bought microwave popcorn. On my old stove I made kettle corn and popcorn for oven caramel corn.

I haven't made popcorn in so long now the bag I have in my cupboard is most likely stale. I bought a popcorn maker for my best friend for Christmas last year so I think I will ask her to make me a big bowl of popcorn and bring it over LOL

When we were growing up my Dad always made popcorn every weekend when he was home. He would make 3 huge pots of popcorn and then dump it into a paper grocery bag, then add the melted butter and salt and shake it up. My Grandfather would give us the popcorn that dried on the cobs. My Mom would lay newspaper on the coffee table and my Dad would bring this huge bag of hot popcorn in and put the bag on the table and rip it open for us to eat. That was the best popcorn.

Another thing I don't like about microwave popcorn is the smell and it lingers. There have been times I felt like I was going to be sick whenever anyone made it.

Anne

Although our family did it the old-fashioned way in my long-ago childhood, I use the microwave. However, I don't use microwave popcorn nor any special microwave popper device.

After experimenting, I found that regular cheap popcorn (about 1/4 cup), put in a pyrex-type container with about a teaspoon of water mixed well into the popcorn kernels, a cover (usually an old ceramic salad plate), & 5-6 min. microwave time, does the job. Meanwhile I have good butter slowly melting on the stove. No extra salt.

Oh, what a fun subject line!!!! Depending on where ones mind is.....

LOL

I don't make popcorn. Not that big of a fan of it. But, the seldom times I do, I use a plain ole pot on the stove.

Moni

I have to admit I use the microwave.

Another hot-air popcorn pumper user for years - with only Orville Redenbacher kernals and real melted butter.

Whirly-popper. Love this thing. My kids love real popcorn with real butter. DH gets hives from microwave popcorn.

When I am in a hurry, or want a TV snack, I use a bag of microwave popcorn - Benfit: no clean up.

But, if I want the good stuff, or am popping for more than one person, I'll do a batch on the gas stove. I use a deep pot with lid on a gas burner. Use corn oil (or hacon grease if available). Preheat the oil. Starting from near cold, throw in 3 kernels of corn, cover with the lid, heat until the first kernal pops; The kettle is ready. Toss in the corn with no more than just enough to cover the botyom of the pan with one layer of kernels. place the lid. Occasionally shake the pot to keep from burning the corn on one side. When Popping starts, increase vigor of shaking. When popping is almost done or is done, remove pan and dump contents into a large paper bag. Quickly pour in oil and 3 test kernels and repeat.

Add salt and seasoning to the bag as desired and shake. Melted butter/oleo can be added or left out for healthier fare.

Advantages: Lowest cost, best tasting, control of ingredients such as oil, salt, and seasoning.

Disadvantage: Clean up and tendancy to consume more. Its too good and plentiful.

I have an electric popper that I still like the best. I don't need a lot of butter on popcorn. I like it with a touch of salt. But, convenience dictates the microwave often. I've found Pop Weavers to be a good popcorn, not overly greasy nor too salty, very few unpopped kernels and it's usually cheap compared to the others. When I'm camping, I occasionally grab a Jiffy Pop! There's something about watching it grown over a campstove that just says "camping"!

I don't know what happened to the popcorn popper my mother had. It was one made for hearths or open fires I think. It was a round pan, similar in size to a cake pan with a screen over it and a pretty long handle. Sort of like a big sieve on a cake pan.

I use an air popper too, I don't like or trust what's on microwave popcorn. Plus, I like changing up what I put on it.

Usually, I melt real butter, and then for seasoning I add salt, garlic powder, and lemon pepper.

Even walking down the aisle of the grocery store where the microwave popcorn is makes me sick to my stomach!

It's heavy-bottomed pan on the stove for me. I do have a ceramic top, but I just pick up the pan and shake it, put it down, pick it up and shake again, etc. My problem is that I always put too much corn in (by design) and then have a contest with myself to see how much I can pour and divide into two bowls. Of course there are always those few kernals that will pop after you take the lid off. What goes on the floor, the dog gets. I have also been known to reheat the leftovers the next day too.

I've popped it the old way, where you hold a pan over the burner and shake it. LOL I've used the jiffy pop with the foil lid that expands as it pops. I've used the air popper but now it's just the old microwave popcorn. :) in fact, we like the mini-bags.

Geez, just opening this thread and seeing my big a*sed air popper picture is embarrassing.

I just wanted to note that whenever I mention "butter" it's dairy butter, not margarine. I use margarine for biscuits as it's more or less crisco with a flavor. I also keep lard on hand as it performs the same function.

Don't sweat the photo, Holliday -- at least it's not actual size!