what are popcorn kernels made of

How do I choose the best popcorn kernels?

Your Quick Guide To Choosing The Best Popcorn Kernels

• Freshness is Next To Goodness. So, just how do you spot freshness out from a package of popcorn kernels? ...
• Packaging and Storing Should Go Hand in Hand. ...
• Hull-less Kernels are More Preferred. ...
• Natural is Always The Way To Go. ...
• Don’t Get Stuck With a Single Manufacturer. ...

How to make homemade microwave popcorn from kernels?

• Pour ¼ cup of popcorn in the bottom of a large microwave-safe container (not plastic) with a lid.
• Cover, venting slightly.
• Microwave on high for 3-5 minutes, or until popping slows to once every 1-2 seconds. ...
• Season and enjoy! I like mine with a spritz of Bragg's Liquid Aminos or a sprinkle of popcorn salt and nutritional yeast.

Do popcorn kernels ever go bad?

Yes, popcorn kernels do go bad. And the longevity is different between plain popcorn kernels and microwave kernels. Plain popcorn kernels: You can keep them for quite a long time (up to a year or more) if you store them properly in airtight places or containers.

How to make perfect crispy corn kernels?

How to make Crispy Corn Kernels

• Remove the corn, and use a napkin to remove excess oil.
• Heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Stir in the chopped capsicum and green chillis for 5-10 seconds. Add fresh coriander, vinegar, soy sauce, and pepper powder. Mix well.
• Mix in the fried corn.
• Your crisp corn kernel is ready to serve.

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Is popcorn actually corn?

Popcorn is actually a special variety of corn, and it is the only one that pops. The key to popcorn is the unique design of its kernels. Most importantly, its kernel consists of a very hard, mostly nonporous outer shell called pericarp.

Where does a popcorn kernel come from?

Popcorn comes from a certain variety of maize that produces small kernels with a hard outer shell. These kernels cannot be chewed without a good chance of cracking your tooth. To get to the fluffy edible part, you must heat the kernel, which turns the moisture within into steam.

What is the difference between popcorn and regular corn?

As it turns out, the corn that we typically eat is different than the kernels that become popcorn. Only one variety of maize will make it – Zea mays everta. Though it looks like a typical corn kernel, this particular variety is the only one that can pop and turn into a delicious snack.

What exactly is a popcorn kernel?

Technically and botanically, popcorn kernels are seeds, even though growing corn from an unpopped kernel might be difficult. The kernel's seed structure allows it to pop and form the fluffy, delicious popcorn kernels perfect for snacking.

Is popcorn healthier than corn?

Popcorn has a light, fluffy consistency which means it is often fewer calories than corn on the cob. For example, one cup of popcorn would be fifty-five calories while a single seven-inch ear of corn on the cob is 111 calories.

Is popcorn natural or manmade?

Since popcorn comes from corn, specifically the zea mays everta variety, popcorn was never really “invented” by man, however there is evidence of popcorn all throughout the history of the Americas. The oldest popcorn known to date was found in New Mexico.

Can dogs eat popcorn?

Plain, air-popped popcorn is safe for dogs to eat in small quantities. Buttered popcorn or popcorn with other toppings is not safe for your dog on a regular basis, although eating a few dropped pieces here and there probably won't hurt them.

Can you grow popcorn?

Because popcorn takes a month or longer than sweet corn to mature, it is best to plant the popcorn first. You could also choose to grow only popcorn, and not worry about isolation. You must direct seed popcorn. Seeds germinate best when soil temperatures are close to 60°F.

Can you get popcorn from corn on the cob?

You can make popcorn from a cob, but only if the cob is specifically a popcorn cob (sweetcorn and other varieties won't pop). It's relatively easy to make popcorn from corn cob, and it can be done using a stove or microwave. You can purchase popcorn cobs from a local farmers' market, Amazon, or you can grow your own.

What part of popcorn do we eat?

Inside the husk is a tiny little droplet of water surrounded by something called the endosperm. The endosperm is what you're actually eating when you eat popcorn.

Is popcorn a seed or nut?

Each kernel of corn is actually a seed that, like most seeds, contains an embryo (a baby plant) and a seed coat for protection. Corn seeds are filled with a starchy endosperm that provides food for the baby plant (it's stained black in right-half of each kernel in the photo below).

Is corn the only seed that pops?

Get It Poppin': Your New Favorite Way to Eat Quinoa (and Amaranth, and Sorghum) Corn isn't the only thing you can pop. Here's how to get it poppin' (sorry) with quinoa, sorghum, and more. You already know that popcorn is a gift to humanity, and one that we should all be making and eating as frequently as possible.

How do popcorn kernels grow?

Feathery tassels form at the top of the plant and produce pollen, a yellowish powder. The ears form silks or long strands that "catch" pollen as the wind blows. This process is called pollination and allows the ears to produce kernels.

Is a popcorn kernel a seed?

Each kernel of corn is actually a seed that, like most seeds, contains an embryo (a baby plant) and a seed coat for protection.

Can you grow your own popcorn?

Because popcorn takes a month or longer than sweet corn to mature, it is best to plant the popcorn first. You could also choose to grow only popcorn, and not worry about isolation. You must direct seed popcorn. Seeds germinate best when soil temperatures are close to 60°F.

Is popcorn considered a nut or seed?

Botanically, it is a grain.

What is Popcorn and What is it Made Of?

Popcorn is one of six types of corn, but with one fabulous difference. The cereal grain (known as Zea mays everta), is the only one with the ability to pop. Each popcorn kernel is a seed. Although there are many varieties of popcorn seed, they all originate from the same family.

What Do Popcorn Kernels Look Like?

Although the conditions for growing popcorn are very similar to that of regular corn, a popcorn kernel has very different appearance. They can look small and pointed or be rounded.

Where is Popcorn Grown?

The U.S can take credit for growing most of the world’s supply of popcorn. It is mostly grown in America’s Corn Belt. The eight states that feature the production of this awesome snack are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, and Ohio.

Popcorn Farming

Different strains of popcorn are made for specific purposes. Popcorn hybrids are produced especially for for various outcomes. There are certain types produced purely for the microwavable market, a type only grown for the popcorn you enjoy at the movies, and a type designed only for caramelizing products.

Who Invented Popcorn? The Facts

Popcorn is one of the oldest types of corn in existence. In fact, it is so old, even fossils of popcorn have been unearthed by archaeologists. Charles Cretor, is often hailed as the inventor of popcorn. This is due to his invention of the mobile popcorn cart, in the late 1880s, in Chicago.

The Science Behind the Popcorn Pop

The droplet of water contained inside the kernel is the reason for this corn’s ability to pop. As it is cooked, the water evaporates and turns to steam. Pressure builds inside the hard shell, until eventually it pops. This is the secret behind creating one of the world’s most-loved treats.

Types of Popcorn

Mushroom – This ball-shaped popcorn is the larger of the two types, has a thicker density and is more sturdy. Given its rounder and stronger shape it has a larger surface area. This makes it the better type to flavor, as it is less easily broken during the stirring process.

Popcorn Corn Plant: Zea Mays Everta

Moreover, do you know that corns that are grown for popcorn differ from field corn (used for processing or cornmeal) and sweet corn (generally used for eating)? Well, maybe you might also think that the popcorn seeds do come from dried corn kernels.

Where Do Popcorn Kernels Come From?

Popcorn plant (Zea mays everta) is a Native American Plant that is grown only for its taste and amazingly delicious exploding kernels. Farmers grew two type of popcorn, namely:

Is Popcorn Made From Sweet Corn?

Is popcorn made from sweet corn? Another common question that people are often confused about. The answer is no. Corns are generally grouped into four categories.

How do Corn Cross Pollinate?

Now that you know, “where do popcorn seeds come from?” Let’ proceed to know how do the corns cross pollinate. The process of pollination takes place with the help of the wind as it swirls around the fine dust thus promoting cross pollination.

Growing Conditions of Popcorn

To grow a corn, the plant needs full sun and well-drained soil. Before planting the seeds, work a 2-inch to 4-inch layer of compost and spread the fertilizer over the soil. You need to water the soil thoroughly to make the plant grown.

Growing Your Own Popcorn

Still not convinced? Well to know more about where do popcorn kernels come from, you can choose to grow your own popcorn plant. This can be as interesting as eating it. You can follow this step by step guide to plant and harvest popcorn plant.

Folklore: What Make the Corn Pop?

According to popular North American tribe folklore, spirits dwelled within a kernel of popcorn. The spirits were happy, quiet and content with their own lives, but they become violent when their houses were heated.

History

Corn was domesticated about 10,000 years ago in what is now Mexico. Archaeologists discovered that people have known about popcorn for thousands of years. Fossil evidence from Peru suggests that corn was popped as early as 4700 BC.

Popping mechanism

Each kernel of popcorn contains a certain amount of moisture and oil. Unlike most other grains, the outer hull of the popcorn kernel is both strong and impervious to moisture and the starch inside consists almost entirely of a hard type.

Cooking methods

Popcorn can be cooked with butter or oil. Although small quantities can be popped in a stove-top kettle or pot in a home kitchen, commercial sale of freshly popped popcorn employs specially designed popcorn machines, which were invented in Chicago, Illinois, by Charles Cretors in 1885.

Terminology

"Mushroom"-shaped popcorn, left, is less fragile and less tender than "butterfly"-shaped, right.

Consumption

Popcorn is a popular snack food at sporting events and in movie theaters, where it has been served since the 1930s.

Other uses

Popcorn, threaded onto a string, is used as a wall or Christmas tree decoration in some parts of North America, as well as on the Balkan peninsula.

Are Popcorn Kernels Considered Seeds?

A seed is defined as a small, usually oblong structure containing an embryo consisting of an outer layer that may be rich in lipids or stored food and a tiny plantlet that can grow into a new individual.

Can You Plant Microwaveable Popcorn?

Although popcorn is grown for its delicious kernels, if you have stored popcorn from the last season, you may be wondering whether you can plant the kernels from your stored crop to grow more popcorn.

Are Corn Kernels Seeds Or Nuts?

Corn kernels, including popcorn kernels, aren’t considered seeds because they come from a type of plant called an annual. Annual plants complete their entire life cycle within a single year. This means they sprout from seeds, grow to maturity, and produce another batch of seeds before dying at the end of their first year.

Is Corn A Seed Or Fruit Kernel?

Although corn kernels are part of a seed-producing plant, they’re not true seeds. This is because they don’t originate from the ovary of a flower. Like popcorn kernels and all other seeds found on corn plants, Corn kernels originate from the placenta of a kernel.

Where Does Popcorn Come From?

Popcorn is thought to be one of the oldest types of corn that has ever been used for cooking. Researchers have found traces of popcorn in ancient Native American civilizations.

What Is the History Of Popcorn?

Popcorn kernels were originally meant to be eaten, but when people realized that they could also create popcorn by heating kernels, they started using it as a source of entertainment.

What Are Common Ways To Eat Popcorn?

People eat popcorn in various ways, and for this reason, it’s available in many different forms. The most popular methods to make popcorn include air-popped or using the microwave and stovetop.

Farming

There are 3 main types of corn for consumption; field corn, usually used to feed animals and are hard shelled, sweetcorn which is the vegetable that most people would have eaten at once in their life and then popcorn. Popcorn is far different as it has a very starchy endosperm which causes the pop when it’s heated.

Variations

There are two types of popcorn, butterfly and mushroom, the only real difference between the two is the shape they pop into. One pops into a more ball shaped popcorn and this is commonly known as the mushroom and the butterfly pops and kind of splits into two wings held together in the middle.

What is Popcorn?

Popcorn is a whole grain maize product. It resembles corn-on-the-cob in appearance and cultivation, although only popcorn kernels have the ability to pop.

Breeding the Popcorn Seed

Popcorn seeds are bred to produce desirable traits such as stalk strength, grain color and successful popping. Plant breeders select popcorn for genetic traits by using inbreeding. Inbreeding is taking the pollen from the tassel (male flower) from a single plant and using that pollen to fertilize the silk (female flower) of that same plant.

Popcorn Planting

Most of the world's popcorn is grown in the United States Corn Belt of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio. Each spring, farmers plant popcorn seeds about 11/2 inches deep and 6 inches apart in the soil. That's nearly 28,000 seeds per acre.

The Growth of a Popcorn Plant

Popcorn seed will germinate in approximately seven days and emerges from the soil in 10 days. It is the moisture in the soil, which dissolves important elements for the plant such as nitrogen, phosphate and potash. The popcorn roots absorb this nutrient rich moisture to "feed' the seed and cause it to germinate.

Harvest – The Fruit of the Labor!

Popcorn is mature when the stalk and leaves are brown and dry, the kernel is hard, and a "black layer," easily found by scratching away the tip of the kernel, is formed. This layer signals that the kernel is no longer requiring nutrition from the plant. Popcorn is usually harvested when the kernel has moisture content of 16%-20%.

Processing Popcorn

Once the popcorn has dried to the optimum moisture level of 14%, it is then cleaned to remove small pieces of the cob and other plant parts. Popcorn kernels are moved over a screen, which vibrates to separate the kernels from the other particles.

Ready to Pop

Popcorn needs heat to pop. Most popcorn will pop when the kernel's internal temperature reaches 400-460 degrees Fahrenheit. Bound within the endosperm or starch is moisture. When the kernel is heated, the moisture turns to steam. Because the pericarp or hull is hard and flinty, pressure builds up within the kernel.

What's the Difference Between Popcorn and Corn?

Corn: It is also known as maize. They are the hard kernels that grow in ears or cobs that are covered in a leafy husk. You can visit farms to pick them yourself or grab a package

How to Make Popcorn From Corn on the Cob

This method of learning how to make corn on the cob popcorn is super quick to do since it uses the microwave. It also requires only two ingredients: butter and corn on the cob.

Which Brand of Popcorn Pops Fastest?

When you’re enjoying a movie night with friends, the last thing you want to do is miss out on the first few minutes because your popcorn was taking too long to pop. This is why knowing which brand of popcorn pops the fastest is helpful.

Tips on How to Make Corn Kernels for Popcorn

If you prefer to make popcorn pretty much from scratch, the trick to doing so is to dry out the kernels for an appropriate amount of time to ensure they pop correctly.

Is it possible to grow corn from commercial popcorn?

Yes, it is possible to grow corn from commercial popcorn unless it is dead. The popcorn you buy is for consumption purposes. Popcorn kernels are mostly hybrid corn varieties. We have grown these for culinary use.

What is the problem in growing popcorn kernels?

Any corn that we can pop to eat is popcorn. So there is no specific distinction in botany for popcorn. The difference between any corn and popcorn is a culinary difference. Therefore, It is not right to expect kernels from a similar corn variety inside a popcorn bag.

What to do if a popcorn kernel germinate?

Suppose you have successfully germinated some popcorn kernels. Now it is time to move them out in the garden. You will need at least 4-5 germinated kernels. 1 or 2 plants may not produce any corn earn.

Can we grow popcorn kernels with other corn plants?

Yes, you can grow a different variety of corn with popcorn kernels. They will grow perfectly fine. But this is strictly not recommended due to the chance of cross-pollination.

Will the popcorn grown from kernels taste the same?

Nope, definitely not. You can indeed grow popcorn from a popcorn kernel. But it will not taste the same as the kernel you have previously collected.

Why do gardeners prefer store-bought corns over packed popcorns to grow?

Store-bought corns are determinant and of the same variety. They are mostly an heirloom variety of corns. Some of them can be popped as popcorns.

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Overview

Popping mechanism

Each kernel of popcorn contains a certain amount of moisture and oil. Unlike most other grains, the outer hull of the popcorn kernel is both strong and impervious to moisture and the starch inside consists almost entirely of a hard type.
As the oil and water within the kernel are heated, they turn the moisture in the kernel into pressurized steam. Under these conditions, the starch inside the kernel gelatinizes, softens, and …

History

Cooking methods

Terminology

Consumption

Other uses

See also