I usually buy the cheap (for us) 2.79 CAD bag of 1kg popping corn. the 850g Orville Redenbacher is 5.79.

However, they were out of the cheap stuff so I was forced to get the ol’ Orville’s stuff. And I found it there were less kernels unpopped, the popcorn was fluffier and weirdly, it sounded louder too. (same stove, pot and everything)

So my question is why is there such a quality difference? Is there a difference in how it’s prepared before shipping? Anyone know?

  • @[email protected]English
    19•1 month ago

    And I found it there were less kernels unpopped, the popcorn was fluffier and weirdly, it sounded louder too. (same stove, pot and everything)

    There are probably one or both of these things going on here.

    1. this new popcorn was fresher, meaning there was more moisture (thus more steam) still inside the kernel leading to bigger fluffier pops, and less duds.

    2. the new popcorn kernels had thicker hulls, which also leads to bigger fluffier pops, and also would be louder pops. thicker hulls hold in more energy from the steam building in the kernel, so when it pops it releases more energy.

    if you prefer bigger popcorn you may want to check out “mushroom” popcorn which is designed for this purpose. theres a whole wide world of popcorn varieties.