Popcorn in Halogen Oven

Popcorn in Halogen Oven

The short answer : Put a little corn in a small shallow dish on the low rack for 6 minutes at 200°C, no oil.

The long answer (Heston Blumenthal style method) After a little experimenting I find that this works with my oven.

Ingredients:

Popping maize @ £1 for 500g

Equipment:

18 cm sandwich tin ( or make your own from kitchen foil )

I have an 18 cm round thin metal sandwich tin, it’s non-stick and about 2 cm deep with a lip so that the tongs can work with it.
They’re 87p yes only 87 pence from the Asda Smart Price range. I put it on the low rack and there is at least 5 cm clearance to the oven walls. ( You could try fashioning a similar sized vessel from kitchen foil by cutting a circle around a saucer, or cereal bowl, weighing it down with copper coins.

It works just as well in the low rack, but be warned the foil cools instantly after cooking the coins do not.

I put 1 tablespoon of corn per person into the sandwich tin and give it 10 minutes at 200°c. All the corn in the tin will have popped, usually after 5 mins, and will be blown out to below the low rack or will swirl about.

I turn off the oven when the tin is empty, removing the tin and the low rack.

Among the popped corn in the bottom of the bowl is about a teaspoon of un-popped corn, knocked out by the pop explosion and ready to fracture a filling.

I separate it by pushing it around with the tongs gathering each part. Having removed the popped corn I repeat the cooking process with this un-popped corn.

If you add oil the popped corn will not swirl about, it will be too heavy to escape the sandwich tin. It may even burn. The corn will also burn if you put it on the high rack.

The corn needs to be on the low rack so that heat can get at it from underneath, in fact all sides evenly.

Enjoy your popcorn.

Steve

Posted by Steve_Seven on Fri 31 Dec 2010