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If you own a popcorn maxhine

Boneheads Garage

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Jan 10, 2016
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66
Location
Fort Wayne Indiana
I have a semi-commercial popcorn machine. We've purchased popcorn online and it's been hit and miss. I stumbled across the best popcorn....Do it Best Hardware! You can order it online, or if your lucky, purchase a box from your local store. Very reasonably priced and movie theatre quality.
 
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rlitman

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Oct 18, 2010
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24,649
Location
Long Island
I have a 6oz commercial machine at home. We mostly pop Amish Country Popcorn. Order it on Amazon for the best prices.

We usually pop a mixture of red and white, but recently ordered a 10 corn sampler pack to try out the others. The purple and the ladyfinger are excellent.
Do you have a link to the specific Do It Best product you use?
 

Cyberbear

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Nov 23, 2013
Messages
1,524
Location
California
We have an 8 oz. commercial style popper and get our supplies from Snappypop.com or Amazon depending on price for butterfly and mushroom kernels and coconut popping oil, like the theaters used to use back in the day. Many today are buying the popcorn ready popped and just reheating it.
 

DonB

Active member
Joined
May 28, 2011
Messages
34
Location
Wilton, NY
I get coconut oil from Detroit Popcorn Co. Coconut oil is essential as it doesn't burn or smoke at the temperatures needed to pop the corn in a short time. Yes, there is a 'time to pop' for the best popcorn and it isn't very long. I get the corn from a local restaurant supply.
Here's my baby....a'25 Cretors machine on a Ford TT chassis. She is owned by the Saratoga Auto Museum in Saratoga Springs, NY. The link will bring you to some comments and photos. Come see us sometime!
Don

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/506218/510077.html?1421361526
 

stimpy

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Dec 25, 2005
Messages
289
Location
troy twshp IL
That must be crazy on shipping costs.

most of the concession stuff is bought from one company so shipping cost isn't that bad compaired to the price you pay for a bucket of air at the movies .

I grew up in popcorn central in NC Indiana and we used to contract grow for Orville Redenbocker ( chester Inc) the secret for good popcorn is the moisture content you have to keep it in the range otherwise its no good , and you can buy it in bulk ( 50 pound bags ) from many places on the rt30 corridor in Indiana .
 

ScottsGT

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Jan 1, 2014
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Location
Lake Wateree, SC
I've popped hundreds of pounds of popcorn in my youth. Worked in the theaters when I was in high school and tech. I'll just say, had to stock up for Empire Strikes Back when it first premiered. We ran the popper 24/7 a week before it started. We had those yellow bags stacked 8 high down a 50'-60' wall.
When we started popping our own at home instead of microwave I went out and bought some coconut oil a Flavacol salt. The wife always used vegetable oil Yuk!
My kids thought I was a popcorn God because I could make it as good as the $15 stuff at the theater.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W8LT10/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Funny related story....
Kids being kids, one of my coworkers "pranked" me one day. I got off work around 3 or 4 and discovered my '65 Fairlane interior was filled up with popcorn. To this day, I have no idea how he got so much in the car and managed to shut the door without spilling any on the ground.
I got the last laugh since I scooped it all out and put in all over the outside of his car, around the car and tucked it under the edge of the hood.
Being that we were in North Charleston SC, there was an abundance of seagulls. Needless to say, once word got out there was free popcorn, his car looked like something from a scene of the movie "The Birds" It was an all day feeding and poop fest! Needless to say, when he got off at midnight, he had to find a car wash.
 
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theoldwizard1

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Feb 22, 2011
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43,243
Location
SE MI
We pop a lot of corn, the "old fashioned" way, (3 qt pot a gas burner). I will have to try coconut oil.

When my daughter went to college, her dorm room had a kitchenette. One day a fellow dorm-mate asked if she had any "microwave" popcorn. She said, "No". Awhile later she decided to pop some corn. The dorm-mate came by again amd complained that she was holding out ! My daughter laughed and said, "I DON'T have any microwave popcorn !" The dorm-mate wanted to know how she made the big bowl of hot, fresh corn. "On the stove." Reply, "How do you do that ?"

Of course, she also made "from scratch" brownies !
 

txturbo

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Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
116
Location
Rosenberg,TX
I have an 8oz commercial popper and I bought a case of pre-packaged popcorn. It has coconut oil, butter flavored salt and popcorn in one 3 part bag. It's not bad but not as good as the theater popcorn. I've been wondering what is different....do they add more flavoring after its popped or what?
 

LS6 Tommy

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Dec 27, 2013
Messages
26,162
Location
Northern NJ
I use a 30+ year old Whirley-Pop 6 qt popper. I've used a lot of different types of kernels. Believe it or not, Orville Redenbacher's is usually pretty good. None of it is any good if it's in a carton or paper bag. Once it dries out it's junk...

Tommy
 

Bill Bowman

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Mar 28, 2007
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3,152
Location
Metro Chicago
Popcorn festival every year in Valpraiso, Indiana. Never been, but usually I'm driving through on Rt 30 during the Fest.
 

Lfb1

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Feb 12, 2012
Messages
1
Location
Decatur, Al.
ScottsGT,

What theatre did you work at in North Charleston? I was working at a theatre in Sumter when The Empire Stikes Back came out. I lworked at Aviation Avenue Cinemas in the mid 80's.
 

stimpy

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Joined
Dec 25, 2005
Messages
289
Location
troy twshp IL
bill , the pop corn plant was on the east side of town , just past the airport across from the quakerstate oil bulk plant . if your looking for popcorn they used to have a store there to buy it . don't kno anymore since chester sold out to another company right after we quit farming .
 

cheechi

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Feb 29, 2012
Messages
4,384
Location
Triad, NC
This thread has reminded me how ill equipped I am for good popcorn. And also hungry. It was 9:30 last night and I almost got up and made popcorn fully aware of the time.

So you guys have given me some good info so far to get my popping better. If I can get a whirly pop with metal gears is that acceptable or do I need to get a real glass box style? All the ones that make small batches look like junk. I have a glass top and although a gas is an option I don't have a gas stove yet.

Also; is there any 'good enough' or 'close enough' alternative to coconut oil? Just never liked coconut although it's hard to argue with the end results in popcorn still don't prefer it.

I used to have anytime-I-want-access to a real commercial popper, except for weeks it was at the fair or sports events. So I never had to buy or choose anything on my own. I'm spoiled but also ignorant because of how easy it was.
 

cheechi

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Feb 29, 2012
Messages
4,384
Location
Triad, NC
My air popper died last week or the week before.

Now I have a Whirley-pop, flavocol, and coconut oil.

Thank you all so much.
 
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fourjeepin

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Feb 12, 2011
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3,667
Location
Atlanta, GA
I love popcorn and recently got an air popper. What are the recommendations of the experts here for getting great results from it?
 

Jazz1

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Jan 3, 2016
Messages
4,188
Location
Thunder Bay On.
I still use a cast aluminum pot to cook popcorn. Then buttered, salted and parmesan cheese. Orvilles seems to be good quality and I pop it in peanut oil. Been doing it like this for ages!
 

Richard Cranium

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Apr 22, 2011
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Location
central Washington
You can order it in a 50 lbs bag from ace hardware, or you can get the little packets that has the corn, and oil and seasoning from them also. I worked for Ace hardware whse for a short period of time. When the big bags of popcorn was getting close to their best by date, I would call around to the different schools and donate the big bags of popcorn seeds to their student clubs.
 

FTG-05

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Joined
Oct 11, 2012
Messages
1,542
Location
TN
My wife got me this Great Northern Popcorn Machine Skyline 800 for my birthday last year. We've made a ton of popcorn with this machine since then!!!

You can get them through Home Depot for about $200 or so.

http://www.greatnorthernpopcorn.com...style-popcorn-popper-machine-commercial-8-oz/

6200%252520skyline%252520popcorn%252520machine__1__71407.1421178494.386.513.jpg
 

Cyberbear

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Nov 23, 2013
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Location
California
Years ago I purchased the electric 8 oz. home style popcorn kettle with the higher wattage option, and have never looked back. I like fresh pop corn but even after a couple days in the popper it still tastes good and is not stale, probably due to the coconut oil, which has a shelf life of more than one year, one of the few that doesn't go rancid over time. With coconut popping oil I find I don't need as much butter to keep the pop corn from being too dry. I prefer a 50/50 mix of butterfly and mushroom kernels.
 

rlitman

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Oct 18, 2010
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24,649
Location
Long Island
Coconut oil is almost fully saturated, so it has a longer shelf life than a *******, as it lacks oxidation sites (unlike olive oil for example).
Oil stored cold will last from months to years, depending on how saturated it is. Once heated, it will go rancid in a matter of from days, to months, again depending on the level of saturation, but also on the amount of oxygen available.
Corn popped in coconut oil should probably be fine for a week or more without going rancid. If sealed in a metallized oxygen-barrier bag, with a nitrogen flushing (like they do for Doritos, or any popped corn you get in the store), that could probably be extended to a few months.

I happen to pop using olive oil (the cheapest kind available is better than any specialty olive oil for this purpose; anything EV is awful for popping). Even olive oil popped corn won't go rancid for at least a few days, but for me, it's like finding out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. I've never had it last that long.

I have a 6 ounce kettle. I make one kettle's worth, we eat what we want, and what's left over goes into zip-loc bags and into the kid's lunches the following day.

What I have found though, is that the humidity in the summer makes popped corn left in the machine overnight too soggy to be good. In the winter, that's not an issue, but in the summer, leftovers get sealed in a bag right away.

Speaking of humidity, remember to always leave the doors open while popping. It lets the steam out of the machine, and everything stays crisper.
 

ADSR

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Jan 12, 2013
Messages
10,713
UPDATE: I just made my first batch with the whirley pop and it's awesome!!

Thanks for suggesting it.
 

bwringer

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Jan 1, 2013
Messages
10,318
Location
Indianapolis
I have a semi-commercial popcorn machine. We've purchased popcorn online and it's been hit and miss. I stumbled across the best popcorn....Do it Best Hardware! You can order it online, or if your lucky, purchase a box from your local store. Very reasonably priced and movie theatre quality.

Dude, you live in northern Indiana -- the popcorn capital of the world. And you were buying popcorn online?

There's an old expression for that -- "bringing coals to Newcastle".
 

James-W

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Feb 3, 2013
Messages
12,432
Location
Southeastern Wisconsin
We have a hot air popper and we buy the white popcorn in two pound bags. We like to make a big bowl of popcorn when we watch a movie on the big screen TV and the surround sound system in the basement.
 

kngelv

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Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
2,230
Location
Detroit, MI
I have a Gold Medal 8oz machine. Use coconut oil, Flavacol and Pop Weaver popcorn from Costco. Just like the theater.

James
 

ScottsGT

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Jan 1, 2014
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4,883
Location
Lake Wateree, SC
ScottsGT,

What theatre did you work at in North Charleston? I was working at a theatre in Sumter when The Empire Stikes Back came out. I lworked at Aviation Avenue Cinemas in the mid 80's.

Just saw this thread again, sorry for ignoring you! I was at the Terrace Theater right across from Avation Ave. Also spent many hours at the Northwoods Mall theater long before they added onto the mall and moved the theaters location. Used to work there before being transferred to the Terrace. The old disco "Derriers" was next door. Got to meet Chubby Checker one time when he came in for a movie before a performance next door.

I was just telling the wife last night that when I was at Northwoods Mall the Bill Murray movie Meat Balls was playing. When I was sent out to change the marquee by the road, we took down the M on one side while working on the other side of the marquee. :evil:
 

R-Savage

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Jan 30, 2016
Messages
340
Location
Spruce Grove AB
My popcorn is done old school. Little Oil in a sauce pan, Preheat, Cover Shake regularly. My wife bought me a popper. Ive only used it a couple of times, I just prefer the stove method.
 

R-Savage

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Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Messages
340
Location
Spruce Grove AB
I still use a cast aluminum pot to cook popcorn. Then buttered, salted and parmesan cheese. Orvilles seems to be good quality and I pop it in peanut oil. Been doing it like this for ages!


Peanut oil... I haven't Tried this. I just use Canola Oil.. Going to have to give peanut oil a go.
 
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