Nothing beats the warm buttery taste of popcorn. And as smells do, it immediately transports us back to that happy feeling of watching movies in a cinema with mom and dad. Or to your first date as a nervous teenager. In come the popcorn machines.

Good news is that you don’t need to visit a cinema to create memories like that. Nowadays there is a diverse range of popcorn machines available at catering equipment stores. With these machines, you can produce make popcorn at home without compromising on flavour or nutrients. Talking about nutrients, those little, yet powerful kernels, is a much healthier (and cheaper) alternative to snacks such as candy, crisps or ice cream. 

A simple bag of popcorn is a tasty snack on its own, but with a little imagination, you can customise it by adding salt or spices. Here are a few recipes to try with your brand-new popcorn machine at your next family movie night: 

BROWN SUGAR AND CINNAMON GLAZED POPCORN 


Ingredients
 

50g light brown sugar
10g butter
3 tbsp. double cream
a sprinkle of ground cinnamon
25g popcorn kernels 

Method  

  1. Over low heat, melt the sugar in a small saucepan with 2 tbsp. of water. Don’t stir at all while bringing it to a boil. 
  2. Whisk in the butter once the sugar has turned a dark golden caramel colour. 
  3. Remove from the heat, add the double cream, firmly mix, and then sprinkle in the ground cinnamon. 
  4. After popping the popcorn kernels in your popcorn machine, remove them and drizzle the sugar glaze over them. Toss the popcorn to coat it completely.

ROSEMARY THYME BLACK PEPPER POPCORN 


Ingredients
 

1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
1 sprig of fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
1 pinch of sea salt
1 tsp of black pepper
2-3 tbsp olive oil to coat popcorn
8-10 cups popped popcorn 

Method 

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine just popped popcorn (when it is still warm) and olive oil. Mix until evenly coated. 
  2. Fold in the salt, pepper, and herbs gently. (If the herbs aren’t sticking well, add a little more olive oil.)