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Comment by staunch | Hacker News Reader

I make popcorn on the stove with a large stainless steal soup pot.

   1. Heat a few table spoons of vegetable oil on high.
   2. Put in a single kernel to test (it should pop fairly quickly).
   3. Pour in a handful or two of kernels and cover.
   4. Gently shake pot to get all the kernels cooking.
   5. Wait until the popping dies down.

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+1 if you use Coconut or some other oil with a high flashpoint. Burnt oil's not that good for you.

Considering the article, make that olive oil for the for the health benefits - I've been doing this recently and it is delicious. You do end up sweeping your floor more often, though.

Olive oil that is going to have a health benefit is also going to have a low smoke point. If you can make good popcorn with your olive oil then that is a signal to you that the oil is over-refined and has almost no health benefit whatsoever. Popcorn kernels need to reach ~360 F to pop and the pan should be in the 400-475 range for best results while virgin olive oil will smoke at 370 or so (less for unrefined) and heavily refined oil can make it to the low 400s before smoking. If the oil has hit its smoke point that you can be certain that you are starting to lose the polyphenols that provide most of the health benefits of olive oil.

The shaking is unnecessary, at least if the pot is thick enough to spread heat well. The popping mixes the kernels more than enough to avoid burning.

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