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?
I can’t speak as to WHY one brand pops different than another, but America’s Test Kitchen figured out the qualitative difference:
https://youtu.be/-ByrLqhBhvg
tl;dw
When a popcorn kernel pops, it can go one of three ways:
The more unilateral kernels, the crunchier and tastier the popcorn.
The more multilateral kernels, the more likely it will be squishy and stale.
So if a brand were able to figure out how to maximize the unilateral, and minimize the multilateral…
(I think the bilateral and multilateral hold on to butter better).
God dammit Matpat! Why aren’t you still doing food theory to explore this???
In one sense, I get it. He wants to spend time with his family, and raise his son, and be a good husband, and not be bound by commitments, and pressures of working…
But also…HOW COULD YOU LEAVE US!!!
Food theory has fallen off a cliff. It’s garbage after garbage now.
MatPat started to get on my nerves years ago, but I’ll give the man credit: it was easy to just stop watching his videos. The only time I saw him after that is when he made a guest appearance on Pitch Meeting and that was actually a cool cameo. He’s not one of those people you just can’t get away from. He never (to my knowledge) got mixed up in some horrible controversy or anything, he just kept doing his thing and if you don’t watch him you wouldn’t know him.
Anyway, I feel for you, it sucks when someone you’re a fan of stops doing the thing you love.
a lot of it has to do with the thickness of the kernel hull.
some people have a preference for “mushroom” style kernels which have thick hulls and make big, round, robust pops.
other people prefer “hulless” popcorn for a smaller more tender pop.
so you just have to identify what attributes you like/dislike most and look for popcorn that gives you more/less of that.
The shapes explain a texture difference, why would one be tastier, or stale?
Surface area. The smaller the kernel, the crunchier it is. A wider surface area makes it squishy.
Those are texture elements, not flavor elements. Surface area could affect flavor but surface area is the same once you chew it up.