Thursday, 15 December 2011

Easiest way to make stove-top popcorn

I love popcorn, but I never seem to be able to get the microwave variety right – it either tastes burnt, or I have half a packet of unpopped seeds.  So I decided to attempt making popcorn on the stove.  After all, it’s a whole lot cheaper, and it tastes a whole lot better.

Give it a try, it’s easier than making microwave popcorn, with no burnt or left over kernels.  Really, no jokes.

You need:
Popcorn seeds (1 tbsp seeds for each cup of popcorn, approximately)
A tall pot with a lid
Oil
Salt and seasoning to taste

Method:
1.   Put a little oil in the pot.  Just enough to cover the bottom of the pot with a thin layer.  If the popcorn seeds are swimming in oil, you’ve put in too much oil.
2.      Heat the oil on the stove.  I usually put the stove on 60% power.
3.      After a minute, put 2 or 3 popcorn seeds into the pot, and cover with the lid.  When you hear the seeds pop, remove the pot from the heat. (This lets you know when the oil is at the right temperature).
4.      Add the rest of the popcorn seeds into the pot, in an even layer.  Cover, and wait 30 seconds before returning the pot to the heat.  (This allows the popcorn seeds time to heat up evenly).
5.      Once the pot is returned to the heat, the popcorn should start popping.  Give the pot a gentle shake.  Keep the lid slightly skew to allow steam to escape.   Once the popping slows down to several seconds between pops, remove from the stove, remove lid and pour into bowl.
6.      Season and enjoy!

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

Quick Tip, the Second : A way with mushy avocados

I'm always forgetting to eat the avocados I've bought and then a week later I find them in the fridge and theyre all mushy.
Sound familiar? Well, here is a good way to enjoy them instead of throwing them away.

Avocado dip:
Peel the avocados, (you can cut around and throw away any bits that are brown).
Smash the avocados into a paste with a spoon.
Add black pepper, salt and lemon juice to taste.

Tastes good with potato chips or you could even eat on toast.
I once added humus that I had bought at Woolworths and that tasted pretty good too.

Any other ideas? Please send them our way :)