It’s late in the evening and you feel like watching a movie. You decide on a title and set it up on your TV. You turn down the lights. Heading to the kitchen, you throw a bag of popcorn in the microwave and grab a Coke. With a big bowl of freshly popped corn, you make your way to the couch and flip on the movie. As images flash by on the screen, you sift through the popcorn, popping a kernel in your mouth here and there. Subconsciously, your hand picks through the corn, sorting it, picking selective kernels, and skipping over others. There are big fluffy pieces, completely white with rolling, ground edges. There are smaller broken-up pieces. The unpopped pieces, for the most part, are sunk to the bottom.
Your favorite, however, are the half pops. They are small, crunchy gems that exist halfway between kernel and popped corn. You crunch down on them, breaking through the husk that remains as a result of its half-popped nature. The crunchiness is juxtaposed by the softness of the rest of the piece in a way that never gets old. They’re one of the funny, frivolous things that you have always loved. As long as you can remember, you have been eating your popcorn the same way. Steadily picking through,h always on the hunt for half pops.
Popcorn is made from a special variety of corn that has a starchy interior encased in a hard husk or shell. When a significant amount of heat is applied to the corn, the moisture inside the shell begins to boil, causing rapid expansion. As the interior of the kernel expands against the hard outer layer, pressure begins to build until it inevitably explodes or pops. The starch expands rapidly as the husk breaks away, creating the soft yet crunchy popcorn that we know and love.
Half pops are created when the pressure within the kernel is insufficient to completely break away the husk and cause the starch to expand fully. This can be caused by one of two things. The first possibility is that the integrity of the husk has been compromised. It may have a hole or a crack in it, which allows steam to escape, keeping the internal pressure from developing fully. The second possibility is that the moisture content of the popcorn is too high. Your average popcorn available for purchase has an internal moisture content of. It is specifically raised this way to ensure the best possible population. However, if the internal moisture is greater than 14% percent the humidity will not boil at the same temperature, again causing insufficient pressure.
This is one of those great instances where understanding the science of your food can be extremely beneficial. Combining what you know about popcorn moisture content with salt and water can create an ideal bowl of popcorn, nothing but half pops. Begin by taking popcorn kernels and placing them in an airtight container. Make a solution of salt water at a ratio. Fill the container with the salt water, ensuring that all kernels are submerged. Cover and place in a cool place (do not refrigerate).
Stir occasionally and allow to sit. Strain but do not dry the kernels after 4 days. The kernels are now ready to pop. You can cook them in a popcorn popper or a sauce pot in the normal way, although you may need to you the normal amount of oil. The salt water will ideally, due to osmosis, raise the moisture content of the popcorn kernel, resulting in an entire bowl of half pops. Fair warning, you may be disappointed when given a whole bowl, you discover that hunting for those special little kernels was half of the fun.