Successful Experiment: DIY Lime Popcorn!

Guys! Remember this post? About the lime popcorn? Of course you don't, but I do, and I figured out an alternative!

True Lime powder!

Here's the story. I was at Target, probably buying a bunch of stuff I don't need, when I happened upon this microwave popcorn bowl. It was on clearance, so of course it went straight in the cart, along with a package of loose-kernel popcorn. A bit further down the aisle, a box of True Lime caught my eye, and then something happened: a giant lightbulb went on over my head, the skies opened up, and angels sang. "DUH!" they cried out in their heavenly harmonies, "THIS IS THE OBVIOUS SOLUTION."

I put a little oil (sometimes coconut oil, sometimes a mysterious product called "popcorn oil" that will probably give me cancer of the eyeballs but at least I'm trying to avoid "popcorn lung" [see original lime popcorn post]) in the popcorn bowl, add 1/3 cup kernels, and pop that bad boy in the microwave for about 3 minutes (sometimes takes less time; remove when there are 1-2 seconds in between pops). Be careful, the bowl will be hot! Also, make sure you use the lid; one time I forgot and had to clean Popcorn Armageddon out of my microwave.

After it's popped, sprinkle a packet or two of True Lime over the whole shebang, and a sprinkling of kosher salt if you like. It's just as good as, or perhaps better than, the store-bought lime popcorn. Now that it's accessible to me, I fiend for this stuff day and night. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

In Search of a Substitute: Orville Redenbacher's Lime and Salt Popcorn

Somebody call Dr. Drew, because I have an addiction to Lime and Salt Popcorn. I've been hooked since my first bag, and then it disappeared and I was distraught and hoarded my remaining supply. A couple of weeks ago I was in the grocery store when a single shaft of light shone down from the heavens and I saw, to my ecstatic surprise, that it was BACK! AND I BOUGHT FOUR BOXES! OOPS!

Tasty, tasty poison.

According to Wikipedia, which we all know is the world's most reliable source of information, popcorn from the store-bought microwave bags is... how do you say... not so good for you.

In 2006, concerns were raised about the levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, a chemical related to Teflon) in popcorn bags. The high temperatures used in popping popcorn may facilitate the transfer of the chemical, which is carcinogenic in lab animals, into the popcorn oil.DuPont has agreed to eliminate almost all use of the chemical by 2015.

Additionally, the artificial butter flavoring used in many brands of microwave popcorn has been linked with the obstructive lung diseasebronchiolitis obliterans, sometimes referred to as "popcorn lung", in factory workers and others exposed to large amounts of the substance. The chemical diacetyl, the cause of bronchiolitis obliterans, has been removed from some popcorn brands.

"POPCORN LUNG?" That ain't right, you guys. I have to figure out how to replicate this delicious flavor on my own, so that "popcorn" and "lung" may never again be in the same sentence, unless it is to say "I inhaled the delicious, non-toxic popcorn scent into my lungs before eating the entire bag by myself. The end."

I get that you can make plain popcorn kernels in plain paper bags in the microwave, and you can make them on the stovetop, and then you can add your own flavorings. It's up to me now to figure out what process and what ingredients will most closely resemble Mr. Redenbacher's wretchedly glorious creation. Perhaps items from this site could be of help. In the meantime, let's hope I don't crumble and die from eating the 4 boxes I already bought. Because I will do it.

UPDATE: I figured out how to do it myself!