A Little Bit of Popcorn Heaven

The kitchen gadget that sees the most action in our house is without a doubt our Whirley Pop popcorn maker.  In about the time it takes to microwave a bag, we can make an amazing batch of popcorn.  Without all the junk.  A little oil + kernels + a little elbow grease = fluffy white pieces of heaven.  So good.  It's nice to be able to control the amount and type of oil, too.  I typically only use about a tablespoon per batch but my husband likes a bit more.  He's naughty that way. We like to experiment with infused olive oils (chipotle is sooo good), peanut oil, or just plain canola oil.  A while back, a friend suggested using truffle salt.  Seeing as I don't have a million dollars or a mushroom-sniffing pig, I possess little knowledge about these expensive little nuggets.  But the salt?  Hello!  Although it's a little pricey for salt (around $8-$15), a little goes a long way.  There are tons of different kinds.  Whenever we are in a fancy schmancy kitchen store, we check to see what they have to offer.

We use either white or black truffle salt.  Black is a little smokier...but they are equally delicious. We've made dozens of batches between these two jars...so they last a while.

 
The process is really this simple: add the oil and kernels to the Whirley Pop, turn on the stove and rotate the lever until the popping stops.  We dump the freshly popped popcorn into a brown paper bag, add the truffle salt to taste and shake it like a Polaroid picture.  Needless to say, we go through a lot of kernels...but our fiber intake is excellent.  While I realize I'm not reinventing the wheel here, it sure tastes like it.  If you don't have a stove top popcorn maker, you should.  We've lost our taste for microwave popcorn which is a good thing.  It just doesn't stack up to the real thing.  Once you go Whirley, you never go back.

This one is shiny and new.  Ours looks rugged and well loved.  That's code for grimy.