What is the secret to movie theater popcorn?

The secret ingredient is Flavacol

Manufactured by Gold Medal, Flavacol is the “secret sauce” most movie theaters use in order to produce that quintessential popcorn flavor only found in cinemas, stadiums, and the like. Flavacol is a butter-flavored, popcorn seasoning salt made of extra fine salt flakes.

Why does movie theater popcorn taste different?

So if the popcorn is the same, what gives theater popcorn that unique flavor? One of the main differences is the type (and amount) of oil used in movie-theater poppers. They also use a lot more salt (which may contain flavoring agents).

How do movie theaters make their popcorn so good?

In reality, most major theaters pop their kernels in coconut oil (via The New York Times), adding Flavacol as it pops to imbue the fluffy popped kernels with that signature yellow color and salty taste (via Extra Crispy).

How do I get my popcorn to taste like movie theater popcorn?

The most authentic way to cook popcorn that tastes like movie theater popcorn is to use Flavacol as a seasoning added to the coconut oil and the kernels. Flavacol gives popcorn a yellow tint. The theaters top the popcorn with butter-flavored oil which has less water so the popcorn is not soggy.

What kind of oil do movie theaters use for popcorn?

What oil is used for movie theater popcorn? Coconut oil or canola oil is what they use for popcorn at movie theaters. Both of these oils give a cleaner taste and are actually a healthier option over other oils so that is good news for sure!

Making Movie Theater Popcorn At Home | But Better

What kernels do movie theaters use?

Most people and places use the traditional yellow kernel. This is also known as butterfly popcorn because it has “wings” after it pops.

What kind of butter do they put on popcorn at the movie theaters?

Directions. Movie theaters use butter-flavored oil, which has a lower water content than butter so it makes popcorn less soggy. Real clarified butter has the same effect.

What is Flavacol made of?

Flavacol is composed, after all, of only four ingredients: “salt, artificial butter flavor, FD&C Yellow #5 Lake (E102) and Yellow #6 Lake (E110)”; the latter two “give popcorn a bright, appealing yellow color for maximum sales."

What is the butter at movie theaters made of?

Your movie theater butter has no butter in it, but it does have partially hydrogenated soybean oil (a.k.a. trans fats), beta carotene (a coloring, makes carrots orange), tertiary Butylhydroquinone or TBHQ (synthetic preservative that keeps the color and texture from changing as the product sits), polydimethylsiloxane ( ...

What can I use instead of Flavacol?

Flavacol is a super fine, butter-flavored seasoning salt that movie theaters on their popcorn. They usually pop it using a combination of orange-colored coconut oil and Flavacol seasoning, but regular coconut oil will give you the same results without the fake-looking color.

What kind of salt do movie theaters use?

The flavor all comes down to one ingredient: Flavacol. You've likely never heard of Flavacol because, really, only movie theaters use it. Essentially, it's butter-flavored salt. It's a really fine, bright orange powder that adds that buttery flavor you crave and the signature yellow color.

Why do popcorn bags say not to use popcorn button?

#1Don't Use the Popcorn Button

Even the popcorn bags have a warning on them telling you not to. The popcorn setting on many microwaves has only a preset time and no humidity sensor, which means that the microwave can't tell when something's burning.

Do movie theaters use white or yellow popcorn?

Around 99% of popcorn grown is the yellow variety. Theaters and most commercial users of popcorn use yellow. It pops bigger and looks better in the popping machine. It also pops to a more sturdy flake so it stands up to flavoring better.

What's the best oil for popcorn?

The best cooking oil for popcorn has a high smoking point, and canola oil is the most excellent option if you seek to make a healthy snack. Canola oil, unlike other oils, are high in omega-3 fatty acids and vegan friendly.

What kind of popcorn does AMC use?

AMC wants pieces that take up as much room in a bag as possible and carry a heft that moviegoers expect. This browser does not support the video element. Popcorn is sent from Weaver Popcorn to the logistics company Vistar, which then delivers 35-pound bags to theaters.

Is Flavacol safe to eat?

Flavacol is as bad for you as regular salt but worse, as it doesn't even contain iodine, regular salt's redeeming nutritional feature; it is, however, vegan and gluten-free (as salt tends to be), as well as kosher and halal certified.

How much Flavacol is in popcorn?

According to an in-the-know Redditor with plenty of Flavacol experience, "The best recipe for at home theatre popcorn is what I call '1.2. 3.4': 1/2 cup popcorn to 3/4 teaspoon Flavacol. Use just a small glug of oil, you don't need much.

How can I add butter to popcorn without making it soggy?

1) Melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter (more if you're a butter-head). 2) Fill a clean paper lunch bag half-way with your popped popcorn. 3) Drizzle your melted butter along the sides of the half-filled bag, fold over the top, and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds.

What contains diacetyl?

Diacetyl is most prevalent in processed foods that contain butter flavoring. It is used as a flavoring agent in butter, butter sprays, margarine, shortening, oil, oil sprays and other butter-flavored substances. If a product is advertised as having "buttery flavor," then that product likely contains diacetyl.

Which microwave popcorn taste like movie theater?

But once in a while, a microwave popcorn can come pretty close to that movie magic—enter Pop Secret. This microwave popcorn offered us big, fluffy kernels with a satisfying crunch. When it came to the butter taste, we all agreed this one tasted a lot like movie theater popcorn (a gold standard for some).

What butter does AMC use for their popcorn?

“Your movie theater butter has no butter in it,” Ballis writes, “but it does have partially hydrogenated soybean oil (aka trans fats), beta carotene (a coloring, makes carrots orange), tertiary Butylhydroquinone or TBHQ (synthetic preservative that keeps the color and texture from changing as the product sits), ...

Why is popcorn so expensive in movie theaters?

The popcorn business

Unlike tickets, concession sales are not shared: theaters keep 100% of the revenue they generate. And this revenue generates much higher profits.

What's the difference between yellow and white popcorn kernels?

Simply put, white popcorn has a more tender texture than yellow. This is because it pops into smaller, more fine bright white shapes. Conversely, yellow popcorn tends to produce a much larger and sturdier form than white corn, and the popped kernels hold a yellowish tint to them.