The Popcorn Test

• Introduction
• Popcorn Brands Tested
• The Test (Experiment + Methodology)
• Which brand of popcorn pops the most kernels?
• Which microwave popcorn pops the best?
• The truth about serving sizes...
• How does popcorn pop?

How does popcorn pop?

Three things make popcorn pop:

• Moisture inside the kernel
• Starch inside the kernel
• The hard shell surrounding the kernel

When a popcorn kernel heats up, the moisture inside the kernel expands, but it has no where to go as long as the shell is keeping it inside. The pressure just keeps building until the kernel's shell is overcome and rips open, letting all the pressure out very quickly in a small explosion, or pop.

The white fluffy stuff is made when the gelatinized starch granules do not explode themselves, but expand into thin, jelly-like bubbles. All these bubbles fuse and become a solid, forming a three-dimensional network much like a hand full of soap suds or a honeycomb. This is the white fluffy stuff we love to eat.

Home Page -->