What type of corn is used to make popcorn

This is the more popular method. Microwave popcorn, movie theater popcorn, and most other commercial poppers use this method. Kernels with the right amount of water will be fluffy and light. Kernels that have too much water inside will be dense and gummy.

Un-popped kernels have most likely dried out. Blog detail. Home Blog. Popcorn is a fun and delicious snack. We eat it just about everywhere we can, including ball games, sporting events, carnivals, fairs, and movie theaters. I think it's fair to say that we're obsessed. But where exactly does this fascinating and tasty snack come from? Popcorn Varieties There are many varieties of corn: Sweet Corn — the corn that we eat on the cob Field Corn — the corn that is used to feed animals Flint Corn — Also called Indian corn, used as a decoration Popcorn — the only corn that pops There are several varieties of popcorn, including rice popcorn, pearl popcorn, red, black, rainbow, yellow, white, and blue.

These are known as gourmet specialty popcorn varieties. Some larger popcorn companies employ scientists who are constantly creating new strains and hybrids to improve popcorn's "pop". You can grow popcorn Zea mays everta in your own garden even if you haven't tried it before.

But the seeds you sow are not the same as the ones to grow sweet corn. Only certain types of corn plants bear ears with kernels that pop. Varieties of corn are grouped into four categories: sweet corn, field corn, ornamental corn and popcorn.

Field corn can be dent or flint types, which are hard-shelled and typically ground into meal or used for animal feed. Dent corn is named for the indentation at the top of its kernels and grows in warmer climates while flint types grow best in cooler regions.

Sweet corn is a table vegetable and ornamental corn is used for decorations. Popcorn is unique among corn varieties because of its starchy endosperm that expands and pops when heated. As a favorite American snack, popcorn is not a new cultivated type. Popcorn is a type of flint corn, but has its own size, shape, starch level and moisture content. It has a hard exterior shell and a soft starchy center. When heated, the natural moisture inside the kernel turns to steam and builds up enough pressure to eventually explode.

Other types of dried corn may burst open slightly when heated, but popcorn is unique in its taste and popability. It contains more sugar than other types of corn. Unlike other corns that are picked when the kernels are dry and mature, sweet corn is picked and eaten while the ears are in the immature milk stage and the kernels are tender. You are now leaving the popcorn. All About Popcorn.