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    Popcorn over an open fire – three kernels, one layer and two seconds

    Three test kernels, one layer on the bottom and off when it goes quiet

    • 4 servings
    • Time: 5 min at home + 10–15 min at the fire
    • Difficulty: Easy
    • 9 ingredients
    • 12 steps
    To the recipe
    Corn kernels and the first popped popcorn in the bottom of a saucepan, seen through a steamed-up glass lid.
    Photo: keith.bellvay, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

    At first nothing happens. The oil glistens in the bottom of the saucepan, three lonely corn kernels roll around, and everyone round the fire has stopped talking to listen. Then something bangs against the lid, once, twice, three times. Now the rest of the corn goes in, lid on, and after a while the pops turn into a drum roll that makes the saucepan lift its own lid.

    Popcorn over an open fire is one of the quickest things you can make at a barbecue spot, and that's exactly why it's easy to burn. Most of it is decided in the last half minute. Stick to three things and it'll turn out right: three kernels that show when the oil is hot enough, one layer of corn on the bottom and never more, and two seconds between pops as your signal to lift the saucepan off.

    Method

    1. Put the saucepan on the grill over the embers and pour in the oil. Add three kernels and put the lid on.
    2. Wait until all three kernels have popped. It often takes two to four minutes, depending on the embers. If the oil smokes before the kernels pop, it's too hot – lift the saucepan off for a while.
    3. Lift the saucepan off the heat with the barbecue gloves and take out the three popped kernels.
    4. Pour in the rest of the corn. It should lie in a single layer on the bottom, not in heaps. If it doesn't all fit, pop it in two batches.
    5. Put the lid on and shake the saucepan back and forth a few times so all the kernels get coated in oil. Leave it off the heat for about half a minute, so the kernels all reach the same temperature.
    6. Put the saucepan back on the grill. After about one to two minutes the popping starts.
    7. Shake the saucepan when the popping is at its loudest. Hold the handle with one hand and press the lid in place with the other, and slide the saucepan back and forth over the grill about every ten seconds. That way the unpopped kernels fall down to the hot bottom, and the popped ones slide up out of the way.
    8. Push the lid slightly ajar so the steam can escape. That makes the popcorn crisp instead of chewy. Point the gap away from you and away from the children.
    9. Listen. When the pops thin out to about two seconds between them, lift the saucepan off straight away. It usually only takes two to four minutes from the first pop.
    10. Tip the popcorn into the bowl or bag immediately. In the hot saucepan they keep browning, even off the fire.
    11. Salt them straight away while the popcorn is warm and a little oily, so the salt sticks. Shake the bowl or bag so it spreads evenly.
    12. Melt the butter in the small saucepan at the edge of the embers if you're making cinnamon and sugar or cheese. Drizzle it over the popcorn and sprinkle over the flavouring while you shake.

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    Choose one of the flavourings, or split the popcorn between two bowls.

    At home and by the fire

    At home. Measure the corn into a jar with a tight lid. Popcorn kernels pop because there's a little water inside each one, which turns to steam and bursts the hull. If the bag is left open the corn dries out, and then more kernels never pop. Pour the oil into a small bottle that won't leak, and mix the cinnamon and sugar in a separate jar. Grate the cheese as finely as you can and put it in a sealed jar.

    By the fire. Popcorn wants steady, strong heat under the whole base, not flames licking up the sides. Light the fire in good time and let it burn down to a bed of embers, as described in lighting a fire. A small flame under the middle is fine, but flames around the edge scorch the popcorn that has already popped and been pushed up against the sides. The saucepan is steadiest on a grill – how to set it up and how high it should be is explained in grills and fish baskets. If you have a tripod, you can also hang a pot with a bail handle over the embers, see whittling a roasting stick and a tripod.

    Set out the bowl, the butter and the flavouring before you start. There's no time to go looking once the popcorn is done.

    With a popcorn basket or long-handled popper

    Popcorn basket. A wire-mesh basket with a long handle pops the corn with no oil at all. Pour in enough corn to cover the bottom, close the lid and hold the basket a little way above the embers, about a hand's width. Shake it the whole time, so no kernel lies still against the mesh. The basket is easy to burn in flames, so hold it over embers. Add flavour afterwards with melted butter, so the salt and cinnamon have something to stick to.

    Long-handled popcorn popper. A closed popper or a small pot on a long handle works like the saucepan above, with oil and corn, but you stand further from the heat. It's handy when the fire is big or when you're standing around a fire pit. Use the same rule: three kernels first, one layer, shake the whole time, and take the popper off when there are two seconds between pops.

    Popcorn in foil

    Popcorn in a foil parcel is a fun little variation, and it crackles and grows before your eyes. Lay two sheets of heavy-duty aluminium foil on top of each other. Put 1 tbsp corn and 1 tbsp oil in the middle, fold into a loose parcel and pinch the edges together firmly. The parcel should be big and puffy, because the corn expands several times over. Popcorn isn't acidic food, so foil is fine.

    Tie the parcel to a long stick with string or hold it with long tongs, and hold it about a hand's width above the embers. Shake it the whole time. After about two to four minutes the popping starts, and when it goes quiet it's done. Open the parcel with the tongs, away from your face, because the steam that billows out is hot. The foil burns through easily in flames, so stick to the embers. More ways to use foil at the fire are explained in foil parcel.

    Safety with hot oil, steam and small children

    Popcorn and the youngest children. 1177 (the Swedish healthcare advice service) and Livsmedelsverket (the Swedish Food Agency) advise holding off on whole nuts, almonds, peanuts and grapes for the youngest children, because they can go down the windpipe. Popcorn isn't mentioned specifically, and Swedish authorities don't give an age, but the risk is of the same kind: light pieces that are easy to breathe in, hard hulls and kernels that never popped. In the US, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting with food like this until the child is four or older, depending on how the child chews and eats, and Ireland's health service says no popcorn before the age of five. Make sure the child sits still while eating, rather than running around the fire with a handful of popcorn, and pick the unpopped kernels out of the bowl.

    Hot oil. Oil that smokes is on its way to getting too hot. Lift the saucepan off for a while instead of carrying on. Never leave the saucepan over the embers, and let the children stand a little way off when you shake.

    If the oil catches fire. Put the lid on and leave it there. Never pour water into burning oil – in an instant the water becomes a cloud of hot steam that throws burning oil into the air. Don't move the saucepan while it's burning, because burning oil can slosh out. Don't lift the lid until the saucepan has cooled down, or the oil can flare up again. Keep the children away and call 112 if the fire spreads. That's why the extra lid should be out and ready.

    The steam when the lid comes off. The steam that billows out when you open the saucepan is hot enough to burn. Always lift the lid away from your face and away from the children. The same goes for the foil parcel.

    If someone gets burnt. Cool with cool water for about fifteen minutes, no longer, and never with ice or snow. Seek medical care if there are blisters over an area larger than the injured person's own hand, and always if the child is 12 months old or younger.

    More about making fires safely can be found in fire safety in nature. If there's a fire ban, it's the decision of the county administrative board (länsstyrelsen) or the municipality that applies, and the rules are explained in lighting fires outdoors.

    Popcorn with children

    Popcorn is perfect to make with children, because most of it is about listening. At home, the children can measure out the corn and mix the cinnamon sugar. At the fire, they can count the three test kernels and say when they've all popped.

    Make the children pop counters: when the popping starts to thin out, they count out loud between pops, "one, two", and when they get to two it's time. That makes it easier for the adult to keep an eye on the saucepan and gives the children a job of their own.

    The adult takes care of the shaking, the lid and the oil. Then the children can hold the bag open, sprinkle over salt or cinnamon sugar and shake the bag once it's closed. More jobs for different ages can be found in cooking with children over a fire.

    Tips for popcorn over a fire

    • A thick base spreads the heat evenly. A cast-iron pot pops most evenly, but an ordinary saucepan with a lid works too.
    • A glass lid lets you see how it's going, but most people quickly learn to hear it instead.
    • Fine salt sticks better than flaky salt. Grind the flaky salt in a mortar if that's what you have.
    • Two batches are better than one overfull saucepan. The second batch goes faster, because the saucepan is already hot.
    • Pack an extra bag. Leftover popcorn stays crisp in a closed bag until the next day.

    Common mistakes

    • The saucepan is in the flames. The sides get too hot and the popcorn burns before all the kernels have popped. Let the fire burn down.
    • Too much corn. The lid lifts, popcorn falls out and whatever is at the bottom burns. One layer on the bottom, no more.
    • No shaking. The kernels nearest the bottom burn while others never get hot. Shake when the popping is at its loudest.
    • Lid fully closed. The steam stays inside and the popcorn turns chewy. Push the lid slightly ajar.
    • Waiting for the last kernels. By then it's already too late for the rest. Lift off at two seconds between pops. A few unpopped kernels are better than a burnt batch.
    • The popcorn is left in the saucepan. The hot bottom keeps toasting it. Tip it out straight away.
    • Butter in the saucepan from the start. Butter burns at the heat needed to pop corn. Use oil for popping and melt the butter afterwards.
    • Burnt anyway? Tip the light-coloured popcorn into another bowl and leave the black bits behind. Wipe out the saucepan before the next batch, or everything will taste burnt.

    Vary the popcorn

    • Cinnamon and sugar: drizzle melted butter over the popcorn and sprinkle over cinnamon and sugar while you shake. Always mix it in afterwards – sugar poured into the saucepan with the corn burns quickly, and melted sugar sticks to the skin and burns.
    • Cheese: drizzle over melted butter and sprinkle over the finely grated cheese while the popcorn is still warm, so it melts on a little.
    • Herb salt: mix the salt with dried thyme or rosemary and a little black pepper.
    • Sweet and salty: add a little salt to the cinnamon popcorn too – it brings out the sweetness.
    • Pudding: eat them with chocolate fondue, or make a bowl with both popcorn and roasted chestnuts on an autumn evening. More sweet things over the fire can be found in snacks and treats.

    Frequently asked questions

    How much oil and corn should I use?

    About 2 tbsp oil to 1 dl popcorn kernels. That makes around three litres of popcorn, just right for four people. The corn should lie in a single layer on the bottom – if it doesn't fit in your saucepan, pop it in two batches.

    When should I take the saucepan off the fire?

    When there are about two seconds between pops. Don't wait for every kernel to pop, because then the ones that have already popped will burn. Tip the popcorn into a bowl straight away.

    Why don't all the kernels pop?

    The kernels need a little water inside to pop. Old corn, or corn that has been sitting in an open bag, has dried out. Store the corn in a sealed jar. Heat that's too weak also lets the steam leak out of the kernel before it has time to burst.

    Can you make popcorn without oil over a fire?

    Yes, in a wire-mesh popcorn basket. Hold it over the embers and shake it the whole time. Without oil the salt won't stick, so drizzle over a little melted butter afterwards.

    From what age can children eat popcorn?

    Swedish authorities give no age and don't mention popcorn specifically, but 1177 (the Swedish healthcare advice service) and Livsmedelsverket (the Swedish Food Agency) advise waiting with whole nuts and similar foods for the youngest children, because they can end up in the windpipe. In the US, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting with food like this until the child is four or older, and Ireland's health service says five. Make sure the child sits still while eating, and pick out the unpopped kernels.

    What do I do if the oil catches fire?

    Put the lid on and leave it there until the saucepan has cooled down. Don't move the saucepan while it's burning, and never pour water on burning oil.

    More guides and recipes to read

    More for the evening by the fire

    Something warm to drink with the bowl

    The popcorn is ready in a few minutes – put a saucepan of apple juice at the edge of the embers while the fire is going anyway.

    To the apple juice

    While the embers are still hot

    The same embers that popped the corn are enough for marshmallows on a stick and s'mores before the evening is over.

    To the s'mores

    The pot that pops most evenly

    A thick pot spreads the heat across the whole base. How to look after the cast iron and keep it rust-free between trips.

    To the cast-iron guide