Why Your Popcorn Came Out Chewy (And How To Fix It)

You've probably had enough good popcorn in your life, at home or at the movies, to know what it should taste like — and more importantly, how it should feel in your mouth. You've suffered through mediocre bags of popcorn at baseball games and county fairs, chewing through what feels like salty cow feed, in pursuit of true greatness: Fluffy, yielding puffs of corn, perfectly seasoned with butter and salt, pleasantly crunchy without giving your jaw a workout. That's part of the reason why you've started popping your kernels in a pot or pan when you make it at home: The instant popcorn that comes in a bag just isn't cutting it for you anymore. (You never could get a straight answer about whether or not to use the popcorn button, anyway.)

But, even using a tried and true method, misfortune can sometimes strike. In this case, you finish popping your kernels and try some for yourself, only to be met with a dense, chewy mouthful of packing peanuts. What on earth happened, and how can you fix it? Luckily, there's an easy answer: you have to properly ventilate your popcorn to prevent steam build-up inside the pan.

Anyone who's ever operated a popcorn machine will know that it produces a good amount of steam. It's a natural part of the popcorn-making process: Each hard kernel contains a tiny amount of water, which, when heated, expands and presses against the inside of the kernel until it explodes. This puffs up the starch of the kernel and results in the fluffy white popcorn texture. During the process, the kernel releases moisture in the form of steam, which isn't a problem — until it's joined by dozens of other kernels doing exactly the same thing. This can result in too much steam building up under the lid of your pot, leading to an overly damp environment and causing the corn to reabsorb some moisture, leading to dense, chewy popcorn.

That's why it's important to provide a bit of ventilation for your popcorn. If your pan has a lid with a tiny little hole to allow some steam out, that's perfect. If not, you'll want to lift the lid every so often, or just keep the lid so that it almost — but not quite — covers the pot, leaving a little room for steam (but not popcorn) to escape. From there, you can dress your perfectly crunchy popcorn up however you like — even with Trader Joe's pumpkin pie spice.