How To Resurrect Stale Leftover Popcorn

Movie theater popcorn is pretty hard to resist, I'll admit, especially since you can smell the stuff when you're still outside the theater. The problem is, it generally doesn't cost much more to order a ginormous tub of the stuff, so it seems like a smart move once inside the theater. However, no matter how tasty the snack, and no matter how hungry you were when you started it, you can find yourself getting sick of it halfway through. Which leaves you with leftovers to bring home. 

Now, I may be the exception to the rule that nobody likes stale popcorn, because I genuinely like the day-old stuff that goes "squish" instead of crunch. Most others would disagree, however, which is why I'm sharing this handy hack for getting the crunch back (that you don't need to do on my behalf, but others will no doubt appreciate.) All you need to do for good-as-new popcorn is heat it for a few minutes.

While the microwave is the one appliance we usually associate with popcorn, here it's better to use an oven. Bake it on a sheet at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for just five minutes, then enjoy your newly-recrisped popcorn. This trick doesn't just work for movie theater popcorn — it can also be used to revive either the home-popped or store-bought pre-popped kind, as well. If you only have a small amount to cook, or are too impatient to wait for a full-size oven to preheat, you can also rescue it with five minutes at the same temperature in an air fryer. 

If you're not in the mood to revisit yesterday's popcorn in its original state, even with its crisp back, there's another way you can keep from having that expensive movie theater purchase be in vain: Repurpose it in another recipe. Popcorn balls bound with honey or melted marshmallows would be one way to transform stale popcorn into a tasty treat, as would our spooky Halloween candy-coated popcorn flavored with orange Jell-O and white chocolate chips. If you're in the mood for a slightly more elaborate dessert, you could also use it in our multi-layer movie theater popcorn cake that features movie candies like Milk Duds, Sugar Babies, Goobers, or Junior Mints.

Day-old popcorn can also be used in out-of-the-ordinary dishes such as Midwestern-style popcorn salad. Here the popcorn gets mixed with mayonnaise and other ingredients such as bacon, cheese, green onions, and water chestnuts, so it won't matter if it starts out a bit stale. You can also put your leftovers to good use by making shrimp and popcorn grits, a recipe that comes from a Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant called EL Ideas. Haute cuisine meets thrift — now there's a combo I like almost as much as popcorn and movies!