What a beautiful video of popcorn popping shot at 6,200 FPS (frames per second). Courtesy of Modernist Cuisine a six-volume guidebook on the intersection of science and cuisine that dances around the edges of molecular gastronomy, while providing some pretty incredible visuals.
The cookbook doesn't hit bookstores until March 2011, but you can pre-order your copy from Amazon now.
For some more basic cooking - might I recommend a batch of homemade caramel corn?
Here's my favorite recipe:
Oven Caramel Corn
15 c. popped popcorn
1 c. brown sugar - packed
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
Divide popcorn between two ungreased pans. Heat sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in a heavy saucepan stirring occasionally until bubbly around the edges. Continue cooking on medium heat about five minutes. Remove from heat, stir in soda until foamy. Pour on popcorn & stir until coated. Bake at 200 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes until corn is well coated.
This like my burnt sugar buttercream is a panic recipe. There are moments, every time I make this, that I am certain it isn't going to work. It seems like an impossibly large amount of popcorn for such a small amount of caramel. AND it's hard to stir, AND it all clumps together... but give it some time in the oven and some patient gentle stirring, and all of a sudden it stretches enough to coat every piece. I don't know how it works, but it does. Have faith in the caramel.
