I love a good popcorn hack. I to have lots. Sweet popcorn, savory popcorn, Popcorn grits-I like everything! I even liked it Popcorn Salad, the hyperregional Midwestern delicacy that the internet dreamed of hating. (I really loved it, and so did Joel, and everyone owes Molly Yeh an apology.) But I finally came across a popcorn hack that I don’t like, and – as you can probably guess – it comes from TikTok.
Before we get into what the hack “is”, I want to ask TikTokers to include some damn measurements in your little videos for food and my sanity sake. Maybe even add some instructions or guides – anything that would help your audience actually prepare your food. (I know. I know they aren’t listening to me, a 35 year old lady who writes for Lifehacker, but I still had to say my post.)
Despite it. The original TikTok video shows a series of hands making chocolate popcorn. They put some oil, popcorn kernels and half a bar of chopped baking chocolate in a saucepan, stir until the chocolate melts and a few kernels pop, and then they put the lid on so the corn is ready to pop. The chocolate coats the popped corn, creating chocolate popcorn.
Joel and I tried and it was a disaster. Burned popcorn everywhere, smoke everywhere – we hated it. I tried again later on my own when I noticed that we put the lid on a little too early the first time. (We closed it when the chocolate had melted, but before any kernels started to burst. This made a little difference in the result in the end.)
But even with this adjustment, things didn’t go well. I’ll let you watch the video to see the disappointing final product with your own eyes, but be warned: it’s not pretty. (Joel is pretty and my hair looks fine for the first half of the video, but the popcorn isn’t aesthetically pleasing.)
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