• cheaper brands tend to use poorly dried corn kernels which are less likely to pop
• the amount of water in a kernel has to be precise or it won't heat up enough when being popped
• For a kernel to pop properly, water must make up between 14.5 and 15 percent of a kernel's weight
• some kernels lose moisture too quickly, either when stored or when heated. Without the proper amount of steam inside, the kernels would then fail to pop.
• When the cheapest varieties were heated, as many as 47 percent of the kernels didn't pop
• The most expensive varieties had only a 4 percent failure rate
• fresh popcorn will leave almost no unpopped kernals
• stale popcorn is mostly dried out, and so will have a lot of unpopped corn left
• the amount of water in a kernel has to be precise or it won't heat up enough when being popped
• For a kernel to pop properly, water must make up between 14.5 and 15 percent of a kernel's weight
• some kernels lose moisture too quickly, either when stored or when heated. Without the proper amount of steam inside, the kernels would then fail to pop.
• When the cheapest varieties were heated, as many as 47 percent of the kernels didn't pop
• The most expensive varieties had only a 4 percent failure rate
• fresh popcorn will leave almost no unpopped kernals
• stale popcorn is mostly dried out, and so will have a lot of unpopped corn left