Kettle Corn

Cheap, quick, and easy! I put oil and three kernels in the pot, when all three kernels pop I add the sugar and stir it around well, then I add the rest of the popcorn kernels and put the lid on. Then I alternate shaking the pot for three seconds with letting it sit on the burner for three seconds until I hear the popping begin to slow down, then I take off the lid and sprinkle some salt in, replace the lid, give it another shake and pour it out into a bowl. Haven't had a batch burn yet with the "3-second shake and sit" technique. ;-)

Wow! This became a really fast hit in my family. After making it a few times, though, I do have some suggestions. The last time I made it was the best. Instead of using oil, I melted about 1/4 cup of butter flavored shortening. It made the kernels pop much faster lighter, and had a hint of a buttery taste. Very nice. I also, added a few drops of decorator's icing coloring to the melted shortening and sugar mixture. When the popcorn pops, it explodes into a really beautiful color. You can even mix two colors together[only two batches of popcorn is needed for that;)]

This was really good. It did take me a couple of tries to perfect the technique though. The first few times I made it, I had a big gooey mess in the bottom of the pot. Make sure you start shaking as soon as the corn starts to pop and don't stop until it is done.

A few recommended tips : 1.) The shaking of the popcorn is key, however remove the popcorn from cooking pot ASAP, or the shaking you did over the stove will be rendered pointless. 2.) Heat up the oil with 3 popcorn kernels, when those 3 pop add sugar, and rest of the kernels. WAIT 30 SECONDS, this ensures all your kernels are the same tempature and will not burn. 3.)Use peanut oil if no one is allergic for better flavor outcome. 4.) Use both sugars, my family likes confection sugar vs. white sugar. Our ratio for the recipe is more confetioners sugar than brown. 5.) If you're a sweet and salty person add salt to taste. In our family we add a lot. 6.) For a small hint of butter, after your popcorn is done popping and is in a diffrent bowl, use the hot cooking pot you cooked your popcorn in to melt butter and then drizzle over your popcorn, this is simply delicious ! Good snack on New Years Day at 1 am, thank you !

This is the best popcorn I've ever had. I first added three kernals until they popped, then added the sugar to the oil and stirred it a bit so most of the sugar dissolves in the oil. Then I added the rest of the kernels. This is really easy to make and it absolutely taste great!!!

This is a great recipe! I used half oil and half butter and added just two popcorn kernals. Once they popped I poured in the popcorn, sugar and a little salt. Just keep shaking it.

I've made this one many times & I absolutly love it! Beware it's easy to burn! I had a girls night out movie night at my house and all my girlfriends raved about it, it's addicting. I haven't tried it with brown sugar yet. I think that I also added 1/4 tsp salt with the sugar. DON'T DO THIS AT HOME: DON'T TRY TO DO THE SAME THING WITH POWDERED CHEESE :)I did and it burnt like nothing else! I figured if I added the powdered cheese in place of the sugar it would coat the popcorn like the sugar does, well it doen't! :)

Aftre three batches in a row, my neighbor and I perfected this: In a small bowl, melt 2tbls of butter. Add the kernels, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1 tsp. salt. Mix and set aside. Heat oil until one kernel pops then add your kernel mixture. Shake vigorously while popping. Wait until completely cooled before eating.

This is a family movie night staple for us. Delicious, just like the kind made at festivals but without the $6-$8 per bag price. I put three kernels of popcorn in the oil while it's heating; when they pop, I know the oil it hot enough. Then I add the rest of the popcorn and shake the pot until the popcorn is covered in oil. Next, I sprinkle the sugar on top of the popcorn and shake to mix. If you pour the sugar into the oil before the popcorn, it clumps. I leave the pot on the burner for 5 seconds, then pick it up and shake it for 5 seconds, repeating until I don't hear any more popping. I pour the kettle corn into two large bowls and sprinkle with salt, mixing and breaking up any clumps of popcorn until it cools.

This recipe is ALMOST as good as the kettle corn I had at The Shaker Woods Festival (in Ohio). My suggestion is to not do the three kernal test as some have suggested. I did the three kernal test and the three popped kernals sat in the kettle and soaked up the oil while they waited for the just added kernals to come up to popping temperature. I ended up with a lot of unpopped kernals this way. They got stuck to the sugary popped kernals which made my kettle corn not very much fun to eat. My suggestions is to put ALL of the oil and ALL of the popcorn in a big non-stick stock pot on med-high heat. Once the oil starts boiling add the sugar before the popcorn starts popping. After it starts popping alternate between leaving it on the burner and lifting it off the burner in intervals. When popping ceases, transfer the popcorn to a BIG bowl. Before it "dries" stir it and salt it to your families taste. Then let it completely dry and stir it again. The popcorn will easily seperate. Thanks for sharing!

Once again Im convinced that I dont need another cookbook-I only need Allrecipes.com! This is an awesome recipe. I was at a farmer's market and bought some kettle corn and ate the whole bag myself. I needed to learn to make this myself-and this recipe is perfect. I read many reviews and followed some of their advice: *I did the 3 kernel test. *I added a tsp of salt to the sugar *I added the sugar to the oil after the 3 kernels popped and swirled it around to melt before adding the rest of the popcorn. *I shook it like crazy. *Im eating handfuls of it as I type. Thanks for a great recipe. Next time Im going to try the brown sugar.

Smashing! I used a blend of white and dark brown sugar and the result was one that no one at the party could resist! I'm sure this will be our home-cinema snack as well. Thanks Sue. The second time I made this, I added a tablespoon of butter and popcorn has never been crunchier!

In a word - fabulous. I've made this several times and have found that spraying the pan with nonstick spray helps in the popping. I also heat the oil and sugar with a few kernals and once they begin to pop, add the rest. I used 3 Tbsp. canola oil and 1 Tbsp butter. and finish it off with a bit of salt - perfect every time.

This is delicious! I have been looking for a recipe like that tastes like the stuff from the fair and this is it! When it' s just me eating it, I put 2 T of kernels in with 1 T oil and 1 T sugar. It's a perfect serving for myself (and keeps me from eating an entire batch).

I made this for the first time last night and of course the first batch didn't turn out well. I had half of the popcorn kernels still left in the bottom of the pan and the sugar had turned into caramel. It took me a while to clean up my pan and I was determined to get it right. So, I tried again using a non-stick skillet...making sure to shake about every 5 seconds and of course using a lid. I sprinkled the sugar over the kernels instead of pouring it all in the pan. The sencond batch turned out a lot better than the first. I still had several unpoppep kernels at the bottom, but the ones that did pop were very good!! Thanks Sue.

Good recipe but needs a little salt.

This is awesome! Definately a keeper. I followed the suggestions of the other reviewers and made the corn with Butter Flavored Shortening & also added about 1 tsp salt to the sugar & corn. I played around with it a lot, I found that the best pan to make it in for me was my Wok. It seemed to pop faster and better than in a pot. I also added colored icing (I read the suggestion wrong and bought that instead of the icing coloring), and made some purple and orange popcorn to give to our neighborhood kids for halloween. I am so glad I found this recipe! ****Update**** It has been 11 days since I discovered this recipe and I have made approximately 22 batches of this! I made some for the neighborhood kids I know for Halloween (6 batches) & some for my sons classroom (8 batches). The rest has been for the family & friends. I just watned to add that I also tried the O.R. Butter Flavored Popping Oil and it's the same as using the shortening. I will continue to use the shortening as it comes out cheaper. One bottle of the oil makes 4 batches. One package of 3 bars of butter flavored shortening make 12 batches and it is cheaper than the oil.

Living in Europe, I have become addicted to the sweet popcorn sold in cinemas here and have been trying to make it at home for months. I recently tried a recipe similar to this one and ended up with a handful of burnt popcorn and a sticky black mess on the bottom of my brand new stainless steel pan, which took two hours to clean. Then I found this recipe, read all the reviews, and learnt a few things. 1) Use a TEFLON pan. 2) Use WHITE sugar. 3) Heat three popcorn kernels in the oil until they pop, THEN add the sugar and remaining kernels. 4) SHAKE the pan constantly! Success at last!!

Ok, apparantly I was not meant to master the art of kettle corn! My husband and myself tried this recipe THREE times and each time it came out horrible. The first time he went off the reviews and used 3/4 cup sugar and we ended up with a big gooey brown mess all over the popcorn! Yuck..the second time I used the amount of sugar the recipe called for and less oil (4tbls seemed like WAY too much) and it still came out horrible...I figured third time was a charm right?? I guess not because we used the called for amount of everything, I even took some of the previous reviewers advice and waited for some of the kernels to pop before adding the sugar (which is tough because you don't want to get hit in the face with a scorching hot popcorn kernel!) and it still came out horrible. I LOVE kettle corn, but could not master this recipe! Please someone enlighten me! so maybe I will be inclined to try this again! Otherwise I'll have to keep it at 1 star and I hate giving up to easily! Thanks!

Simple and tasty :)

Mmm! I took the combined advice of those who came first: heat the 3 T. of oil with a few kernels until they pop, add the sugar and stir, add the popcorn, put on some oven mits and shake! Don't forget to shake even after you take the pan off the fire because there is still a lot of heat/popping and the popcorn can still burn (I did it!). Put it in a bowl quickly before it clumps or sticks. Then I quickly sprinkle on salt, a little more sugar (or Splenda), and some Butter Buds. Stir it up or shake it and it is a perfect snack!

THANK YOU SO MUCH! My neighbor saw this recipe here and passed it along to me! I love this site and frequent it often myself. I made a batch last night and it was INHALED - my 4 yr old prefers 'regular' (micro) popcorn, but my 7 yr old and my husband (10 mon old isn't allowed to have it yet!) just devoured it! We went to the pool today w/ some friends and I made another batch this morning to take w/ us and we ate it all again. My friend who came along said she could have eaten the entire bag herself! Thanks again! It's delicious! I use enough oil to coat the bottom of my pan, heat it til it liquifies, then add my sugar, half cup, and popcorn, continuously shaking/moving my pan as to not to burn. Has come out perfect each time :)

I made this with my Stir Crazy popcorn popper, adding the oil and one popcorn kernal. When that kernal popped, I dumped in the sugar, and when that had melted (maybe 20 seconds later), added the rest of the popcorn and shook the thing til they were all popped... Aside from putting on a little salt, I wouldn't change a thing in the recipe, it turned out just perfect!

Fast, easy, really good! My daughter and a friend were settling in to watch a movie and the friend asked sweetly "Do you have Kettle Corn?" I told her sorry, but no, then immediately thought of allrecipes. I am by no means an experienced stove top popcorn maker but I rocked this recipe! I cobbled together the advice of several different reviewers and used my best pot (a heavy-bottomed stainless steel stock pot), preheated the pot at medium heat, added the oil and 3 kernels to the warm pot, and waited for all 3 kernels to pop. I had the 1/4 cup sugar ready (with 1/4 tsp salt added to it), poured it in and stirred it quickly to start it dissolving in the oil, then added the rest of the popcorn. I followed the 3 seconds on/3 seconds off method, holding the lid onto the pot with potholders. I swirled rather than shook the first few rounds to help dissolve the rest of the sugar mixture and coat the kernels. Using this method I ended up with very few unpopped kernels and no burned pieces. Some of the pieces were slightly browned/carmelized and the rest were glazed with a shiny clear coating. It was all delicious. Needless to say, this was a big hit with the girls (our guest asked me at least 3 times to give this recipe to her mom). My husband and I ate our share quickly for fear they would come back looking to raid our bowls. I look forward to making this again and again for family and friends.

First time making popcorn in a pan, ever. And the experience was highly rewarding. Followed the three second directions from the top two reviews. The popcorn becomes a perfect crisp that you don't find using a hot air popper or microwave. Yummy!!

This recipe is absolutely incredible! I no longer make popcorn any other way! Kettle corn has always been a favorite of mine-- who knew it was so easy to make yourself? I usually halve the recipe which makes enough for 1-2 people. The first time I made this I burned it horribly, but I've caught on to a few tricks since then. First of all, add only the vegetable oil and three kernels. When the kernels pop, add the rest of them along with the sugar. I then use a wooden spoon to constantly stir the mixture until the rest of the kernels start popping. This prevents the sugar from burning and helps to evenly distribute it among the kernels. After covering the pot, alternate with three seconds shaking and three seconds on the heat until the popping slows down. You want to make sure the heat is high enough unless it will take much longer to pop all the kernels and most will burn. All in all this should only take a few minutes. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!

Kettle corn made at home, who would have thought it possible???!!! This is just amazing. I read the reviews before making the first batch, and it came out perfectly. I have a new smooth ceramic top stove, so I can't shake the pan while it's on the burner...I just waited until it started to pop, then removed the pan from the heat and shook it, then put it back on the heat for a few seconds, etc. The whole process probably took only a minute once the popcorn started popping. Again, this is amazing. Never will I pay $5 for a bag of kettle corn again!

Good but not quite as sweet as I expected. We enjoyed it but the fair kettle corn is much better. Next time I'm going to try the butter flavored crisco over the oil. I'm sure it would make it more flavorful.

Doesn't work ! Tried following the recipe using medium heat, the corn popped but the sugar turned brown and stuck to the bottom of the pot. Increased oil - same result. Increased heat - same result. 3 pots of mess was enough for me to declare this a failure.

This is SO GOOD! I skimmed all of the reviews and took some things into account before making my first batch. I used a Revere Ware pan that is at least 15 years old and is not coated (worked just fine). I used peanut oil, which I think addresses the heavy oiliness that someone else mentioned - peanut oil has a high scorching point and very light flavor. I did everything as in the recipe except I used 5T of oil instead of 4. I cooked it on the "maximum output" burner of my gas stove, with the dial at level 7. I couldn't find any documentation that listed the exact flame output of the burner, but I know it is on the high side of a normal household stovetop. I think the key is to shake and sometimes remove the pan from the heat. When it would really start popping, I would set it on another burner for about 15 seconds, or whenever the popping slowed. At that point, I poured off the top (popped) kernels into a bowl, and then put the pan back on the heat. Personally, I agree that sprinkling salt on when it is still warm adds the perfect extra flavor. I highly recommend this recipe!

This recipe was great. I didn't make it exactly but the directions on how to pop to prevent burning were spot on. I don't use white sugar but instead Truvia, 0 calorie sweetner. So much more healthy. Oh and I use olive oil and usually just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. DO NOT USE SPLENDA it just burns up and turns black. I won't buy packaged pop corn EVER!

My kid needed a quick contribution for a St. Patty's day party at school tomorrow. To make colored kettle corn, add about 6 drops of food color to the oil before you begin to heat it. The food dye will pop and sputter a little but don't let that worry you. Add the corn and sugar and you'll have fun colored popcorn. (Ours was green)

AWESOME! Very much like the Kettle Corn at the Fair! It was not hard to make at all... I let the oil heat up until the first couple popped then stirred in the sugar with a big spoon. I did add about 1/4 tsp. of salt... will add more next time.

This recipe sucks. It doesn't tell you to add the popcorn, let it start popping, THEN add sugar, and mix. It tells you to add sugar and popcorn all at once. I did what the recipe said, and it turned into a nasty blob that never popped. I am poor, and do not enjoy wasting food. Look somewhere else, or at other reviewers tips.

I don't know why I didn't review this a long time ago, as I have been making this for a long time. This is soooo good & so easy. Just make sure to keep the pan moving.

My 12 year old declared this better than the kettle corn from the fair, and that's all she ever begs for when we go. I did use the 3 kernal technique, and added the sugar and 1/2 tsp salt to the oil and swirled for about 10 seconds before adding the popcorn. Worked beautifully. The second time I accidentally added 1/2 c. sugar... NOT recommended! The sugar mostly carmelized and gave a burnt flavor before the popcorn fully popped.

This tastes just like you get at the fair. Much less expensive. I will never buy Kettle Corn again. This is so easy to make. I tried the three kernel test like someone mentioned and then added my popcorn and sugar. I also shook the pan for 3 seconds and let it pop for 3 seconds, alternating, like another mentioned. I also added a little salt when it was done popping. Turned out perfectly delicious. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.

This was a great snack! For all those diabetics out there, Splenda works great in place of sugar.

Thank you! This recipe is awesome! I love kettle corn from the fair and this is an almost perfect match. I used a whirley popper and it came out perfect. I will try adding just a touch of salt next time like the others. Again, THANKS!!!!

before i made this i was really nevous about it burning so i made sure i read all the reviews. I found that it works best putting all the oil and popcorn in the pan, when the oil starts to boil add sugar. When it starts to pop put lid on and alternate holding it over the heat for 3 seconds and shaking for 3 seconds. I also add about 1 tsp salt at when its done. I would reccomend using high quality popcorn, i've made this several times and when i use the orvel redenbacher vs the cheap store bran it turns out MUCH better

I too had problems with this recipe although it sounded wonderful. I used an electric stove. I'm wondering what Sue used. I kept it on med. heat and it took a very long time and they all did not pop in fact it started to burn. Maybe someone with an electric stove could submit a similar recipe.

Very good! I used half white/half brown sugar, shortening rather than oil, and added a teaspoon of "Butter Buds" with the sugars for a delicate buttery taste. I added a bit (1/4 teaspoon) of salt with the sugar, and sprinkled on a bit more salt when it was popped.

Eh. This recipe needs to be tweaked. You cannot merely dump the ingredients in a pot and shake over heat and expect it to come out right. This is what I did, and since the sugar and oil coagulate, the corn can't move when you shake it. This results in burning. It was pretty sad. Mine burned pretty bad and the bottom of the pan was a black sticky mess. What DID come out ok did taste fine. I would suggest using that corn-popper thing with the handle that you turn that other people here used on this recipe. I may try this again but for now I'll stick to the microwaveable kettle corn. A lot less trouble and it comes out perfect. I'd give it fewer stars, but I fault the cook this time (ME) since so many of you had such good luck with this one.

I would never use vegetable oil for popcorn. Instead my family uses butter flavored popcorn oil (or coconut oil)and a bit more sugar. This was a hit for us!

This was excellent!!! As mentioned in earlier posts, I added a kernel or two to the oil and waited for it to pop before adding the rest of the popcorn and sugar. I also added a little salt at the end. A definite keeper!! Thanks.

My sister-in-law gave me a recipe for kettle corn years ago and after umpteen burned messes I finally threw it away. The drive for kettle corn outweighed my fears, however, and I tried this recipe using a "whirly-pop". Success!!! I have to recommend using pure, unadulterated LARD for popping (or bacon grease). It imparts a depth of flavor to this popcorn like you can't believe. Think of slightly sweet-slightly bacon-y perfection. Died and gone to heaven!

I used this recipe many times with results ranging from "edible but kind of burnt" to "scorched". Then I found Cat Cora's kettle corn recipe which calls for adding the sugar immediately AFTER the corn is popped, then heating for another 20 seconds while shaking the pot. It worked SO much better. I can't recommend Cat's method highly enough. I also recommend adding a bit of salt (or Flavacol!) with the sugar for an authentic salty-sweet taste.

Excellent! You'll never have the junk from the bag again!

This stuff is dangerous-to the thighs that is! Yum! I waited until 1 kernel popped before adding the sugar-it was awesome, in fact, I do believe I'll go make some right now.....

We tried recipe as written first, and the result was burnt sugar and inedible. Tried again adding sugar after kernels were coated in oil and ready to pop. Due to electric stove top, we had to let sit a few seconds and shake, sit and shake, sit and shake. After it finished popping, we added a sprinkle of salt. Our end product was quite tasty and would rate 4 stars.

Thanks to everyone's comments, my first try at making this was a HUGE success. I added 1/4 tsp. of salt to the sugar, and heated the oil on medium-high heat before adding the other ingredients. I used my "detonator" popper (a version of the whirlypop) and didn't get a single burnt kernel. The only thing I might do next time is reduce the amount of oil a bit. Overall though, this is an awesome recipe!

I have been making this for years and it has been a hit. The key is to melt the sugar in the oil first. You have to keep swirling it around until it is melted. You then add the popcorn and keep shaking it until you hardly hear any more popping. Immediatley put into large bowl and add popcorn salt, then mix. Comes out perfect every time!

This is the ONLY way to eat popcorn. I got hooked on this stuff at the V.P. Fair in St. Louis. Now I have been looking for a recipe to make at home... This is it. Can not wait to make this again. Thank you for the post. MY NEW FAVORITE SNACK.

Came on allrecipes' website to find a recipe for caramel corn and came across this recipe. Made this twice. Easy and tasty. The first time, it was good but the second time I tried the method of putting the sugar in the oil before putting in the popcorn, it turned out that the sugar did not dissolve and sugar turned into rock-hard clumps. Had to restart, but it was good and am making it again! For me, the best way to start is to heat the oil, like the recipe stated, and the add the popcorn once the oil was hot, then right after adding the popcorn add the sugar. Also added in a 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the sugar. It does seem to want to stick, when you're moving the pot for a while, but, I would lift the lid just enough to get a spoon in there to stir it around so the sugar wouldn't burn. If it seems like the popcorn is popping pretty fast, you could even lower the heat somewhat so the sugar doesn't start to burn. I've seen where other reviewers said that they use a non-stick stock pot, but we don't have one of those. We use our stainless steel stock pot, and if you turn down the heat once it starts really popping, that helps it not to burn. That's what I did the second time and we didn't have any burnt pieces. What we did was to stir the popcorn once most of it was popped, while it was still in the pot, to help coat the pieces with the mixture. We will definitely keep this recipe! Thanks for posting, Sue202.

I wish I didn't know how lethally easy it is to have amazing kettle corn whenever I feel like it.

This is a treacherous, yet absolutely delicious, snack. Beware of the un-popped kernels that have glued themselves to the popped corn, lying in wait to shatter your teeth. You must also be vigilant and avoid the molten sugar that hasn't cooled enough to solidify yet, lest your tongue be seared. If you are successful in avoiding these pit traps, be prepared for some amaaaazing mouthfuls!

I was excited to see this recipe. In fact, in looking over the reviews, I bought a Stir Crazy popcorn popper just for this reason. I also used butter flavored oil. My first batch turned out a little brown, but the next time around I waited until the kernels were just about ready to pop before I poured the sugar over them. Turned out fantastic!

I'll start out by admitting I've never really liked kettle corn. And then I tried this recipe. OMG, this was so amazing! I followed the 3 kernel test and used white sugar. I can't believe how crispy and yummy this was. I'm excited to try brown sugar next time for more of a caramel taste.

Heat the oil hot enough to pop the corn - add the sugar and stir. Add the corn and let pop. Remove immediately from the pan.

Mine came out almost like carmel corn. I use organic, unbleached sugar which may be why (it's not brown sugar, but darker than white sugar.) I think you really need white sugar to get the real kettle corn taste/look. I won't make this again.

This is awesome. Some tips to really make it foolproof...I use my "stir crazy" popcorn machine. This really cuts down on the burn factor and it comes out perfect every time. If you love making popcorn, the stir-crazy is the best. We used butter-flavored popping oil instead of veg. oil and were sure to use the 3-kernal pop method prior to adding the rest of the kernels and sugar into the oil (this helps prevent having the sugar in there for too long and burning). We also added a few shakes of salt in with the sugar, just for that sweet/salty mix. A KEEPER!!! I make a double batch each time!!

LOVED this. The only thing it needs is salt, but I still gave it five stars because I figure the OP forgot (the "salty" is a just as much a main ingrediant as the "sweet" in kettle corn...right?) this is so easy. Constantly shaking the pan the whole time, after adding the sugar, is a must or it will burn. For those that are still getting burnt sugar, you may be adding the popcorn and sugar before the oil is hot enough. The three pop test should eliminate any guess work for when to add kernels. Just add 3 kernels to the oil before heating it. When the kernels turn into popcorn and pop right out of the pot the oil is ready for the sugar and other kernels.

Great stuff and easy to make! My 11-year old and his friends gobbled this up while watching movies. Watch your heat with the popcorn. You could get a mild "burnt" flavor if you have too much heat for too long.

I love popcorn! I've made it three times already- and plan on more! Thanks- just DELISH!

This was so easy! I did buy a stir crazy popcorn popper just to try this recipe and am glad I did. I shared it with others and they all loved it. They couldn't believe how easy it was either. I followed a prior review that used 2/3 cup popcorn and the same amount of oil and sugar.

This is just what I was looking for! I made it last night and will make another batch tonight. The only change is to add some salt while it's warm. It's even better the next day! If it doesn't come out on your first try, do it again! It's worth it.

I hate microwave popcorn but that was the only way I could ever get my kettle corn fix...until now! Per other reviewers, I used 3/4 of the sugar called for while the corn was popping and the rest when it was finished. Like others, I also added some salt. My boyfriend loves me now!! A great complimentary snack (since they're both sweet) is fruit & fruit dip. We snacked like kings tonight! Thanks Sue.

I used 3 tablespoons oil and it came out perfect! This is DELICIOUS. Quick and easy. The kids will love it. I followed the advice of others and popped one kernel first and then added the rest as well as the sugar, gave it a stir and started shaking. Yummy!

This recipe is very hard to make without a whirly-pop style popcorn popper. I tried it just in a dutch oven, but the shaking just isn't enough to stop the bottom kernels from over-browning. I bought a Whirly-Pop, and what a difference. The secret also is to salt the kettle corn at the end so that you have that balance of sweet and salty.

Oh, Sue I can’t thank you enough for this. I have been trying to get some of this Kettle Corn all week. I decided to check and see if there was a recipe here “didn’t think there would be” and it was here. I had no trouble make this corn what so ever and I used an electric stove, non-stick pan. I followed the recipe to the T and it was so EXCELLENT! I ate the entire batch before anyone even got any. Now I have to make more. I really thank you so much for taking the time and posting this for all to enjoy. God bless you and your family.

I have no idea what I did wrong on such a simple recipe but I used Safflower oil because its supposed to be healthier. followed the instructions to a T. The only thing I noticed was that after I added all the kernals (after the 3 kernal test) They didnt pop hardly at all and I was worried about burning it all. My result was brown popcorn that looked and tasted burnt. I couldn't taste the sugar hardly at all and what I could taste was burnt popcorn and oil. My kernals didnt even pop big... they were all small in size. I will try this again but I am not going to get my hopes up.

Melted the sugar in the oil and added 1tsp salt before adding the kernels. Made a 2nd batch as the 1st mysteriously disappeared. Added about 2 more Tbsp. sugar. PERFECT. Took it to Girl Scouts for my daughter. Gone in seconds!

Tried this a few times and every time it was terrible. It wasn't sweet and the sugar burned no matter what techniques I tried.

Very good! I added about a tsp. of salt to the sugar. My friends loved it. Thanks!

Awesome! Now we don't have to wait for the fair! Be careful to not put the sugar in the oil too early, or you will have a burnt mess!

Excellent! We took someone else's recomendation to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Yumm!

Shake and Shake some more - Use a heavy pan - pop a few kernels first in 3 tablespoons oil NO TOO HOT - then add the rest of the oil and sugar, stir a few seconds - add the rest of the corn. cover and shake-shake-shake - this is the key to prevent burning. shake all the way to the serving bowl! Add salt or butter buds or what ever AFTER you cook the corn! Try half white and half brown sugar and add a half cup of crushed skinless peanuts!!! To die for!

We enjoyed it a great deal. Thanks for sharing and thanks for all the tips of the members 3 second shake and sit, 1/4 tsp salt, melt sugar in oil... absolutely lovely. Btw, I normally make this in a non-stick coated pan clean up is a breeze and he kernels are coated well. I used a stainless steel pot once, and had trouble coating the kernels properly but got a light golden color to the sugar which did not happen with the non-stick. :) I'll stay with non-stick, personal preference.

This is excellent...the first two times I made it it was pretty good, but not quite right and I wasn't sure why. Yesterday, I finally figured it out. I did the three kernel method to tell when the oil is hot enough, then stirred in the sugar. I let it go a little longer before I put the rest of the kernels in because I got distracted. The sugar and oil mixture turned a little brown, more like amber. I was sure I had burned it. But in the end, it was perfect. The sugar had carmelized, but not burned. It gave it a richer, toastier taste. I also add just a little salt to give it a more authentic taste. Terrific!

This is AMAZING!!! This recipe is much better than any premixed kettle corn I've purchased in the store or on line. I used the Whirley Pop and this was very easy. I put oil in first then added corn, sugar, 1/4 t salt. I did not have to preheat oil since I used the Whirley Pop. Thanks Sue! -- Margie

This is addicting, and oh so good and it only takes minutes to make. A couple of tricks to get great results are: 1) after the oil is hot enough, dump the sugar in the oil and stir the sugar with a wooden spoon and mix well, stirring fast then add the remaining popcorn and cover pan with lid. Also, make sure you use a pan with a thick bottom otherwise your popcorn will burn. I used a medium heat setting on the stove. And sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of salt on the popcorn after it is done cooking. Store any leftovers in a zip bag or container with lid.

I have made this about 8 times now. I thought that I would prefer the brown sugar version because I love carmel popcorn and actually don't really like regular popcorn at all, but after trying both ways I prefer with white sugar. The brown sugar tastes ok, but has a slight burnt flavor throughout. The white sugar version, I end up with only a few burnt tasting pieces depending on when I take it off the heat (no popping vs. a bit of popping still). I add salt at the end, as I put it in the bowl. Clean up is fairly easy and I am usually done the whole process only about 3-4 min after my hubby is finished making his microwave popcorn. When I made it for him- he loved it even though he thought it would not taste good. If I only make it for myself I use 3 Tbsp of sugar and oil and 6Tbsp of kernels. It makes about the same as a bag of microwave popcorn. Not exactly 1 serving, but 1 delicious bowl anyway!! Thanks for the recipe!

I make kettle corn professionally. Let me give you guys some tips if you want to make it at home. The sugar needs to be stirred CONSTANTLY. Just shaking the pot won't do it. (It burns REAL quick.) Do this: crack the lid, insert a spoon and STIR the popcorn/oil/sugar while it's heating. Try to keep the cover on as much as possible. (to protect you).

Unless, you are fortunate enough to have the correct pot in your cubards and read the first few reviews this recipe will not work! I attempted 3 tries. The first time I used an enameled dutch oven pot with a lid on medium and got mostly burnt popcorn with caramel sauce on the bottom. On the second try I used a thinner stainless steel type pot, and a lower temperature, and still got cooked caramel on the bottom and slightly burnt popcorn. Try 3 I noticed the first reviewer and the "3 second method," also specified by the submitter. So, I thought this would work. I decided to stick with the thinner pot, as on the second try, as to lift and shake the dutch oven pot with this method would get heavy after awhile. So, I put the oil and 3 kernals in as suggested by this method. However, by the time the oil was hot enough to come near popping the 3 kernals, with the lid off, it was already splattering quite badly although the heat was only on medium. Moving the pot back and forth also scratched my ceramic countertop stove so, I don't suggest making this if you also have a ceramic stove. I would like to know if a teflon type pot is best for this recipe? That is the only type I have not tried. But, anyway I would not attempt a 4th try either way.

Okay I burned my 1st batch but not to be defeated by a recipe I read all the reviews and dove into my 2nd batch. I did use the 3 kernel test (put the lid on because flying hot kernels will burn your finger *my finger hurts* then followed the recipe as stated the bottom was burnt and made the entire batch taste off. Next batch I used the 3 kernel test with the LID ON, lol, added the sugar and salt on top of the other kernels after the 1st 3 popped, used the 3 seconds on then 3 seconds off the heat method and we had kettle corn perfection.. Ended up having to make 2 batches of the correct popcorn because the family loved it so much!! I enjoyed this recipe very much even tho I had a burnt batch and a burnt finger, lol.

FANTASTIC! I had been craving kettle corn for a long while now and thought that it would be too hard to make. I settled for the microwave version and just wasn't happy. So I came to my favorite place, all recipes, and looked up kettle corn. I read the recipe and thought "I can do *this*!" It was so easy and I ended up eating 2/3 of the batch myself! Can't wait to make this through out the fall season (whose kidding... year round)!

Skip the salt and dust with cinnamon. YUM!

Either I'm missing something or my process isn't right.... I dunno.... Tried three time... The sugar burned to the bottom of the pot twice, even though I kept the pot moving. On my third try I used some corn syrup (Karo) with the sugar and got an un-burned popcorn, but it had very little Kettle corn flavor. I'll keep to making the caramel sauce separate and tossing it with my fresh made corn....

I recently got into the kettle corn biz because I love the stuff so much. Here's some tips that I would suggest if you're doing at home. There's a difference between using corn oil and vegetable/canola oil Corn oil somehow gives the kettle corn a little more "corny" taste. Before I bought a giant hot kettle to make the stuff, I tried doing it on a stove. It wasn't the same as the festival stuff, just OK. The reason is you need a VERY HOT heat source to BROWN the white sugar. Just using brown sugar gives it a different taste. What I would suggest if you DO try to attempt it at home is melt and brown the white sugar somehow before you put it in a popper.

I'd give this recipe 6 stars if i could! it was easy and fast and delicious. after seeing that this recipe was a little fattening, i lowered the oil to 3 tablespoons and used less sugar, but it still tasted amazing! A little pinch of salt brought out a lot of flavour. the trick for success is to cover the pan so that heat wont escape and the kernels will pop better. you also won't have popcorn hitting your face.i will never eat microwave kettle corn again. I also tried the brown sugar variation but it didn't turn out well. the sugar burned before the kernels could pop. the result was bitter and didn't taste like caramel at all.

Very good stuff! So much better than microwave popcorn, plus it's easy and kind of fun to make. I put a few kernels in and waited for them to pop, then stirred in the sugar and the popcorn. It took about three minutes. Added a little salt, let cool and enjoyed with our Saturday afternoon movie. I'll do this often! Thanks.

Amazing! We won't be buying those expensive bags of microwaveable kettle corn anymore. Everyone in my home enjoyed this recipe and it was quick, easy and inexpensive to make. Who would've figured? Just do not mistakenly add the sugar in with the oil like I did the first time;) That makes a bit of a mess and popcorn with a burnt taste. Oil, then popcorn, then sugar...pretty simple.

good, but don't forget to add the salt, otherwise it's WAY too sweet.

Thank you Sue !!! Your recipe made me a star !!! It was sooooo simple too. I used my Stir Crazy popper and heated up the oil til one kernel popped, then put in the rest of the popcorn and the sugar and shook shook shook like crazy, hehehe. I also added salt to the warm popcorn. It came out fabulous and received great reviews from all my guests. Thanks !!!

This is a great recipe! I add the oil & 2 kernels of corn until it's hot enough that they pop, then add the rest of the kernels & sugar (I add a dash of salt too, to bring out the sweetness.) This should help with burnt sugar concerns.

A good old fashioned recipe. My Grandfather has been making this for many years - always with BROWN sugar (the flavor is so much better!)Here's a trick to make it a little easier: bring the "sauce" ingredients to a simmer in a small pan on the stove top; meanwhile pop a bag or two of popcorn in the microwave. Pour the popped corn into a large bag. While the popcorn is still hot, drizzle the "glaze" over the popcorn in the bag, fold the bag down a few times and then SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE! Make sure you shake it really well to coat all of the kernels. My grandpa would let us all take turns shaking the bag. Simply pour it into a bowl and toss the bag - no pan to clean!

Great! Tastes just like you would get at a festival!

This is such an easy, foolproof kettle-corn recipe. I add slightly more sugar, and it's even better! It has become a staple whenever we rent a movie in our house.

I don't know what I have done wrong. I made it first time following directions...it was nasty. Second time I followed Sue's post and melted sugar then added popcorn...same results. My popcorn was an icky tan color with no flavor.