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Movie theater popcorn doesn't just smell better, it tastes better
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Better than anything you can pop at home, on the stove, or in the microwave. Which is where popcorn goes to die
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But why is it so much better? Is it just nostalgia, or is there more to it
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Well, today we're finding out why movie theater popcorn hits different. Early 20th century movie theaters were highbrow
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They saw themselves as fancy pants versions of opera houses, adorned with velvet drapes, marble columns, chandeliers, and absolutely no snacks
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But popcorn vendors were clever. They would set up shop right outside the theater, selling to customers who would then sneak the forbidden kernels inside in their coats
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Enter the Great Depression. Money was tight, spirits were lower, but the movies were somehow still magical
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And more importantly, they were still cheap. By the 1930s, weekly movie attendance hit 90 million
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Popcorn, at 5 to 10 cents a bag, was the ultimate recession-proof luxury
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You couldn't afford a steak dinner, but you could feel fancy by sneaking a bag into a bougie theater to catch a movie
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Popcorn was cheap to make and didn't spoil, meaning it required zero refrigeration
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which would have been an expensive hurdle for a theater in the 1930s Plus the popcorn smelled amazing which could potentially lure in more customers Theaters finally realized what everyone else had Popcorn wasn a nuisance It was a goldmine
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Popcorn's flavor glow-up came thanks to a secret weapon known as Flavacol. Flavacol is a super
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fine bright yellow powder made of salt, artificial butter flavor, yellow number five, and yellow
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number six, and possible sorcery. Unlike regular salt, it melts into the oil before the corn pops
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infusing each kernel with buttery flavor from the inside out. It's what gives popcorn that
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signature color and taste. You're not imagining it. It's engineered to be addictive
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Okay, so you want to recreate a trip to the movies at home, and you don't feel like getting
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movie theater popcorn delivered, which is an option some theaters actually offer. You can try
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to whip up your own batch with the following ingredients. Refined coconut oil, not the kind
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that tastes like pina colada, Flavacol, which you can buy in bulk for any popcorn emergencies
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high quality kernels, and a stovetop popper or whirly pop. The microwave will have to sit this
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one out. Mix the oil and Flavacol before popping, because that's how theaters do it. Then drizzle
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with a butter topping, or real butter if you don't mind your movie corn a little salty. Serve
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immediately then blame the previews when you eat the entire bowl before the movie starts
