How to make popcorn in a pan.

This pretty much ticks the entry of "Popcorn" on Larousse page 812.  Many years ago I attempted to make popcorn in a pan on the stove, deemed it impossible (due to burning) and brought a popcorn machine.  But today I'm at uni, the popcorn machine is at home, and I thought I'd have another go, since Popcorn seemed the idea solution of "what-can-I-take-to-friends-party's-to-look-like-a-decent-guest-but-which-isn't-too-expensive" dilemma.   The final attempt proved perfectly successful, so I though it appropriate to share the technique with you all. Enjoy!

•  The pan you use must have a lid.  This is imperative, since attempting to contain popping popcorn in a pan without a lid would be disastrous. Also, the lid prevents hot popcorn kernels from leaping from the pan and splattering you, causing burns etc...  A clear (glass) lid is useful, since this allows you to check that your kernels are not burning. 

• The pan needs to be big enough to allow plenty of room for popcorn expansion.  However, it also needs to be light enough for you to swirl it around on top of the stove. (Since popcorn must be cooked with a lid on the pan, the pan must be swirled around to prevent the kernels from burning. You cannot take the lid off and stir the contents.) 

• Don't overfill the pan. At most, the popcorn kernels should cover half of the base of the pan (in one layer).  (I used a 2 litre pan and 2 tbl popcorn kernels. It made enough to fill 4-5 cereal bowls full).  Overfilling the pan will either result in many unpopped kernels, or burnt popcorn.  If you want to make a lot of popcorn, make it in batches rather than using a huge pan/huge quantities of kernels. One batch takes around 3-5 minutes.

• Your popcorn kernels should be plain (unflavoured) for cooking in a pan. Microwaveable varieties with added coating/flavourings will burn if you cook them in a pan. 

• Never take the lid off and peer into the pan to see how it's cooking.  If you must take the lid off the pan during cooking (or within two minutes of turning the heat off), e.g briefly to see if you've burnt it, keep the pan at arms length, tilted away from you. However, if it smells burnt, it probably is burnt, so stop cooking it and begin again. 

To cook the popcorn: Coat the inside base of the pan in a thin layer of sunflower oil (approx 1/2 a teaspoon), or another neutrally flavoured oil which will survive a high temperature. Don't use butter or butter/oil blends since they will burn.  (You may be able to pop the kernels in a dry pan, however I have not tried it.)

Place the pan on a high heat, let it warm for a minute or two : you want it to be warm-hot, not smoking hot. (Otherwise there's a risk of burning your popcorn, and also a risk of the kernels exploding the second you drop them into the pan, which is both inconvenient and dangerous. i.e you want the pan to be hot, but not yet hot enough to pop the kernels.)  

Add your popcorn kernels to the pan (enough to half-cover the base, or fewer) and immediately place the lid on it.  Frequently swirl the pan over the heat to ensure that the kernels will not stick/burn to the base of the pan.  The kernels will change to a "golden" hue before they pop; this should not be taken to be "burning". 

(However any dark brown/black patches, or smell of burning does mean that they're burnt. Burning occurs when the outside of the kernels are heated greatly before the inside has heated enough for it to pop. This is prevented by not "super heating" your pan to begin with. If burning occurs, whether before or after the kernels have popped, discard the batch and begin again, with the pan less hot.  Another advantage of making small batches is that if you burn one you haven't wasted all your kernels.) 

Maintain the heat and swirling until approximately 1/4 - 1/3 of the kernels have popped (around 1-2 minutes after going into the pan).  Now either turn down the heat to it's lowest setting, or turn it off altogether, leaving the pan on the residual heat of the ring (e.g if you have an induction hob). This is enough heat to sustain the popping, but minimises the potential for burning.  Maintain swirling the pan until the popping has pretty much stopped, to further prevent burning.

Remove the pan from the heat, but keep the lid in place for another minute or so.  This gives you time to prepare any coatings/ flavourings for the popcorn. 

A "recipe" for one of my favourite popcorn coatings: Make a dry caramel (add granulated white or unrefined sugar to a pan, carefully cook until mid-golden). In the meantime, sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the dry popcorn, along with 1/4 teaspoon of salt.  To the pan of golden caramel, add some toasted flaked almonds.  Drizzle the caramel over the popcorn, stirring the popcorn as you go, in an attempt to get it evenly coated. Yummy.