I have a love affair with popcorn — there, I said it. After a long week of exams, you can find me tucked into my twin XL cradling my precious bag of popcorn while I binge watch the shows I missed during the week. I’m not a snacker, but nothing gets me going like a salty, buttery bag of popcorn. However, after hundreds of bags and probably some clogged arteries, I wanted to experiment with flavors other than butter and salt. I’d seen the many Spoon articles on ways to pimp out my popcorn but I was missing one crucial item, a bowl.
Living in my tiny dorm room, I rely on plastic forks as my only utensil and eat my food in whatever leftover container it comes in. I microwave styrofoam and plastic and have been the root cause of the dreaded 2 am fire alarm. Without a bowl, I figured out the five best ways to spice up my popcorn right in the bag.
#SpoonTip: Pop a bag of lightly buttered or fat-free popcorn so the salt won’t overpower it with the added seasonings. If you’re feeling adventurous, try making your own, then season away.
1. Truffle Oil and Truffle Salt
Channel your inner gourmet by adding a dash of truffle oil and a pinch of truffle salt to add some earthy flavors to your bag. If you’re on a college budget, this isn’t the cheapest option, but you won’t be disappointed (maybe just hope your awesome boyfriend buys you some like mine did).
2. Sriracha and Sesame Seeds
Squeeze in some Sriracha and toss in some sesame seeds to add an Asian twist to your bagged popcorn. Squirt in a little if you want just a hint of spice or really dump that Sriracha in if you want to actually breathe fire.
3. Coconut Oil
Girls everywhere have a jar of coconut oil hidden in their cupboards to keep their strands soft and skin moisturized. Scoop a few tablespoons into your hot bag of popcorn and you’ll experience a tropical oasis from the comfort of your dorm room. An added bonus, coconut oil is full of saturated fats to curb your hunger and speed up your metabolism.
4. Tapatío and Lime
If you like to get your fiesta on, add a few dashes of Tapatío and squeeze a lime into your bag. The spicy hot sauce and the sour lime will have you salsa-ing while you binge watch season two of “Narcos.”
5. Kettle Corn
If spicy isn’t your jam, curb your sweet tooth with some kettle corn. Sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar into your bag and you won’t need that pint of Ben & Jerry’s later.
Everyone knows popcorn wins the gold when it comes to finding the perfect snack. It’s buttery and salty and can be eaten anywhere at any time of the day. If your’e feeling a little wild, try spicing it up with one of these recipes and you won’t be disappointed— but you can’t go wrong with the classic butter and salt.