Beware: Exploding air popcorn!

One of my favorite snacks is popcorn, especially the microwave kind. It was so convenient to place the bag into the microwave and in 3 short minutes, have a warm, buttery treat.  Also, there are other flavors of microwave popcorn. I remember there was a co worker of mine who would cook up an afternoon snack of Jolly Time Marshmallow flavored popcorn. The sweet aroma permeated the hallways that we left our cubicles to track down that delicious scent!

Sadly, all that sweetness, salt and calories are not conducive to my conscious healthy eating. I decided to abandon popcorn. Then, one day on the radio, we were listening to the John Tesh Show and he mentioned that a cup of plain air popped popcorn is 31 calories. This is opposed to the microwave varieties, ranging from 60 to 120 calories. With that knowledge, I decided that air popped was the way to go.

After purchasing the appliance and setting it up, I poured the measured kernels into the cooking chamber. I covered it with the plastic hood and plugged the machine in. It sounded reminiscent of a hair dryer. I looked through the clear hood and saw the kernels whirling about.  I figured in a couple of minutes, the popcorn would funnel through into the waiting bowl.

Suddenly, these unpopped kernels started to shoot through. I made the mistake of picking up one of these scalding bb’s that were pinging the counter. I wasn't sure why these hot, uncooked kernels were flying out. Didn't they know they weren't done yet?  

After another minute, their fluffy counterpart began to cascade. The bowl caught the warm popcorn and the popping sound died down. I unplugged the contraption, not wanting to be assaulted by any wayward projectiles.  Maybe that’s how I can burn calories, by dodging the barrage of kernels!