This article is part of Epi Loves the Microwave, our exploration (vindication?) of the appliance everybody loves to hate.

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I love movie theater popcorn. There&#;s something about the enormity of it, the sheer thrill of sitting down with a tub of popcorn as big as your torso and munching on it mindlessly for 2 hours straight. Seriously: is there any other snack we can eat in such insane volume without feeling like we&#;re breaking a social taboo?

But I don&#;t get to the movies that often, and I&#;m not a fan of pre-packaged microwave popcorn. The fake-butter flavoring leaves a weird, filmy feeling on my tongue, reminding me that I have no idea what&#;s actually in the popcorn. (At least the chemical once used in the flavoring that causes a rare respiratory disease with the banal yet terrifying name of "Popcorn Lung" is now banned.)

So my husband and I started experimenting with making popcorn at home. We considered getting an air popper, but we have a small kitchen, and the thought of having to get out a stool and rummage past the unused canning equipment I once bought in a short-lived fit of ambition in order to retrieve a single-use appliance is unappealing. I tried making popcorn in a pot on the stove a few times, but could never get the heat quite right&#;either half the kernels wouldn&#;t pop or I&#;d overcook it. (And scorched popcorn = the worst.)

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Tommy Werner

But then my husband read about a way to make popcorn in the microwave using only a brown paper lunch bag, and our household movie nights were forever changed. The method is foolproof (well, mostly&#;see the cautionary note below), takes less than 3 minutes, and makes popcorn that will neither leave your tongue filmy nor cause rare respiratory diseases. Here&#;s how to do it:

1. Put popcorn kernels in a paper bag

Place ¼ cup uncooked popcorn kernels in a brown paper lunch bag. (NOTE: To avoid the possible use of metallic paints, this should be a plain, unadorned paper bag. I once used a Hello Kitty&#;themed paper bag, and Hello Kitty's face caught on fire.) No need to add any oil at this point&#;it's not necessary for cooking and it'll just soak through the bag and get your microwave all greasy.

2. Fold the bag to seal

Fold the top of the bag down about half an inch to seal it. Then fold it a second time, pressing firmly. (You want to make sure the bag is securely closed so it doesn&#;t burst open as the kernels begin to pop.)

3. Put the bag in the microwave

Place the bag upright in the microwave and set the microwave on high for 2½ minutes. Then stay near by and listen: You want to stop the microwave soon after the popping noises slow to avoid overcooking, regardless of whether or not the 2½ minutes are up. The popcorn will be ready faster if you have a powerful microwave. Open the bag carefully, keeping your face and fingers away from the steam.

4. Flavor the popcorn

Technically, you could add your flavorings right to the bag at this point, but that can get a little messy. I like to pour the popcorn into my largest mixing bowl, mostly because I (shhh) usually make a double batch and want to have plenty of room for mixing in the toppings.

How to Pop Popcorn in a Paper Bag in the Microwave (It&#;s Simple!)

By Melissa

4.62

18

Jump into my quick and easy guide on how to pop popcorn in the microwave using just a paper bag &#; no oil or equipment needed!

How to Pop Popcorn in the Microwave Using Just a Paper Bag

Making popcorn has never been easier! It&#;s one of my all-time favorite easy and healthy snacks for the whole family. And did you know you can make popcorn in a brown paper bag in the microwave? It&#;s so simple and doesn&#;t require any popcorn-making gear that you might&#;ve *thought* you needed to make popcorn at home (I know that&#;s what I thought!).

I&#;m not a huge microwave person, but this is completely an exception because this method is a lifesaver. You don&#;t need an air-popper, stovetop-popper, or any oil, and you can ditch the store-bought chemical-filled microwaveable popcorn, too! Making it in a paper bag in the microwave is silly easy, and you can have a whole-grain, fiber-filled snack on the regular with little effort on your part! Score.

(I also love adding a little butter and salt. So delicious.)

How do you know when the popcorn is done?

The goal is to pop as many kernels as you can, without burning the popcorn. The time that will take varies depending on the age and water content of the kernels, your area&#;s climate, and your microwave.

Be sure you stick close by while it&#;s popping so you don&#;t end up with burnt popcorn. Listen as it begins to rapidly pop, and when there&#;s a one-second pause in popping, it&#;s done. Go ahead an open the microwave and remove the bag.

What are some ways to spice up traditional popcorn?

Butter and salt are always a favorite topping, but you can also get creative and try recipes like my chili lime popcorn, the best sticky caramel corn, or this fun (and non-sticky) spiced caramel corn with white chocolate. All of them are delicious!

What size paper bag do I use to pop popcorn?

You can use just about any size brown paper bag that will fit in your microwave. The little lunch sack size is easy to find, but there&#;s a size just a bit bigger which also works great.

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How to Pop Popcorn in a Brown Paper Bag in the Microwave

By:

A quick and easy guide on how to pop popcorn in the microwave using just a paper bag, no oil needed. Making popcorn has never been easier!

Prep:

5

minutes

mins

Cook:

2

minutes

mins

Total:

7

minutes

mins

Servings:

4

(Makes 2-3 cups)

Ingredients 

• &#;

  1/3

  cup

  popcorn kernels

• &#;

  1

  medium brown paper bag

• &#;

  Melted butter and salt or other seasonings to taste

Instructions 

• Add the popcorn to the paper bag and fold the top over a time or two.

• Microwave on high until the popping has a one second gap in it, 1.5-2.5 minutes.

• Stop the microwave, dump the popped popcorn into a large bowl and season as desired.

  For more information, please visit popcorn in paper bag no oil in bulk.

• Repeat as needed to get the desired amount of popcorn.

Notes

• The goal is to pop as many kernels as you can without burning the popcorn. The time that will take will vary depending on the age and water content of your popcorn, your climate/weather, and your microwave.
• Don&#;t walk away from the popping or you&#;ll end up with a bag of burnt popcorn. Stand there and listen until, after the popping starts going rapidly, you hear a one second pause in popping. As soon as you hear that little break, stop the microwave.

Nutrition

Serving:

1

of 4 servings

,

Calories:

51

kcal

,

Carbohydrates:

10

g

,

Protein:

1

g

,

Fat:

1

g

,

Saturated Fat:

0.1

g

,

Polyunsaturated Fat:

0.3

g

,

Monounsaturated Fat:

0.1

g

,

Sodium:

1

mg

,

Potassium:

37

mg

,

Fiber:

2

g

,

Sugar:

0.1

g

,

Calcium:

1

mg

,

Iron:

0.4

mg

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Looking for more healthy and easy snack ideas?

More popcorn recipes you&#;ll love:

This post was originally published in and has been updated in July .

I hope you found this hack for how to pop popcorn in the microwave using just a paper bag just as genius and exciting as I did! Enjoy fresh popcorn any day of the week and pop on.

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