My husband LOVES Halloween and we have FIVE kids, so that means LOTS of jack-o-lanterns. And LOTS of seeds. I checked out THIS POST to remind myself how to cook them. I was really dreading unloading the oven of all my cast iron. Two dutch ovens plus skillets and lids? Ugh.
Luckily for me, Step 9 of that post listed 4 different ways to cook them: bake, broil, microwave, and skillet. So, I decided to employ my toaster oven, microwave, and range.
All three competitors were soaked in salt water for two hours.
All three competitors were tossed in Sonny Salt, a seasoned salt brand we love, and olive oil.
The first batch was microwaved at one minute intervals, stirring in between until crisp.
The second batch was broiled in the toaster oven on 400 and stirred periodically until crisp.
The third batch was sauteed in the skillet, much in the same fashion that I do our popcorn.
Five out of seven Caswells participated in the taste test. Unanimously, regardless of how I rearranged the options, number three won. Sauteed in oil until crisp. “This one tastes like popcorn!” “This is the one making the house smell so good!”
Thanks for the post. Just curious how long you cooked them in the skillet.
The method I used was to boil them about 4 minutes, then bake about 35 min. at 325ish.
Tasted good, but took forever to chew up. My jaws got so tired I became discouraged and am now trying to decide what to do with the remaining seeds that I don’t have to energy to consume.
It has been years since I’ve made pop corn in a skillet so can you remind me how much oil to put in the pan
Tracy–Then it has been too long! Use 3 T oil for a 1/2 cup of corn.
Amy–Until they get good and toasty, at least 10 minutes. Don’t know what to do with the chewy ones either. Find someone with really strong jaws?
I still can’t believe how much it tastes like popcorn!?!? Texture no, but taste yes. Very strange….