My two greatest fears are fire and getting hit by a car, which is why I avoid deep frying and the Houston/Bowery intersection.
Due to my fear of becoming engulfed in flames, I've always been wary of making popcorn on the stove because I thought it involved lots of hot oil and skills. But it really doesn't! It's not that hard! You won't burn the house down!*
*Not a guarantee.
Ingredients
1/3 cup popcorn kernels, per person
1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil, per 1/3 cup kernels
salt to taste
Method
In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat oil on medium high with 2 kernels of corn in the pot. Cover and listen for two pops.
Uncover and pour in rest of kernels along with a pinch of salt. Cover pot once more and wait for the popping to begin again.
Once there's consistent popping, turn off the heat and shake the pot to jostle everything around. Place pot back on the hot, but turned off, stove and wait for the racket to die down. Tip out your popcorn bounty into a big bowl and salt more if desired.