How to Upgrade Your Popcorn, According to Chefs

Professional chefs take their popcorn very seriously. “I’m a popcorn freak,” says 2011 F&W Best New Chef Carlo Mirarchi. “If I’m at the movies, I will let people go ahead of me in the concession line in order to get a fresh batch from the popper.”

If you are making popcorn at home, chefs suggest focusing on your popping technique, reaching for the ingredients in the back of your pantry, and balancing sweet and salty flavors. From a foolproof popping method to the ultimate seasoning, these chef tips will help you make the best possible popcorn. 

Perfect the stovetop method

Mirarchi enjoys fresh popcorn anywhere, but when he’s making it at home, he always uses the same formula to achieve perfect, fluffy kernels in minutes. “I’ll line the bottom of a thick-bottom stockpot with olive oil and a tablespoon of butter and let it warm,” he says. “I’ll throw in a couple of kernels and once they pop, I’ll add the rest, along with kosher salt to taste.” Mirarchi covers the pot and waits until the popping slows down. Then, he’ll transfer the popcorn to a big, warm bowl and toss it with sea salt and more olive oil. This reliable method is the perfect base to build upon.

Add some garlic

2011 F&W Best New Chef Jamie Bissonnette uses a similar stovetop method, popping the kernels in butter in a Dutch oven, but with one major twist: whole garlic cloves. He lets the cloves simmer as the kernels pop, infusing the popcorn with a toasted, garlicky flavor. Bissonnette isn’t too particular about other seasonings. “Sometimes I use taco seasoning and sometimes Spicy Shin ramen seasoning,” he says. “But more often than not, it’s more melted butter and so much fresh black pepper that it’s spicy.”

Season with the sea

It turns out that professional chefs have a thing for seaweed-seasoned popcorn. 2023 F&W Best New Chef Nando Chang sprinkles nori dust on his. So does 2019 F&W Best New Chef Mutsuko Soma, but he adds MSG and garlic powder to the mix. 2021 F&W Best New Chef Carlo Lamagna opts for wasabi furikake, a Japanese seasoning mix that usually includes dried seaweed, sesame seeds, fish flakes, and salt — he combines it with more salt, nutritional yeast, and honey. Furikake is also the go-to for 2023 F&W Best New Chef Isabel Coss, who asks, “What else do you need?”

Make it Aussie-style

For 2017 F&W Best New Chef Diego Galicia, the best popcorn seasoning comes from Down Under. “My wife and I visited friends in Sydney not long ago and they turned us on to something Aussies call ‘chicken salt,’” he says. The umami-packed ingredient is made with a combination of salt, garlic powder, powdered chicken skin, and MSG. “We use it on everything, especially popcorn.” If you don’t have a trip planned to Australia any time soon, you can buy Mitani Classic Chicken Salt on amazon.com.

Channel your favorite pasta

2008 F&W Best New Chef Gerard Craft seasons his popcorn with butter, black pepper, and freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano — a combination reminiscent of cacio e pepe, the iconic cheese and pepper pasta preparation. For a shortcut, Gerard suggests buying La Boite’s Cacio e Pepe seasoning, which is made with Parmesan, Tellicherry peppercorns, and gray sea salt. 

Go for a Mexican-inspired mix 

When 2021 F&W Best New Chef Fermín Nuñez is “feeling extra and wants to go all out,” he makes popcorn with a Mexican flare. For him, that means tossing the popped kernels with Valentina hot sauce, Tajín seasoning, lime juice, and “a very polite amount of Worcestershire sauce,” he says. This mixture is tangy with just the right amount of kick — and especially delicious alongside a cold beer.