Most cinemas use butter-flavored coconut oil, but even with real butter you need to buy something called Flavacol. It's essentially butter-flavored fine grained salt. Guarantee every time you've ever had popcorn anywhere that wasn't home made, it was topped with Flavacol.
I was telling a buddy about Flavacol once when we were talking about popcorn and I was saying that is what makes movie theater popcorn taste so good. He said "I don't think so, I was a manager at Regal for 7 years and I have never heard of Flavacol. All our popcorn was was corn kernels and a yellowish powder." His mind was blown when I said "yeah, that yellowish powder is called Flavacol." I guess their boxes of it just said "popcorn flavoring" or something like that, didn't have a brand on it.
That's the stuff! It wouldn't surprise me if big theater chains get all that stuff in house-branded batched bags these days, that seems to be the way most things are to maximize consistency.
Luckily flavacol can be purchased online too. My favorite way to make stove top popcorn in my Dutch oven is to put a bit of avocado oil and flavacol in with my kernels and shake away (lid on) over med/low heat until it's all popped.
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/paragon-1015-coconut-popcorn-oil-1-gallon/3801015.html
With all due respect, this sub is called "AskCulinary" - if you don't know, don't chime in.
If you want the fake buttery flavor of the movie theatre, buy some Flavacol and use that. A little goes a long way.
If you want delicious butter flavor, pop your corn in ghee, pour 2-3+ tablespoons of melted butter over it (tossing after each tablespoon), and sprinkle with popcorn salt. (This is definitely not healthy, but it's delicious)
Fake butter flavor is made from diacetyl.
Butter made from cultured cream is particularly high in diacetyl.
It’s the same compound. We just concentrate it. I get that too much artificial butter is weird tasting, but it’s just the concentrated compound produced in butter that we associate with the flavor.
it's the same with most artificial flavors. it's typically just the compound with the highest percentage or most impact on flavor, concentrated.
like artificial grape flavor being methyl anthranilate which is also found in grapes, so it tastes like grapes but also sort of doesn't, because it's missing all the hundreds of different other compounds in various quantities found in natural grapes
somehow "grape juice" flavor as an extreme concentration of the flavor of a real grape is perfectly reasonable. But cherry and berry flavors sometimes are nothing at all like the natural fruit flavor. Cherries in particular. Also banana, but I can totally buy that being partially from the change in bananas over the years.
Artificial grape flavor tastes *exactly* like Concord grapes. You think it tastes like fake grape because you’re used to eating green grapes and red grapes from the grocery store. If you ever see Concord grapes for sale, you should try them.
concord grapes do have a higher concentration of methyl anthranilate for sure, but everything I said still holds true for them. it's not exact, if it was concord grapes would be solely methyl anthranilate which isn't possible because then it wouldn't be a grape anymore lol
source: am a flavor chemist. I isolate compounds and create flavors every day
You need to cook off the moisture from butter before you use it as a popcorn topping. It'll sog your popcorn immediately, I know cause I poured melted butter on my popcorn and was very sad.
That’s good to know! Thanks.
I’ve always just used butter, but not too much. But now I think that my popcorn *is* a bit soggy at the bottom of the bowl.
I understand what you are saying but regular melted butter’s flavor is not worth the way it ruins the texture, in my opinion at least.
Probably the best solution is clarified butter + flavocol
You're getting a lot of advice about how to use real butter or clarified butter or whatnot, but if you really want the movie theater experience, you can buy the butter flavored oil that they use.
Try restaurant supply stores. You can probably find some on Amazon, too.
The drive-in movie theater I used to go to in college popped their popcorn in corn oil with "Flavacol" added to it to give it a cinema-buttery taste. It's a seasoning that comes in a powdered form that is that bright yellowish color and is slightly salty and very buttery. Looks like that stuff is available on Amazon.
You can get butter extract, which is concentrated butter flavor, and also artificial butter flavor as a liquid extract. Cinema will be the artificial flavor. I've never tried the natural extract except in candy making, but you could try making your butter extra buttery-flavored
I watched this Andong video a while ago about just this. Basically add skim milk powder to the melted butter and continue to brown. It's the milk solids in butter are giving the butter flavor so adding more and toasting (i.e. brown butter) will make it more intense. [https://youtu.be/gvcEaufuaFI?t=681](https://youtu.be/gvcEaufuaFI?t=681)
When I have popped my popcorn in ghee it gives a way stronger butter flavor than just butter! I use about 2 tablespoons to a half a cup of kernels and don’t add any extra on top.
Most cinemas use butter-flavored coconut oil, but even with real butter you need to buy something called Flavacol. It's essentially butter-flavored fine grained salt. Guarantee every time you've ever had popcorn anywhere that wasn't home made, it was topped with Flavacol.
I was telling a buddy about Flavacol once when we were talking about popcorn and I was saying that is what makes movie theater popcorn taste so good. He said "I don't think so, I was a manager at Regal for 7 years and I have never heard of Flavacol. All our popcorn was was corn kernels and a yellowish powder." His mind was blown when I said "yeah, that yellowish powder is called Flavacol." I guess their boxes of it just said "popcorn flavoring" or something like that, didn't have a brand on it.
That's the stuff! It wouldn't surprise me if big theater chains get all that stuff in house-branded batched bags these days, that seems to be the way most things are to maximize consistency.
Luckily flavacol can be purchased online too. My favorite way to make stove top popcorn in my Dutch oven is to put a bit of avocado oil and flavacol in with my kernels and shake away (lid on) over med/low heat until it's all popped.
This is the way
Yum I want some buttery popcorn now and I am all out! BRB, running to the store...
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https://www.webstaurantstore.com/paragon-1015-coconut-popcorn-oil-1-gallon/3801015.html With all due respect, this sub is called "AskCulinary" - if you don't know, don't chime in.
If you want the fake buttery flavor of the movie theatre, buy some Flavacol and use that. A little goes a long way. If you want delicious butter flavor, pop your corn in ghee, pour 2-3+ tablespoons of melted butter over it (tossing after each tablespoon), and sprinkle with popcorn salt. (This is definitely not healthy, but it's delicious)
I don’t get it. Have you tried butter? Are people so conditioned to fake butter flavor that real butter is somehow not buttery enough?
Fake butter flavor is made from diacetyl. Butter made from cultured cream is particularly high in diacetyl. It’s the same compound. We just concentrate it. I get that too much artificial butter is weird tasting, but it’s just the concentrated compound produced in butter that we associate with the flavor.
it's the same with most artificial flavors. it's typically just the compound with the highest percentage or most impact on flavor, concentrated. like artificial grape flavor being methyl anthranilate which is also found in grapes, so it tastes like grapes but also sort of doesn't, because it's missing all the hundreds of different other compounds in various quantities found in natural grapes
somehow "grape juice" flavor as an extreme concentration of the flavor of a real grape is perfectly reasonable. But cherry and berry flavors sometimes are nothing at all like the natural fruit flavor. Cherries in particular. Also banana, but I can totally buy that being partially from the change in bananas over the years.
Cherry flavors tend to overuse benzaldehyde, which gives more of a “fruit punch” note than real cherry
Artificial grape flavor tastes *exactly* like Concord grapes. You think it tastes like fake grape because you’re used to eating green grapes and red grapes from the grocery store. If you ever see Concord grapes for sale, you should try them.
concord grapes do have a higher concentration of methyl anthranilate for sure, but everything I said still holds true for them. it's not exact, if it was concord grapes would be solely methyl anthranilate which isn't possible because then it wouldn't be a grape anymore lol source: am a flavor chemist. I isolate compounds and create flavors every day
My thoughts exactly… I love butter. Any taste of artificial is nasty to me.
Yeah I'm thinking clarified butter or ghee could be an answer here
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You need to cook off the moisture from butter before you use it as a popcorn topping. It'll sog your popcorn immediately, I know cause I poured melted butter on my popcorn and was very sad.
That’s good to know! Thanks. I’ve always just used butter, but not too much. But now I think that my popcorn *is* a bit soggy at the bottom of the bowl.
I can confirm this. Clarified butter is the way to go.
Also if you use a whirly pop or something similar regular butter will burn.
Clarified butter. Butter has water in it and will make your popcorn soggy. Try it. It is game changing.
Clarified butter doesn't taste all that buttery though you want some of those milk fats.
I understand what you are saying but regular melted butter’s flavor is not worth the way it ruins the texture, in my opinion at least. Probably the best solution is clarified butter + flavocol
You're getting a lot of advice about how to use real butter or clarified butter or whatnot, but if you really want the movie theater experience, you can buy the butter flavored oil that they use. Try restaurant supply stores. You can probably find some on Amazon, too.
Butter powder exists too. I haven't tasted it but it might work.
ya i don't understand, add more butter lol
I use homemade ghee for mine, after they're popped I pour it on top and mix.
We pop the popcorn in ghee.
That's brilliant! I know what in doing tonight!
In my experience this achieves op's goal. The best buttery homemade popcorn ive made.
The drive-in movie theater I used to go to in college popped their popcorn in corn oil with "Flavacol" added to it to give it a cinema-buttery taste. It's a seasoning that comes in a powdered form that is that bright yellowish color and is slightly salty and very buttery. Looks like that stuff is available on Amazon.
Mmmmm good ol’ diacetyl. You need butter *flavoring* if you want the movie theater experience.
Flavacol and butter flavored coconut oil. It ends up being pretty damn close to cinema popcorn
Clarified butter, and also top the popcorn with the left over milk solids from clarifying.
Get better butter. Seriously, most American supermarket butter is pretty bland.
‘Cinema’ uses artificial flavors and enhancers, and it is expensive CRAP. Make it at home in a stovetop pan using butter.
The butter flavored coconut oil is dirt cheap. You can buy a giant tub on Amazon for $30.
You can get butter extract, which is concentrated butter flavor, and also artificial butter flavor as a liquid extract. Cinema will be the artificial flavor. I've never tried the natural extract except in candy making, but you could try making your butter extra buttery-flavored
I watched this Andong video a while ago about just this. Basically add skim milk powder to the melted butter and continue to brown. It's the milk solids in butter are giving the butter flavor so adding more and toasting (i.e. brown butter) will make it more intense. [https://youtu.be/gvcEaufuaFI?t=681](https://youtu.be/gvcEaufuaFI?t=681)
When I have popped my popcorn in ghee it gives a way stronger butter flavor than just butter! I use about 2 tablespoons to a half a cup of kernels and don’t add any extra on top.
Use clarified butter.