There's no need to trash those hydrogenated bricks of microwave popcorn or $10 movie theater heart-attack popcorn, because they have their place. But making popcorn the old-fashioned way is so easy it's insane...and there's a magical, almost primeval delight to be had once first kernel pops and the others quickly follow. Think of this as a friendly reminder more than a recipe.

Popcorn makes terrific pre-dinner munching food when everyone is standing around with their drinks, and it’s a welcome change from chips or nuts, especially if you flavor it with spices or real cheese and butter. Sometimes—this is pretty sad—I’ll have popcorn for dinner, but considering two cups of popped popcorn is one serving of whole grains, things could be much worse.

Recipe

1/4 cup popcorn kernels (super-cheap when purchased in the bulk food section at your local natural foods store)
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Lots and lots of salt

Directions

Place a heavy-bottomed, deep pan (about 4 quarts) with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add the oil and, after a few seconds, drop in four or five popcorn kernels. When the first one pops, add the remaining kernels, cover the pan, and shake back and forth. When the pace of the popping slows (three to five seconds between popping), empty the popcorn into a large bowl and season as desired. Serves 2 greedy people and up to 6 casual snackers.

Note: For that extra-hippy touch, I like to sprinkle about a tablespoon of nutritional yeast over the popcorn, followed with a light dousing of Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids (a product I usually think of as soy sauce for wussies). Melted butter and finely grated parmesan cheese is a more highbrow approach, but salt, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and a touch of cayenne is popular, too—it goes great with beer.