I am currently taking a Chem class in which we talked about a chemical called diacetyl. It is typically found on butter flavored foods such as microwave popcorn. Now, in small concentrations its not bad for you. When is it bad? When you’re working with it, inhaling it constantly, and you find yourself with something called Bronchiolitis Obliterans aka popcorn lungs. Now, if you are like myself and my professor, you’ll pause, gawk, stare, and maybe blink. Obliterans. Kinda like obliterate? Its not exactly the same, but it does give you a hint as to what is going on: your lungs are messed up and its irreversible. If its severe enough, you pretty much need a lung transplant in order to survive.

There is more to the story, of course, so I highly recommend checking this article out and googling others like it.

So now you are staring at this entry going, “wtf? What does this have to do with Frugal Microwave Popcorn?” I’m getting to it. Our professor pretty much gave us a quick, cheap way of eating popcorn and still from a microwave if we didn’t want to deal with other alternatives. She suggested this to assuage our fears and to give us options in case some of us were of the super paranoid type, wanted cheaper alternatives, or just wanted healthier options. Here is that recipe:

Frugal Microwave Popcorn
1/3 Cup of Popcorn Kernels
2 tbsp REAL Butter
½ tsp Salt (or seasonings of your choice)
Place all ingredients in a brown paper lunch bag. Fold top down twice, and “tab” to keep it closed. Microwave for 3-4 minutes or until pops are 3 seconds apart. Enjoy.

Variations:
1) Use bacon grease instead of butter
2) Seasonings: cinnamon sugar, Italian seasoning, chili pepper, powdered parmesan cheese…