January 19 is National Popcorn Day! Celebrate with these recipes ranging from the basic to the advanced. Whether you prefer savory, sweet, spicy or some other combination, you can make these at home or head to one of the great popcorn spots New York City has to offer.

Make it

Let’s start off easy: This basic recipe will serve as the basis for the rest.

Basic popcorn on the stove

• 3 Tbsp high smoke point oil such as coconut, peanut, or canola oil
• 1/3 cup of high quality popcorn kernels
• 1 3-quart covered saucepan or pot
• 1 Tbsp or more (to taste) of butter (optional)
• Salt or other topping to taste

1. Heat oil in a 3-quart saucepan or pot on medium high heat, tilting it until oil coats entire bottom of pot.
2. Add 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into hot oil and cover pot.
3. When the kernels pop, add rest of popcorn in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds.
4. Return pot to heat. Popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once. Once popping starts in earnest, gently shake pot back and forth over the burner.

When you heat the oil to popping temperature first and then add the popcorn, the oil temperature actually drops a bit. Giving it 30 seconds off the heat gives the kernels a chance to heat up to the temperature of the oil. Soon after being returned to the heat the popcorn should pop quickly.

Tips: If you keep the pot-lid slightly askew it will allow steam to vent and you’ll get crispier, fluffier popcorn. There are stove-top popcorn poppers that work quite well, usually with a hand crank that turns a stirring mechanism inside the pot. You may use the above recipe in these as well, though you may reduce some of the oil if you do.

Ari’s Firecorn

I’ve been making this for over a decade, usually using a hot sauce named Endorphin Rush, but lately experimenting with others. It will work with any hot sauce though I recommend not using sauces that are highly liquid and vinegary.

The recipe is the same as above, but during that 30 seconds off the heat add a few drops of the hot sauce of your choice, slap the lid on (it will splatter, so be careful!) and shake it up. I use very hot sauces so it only takes a few drops and doesn’t change the basic formula of the recipe. Torchbearer’s sauce The Rapture works very well and has an excellent flavor.

Popcorn Balls

If you want to add another dimension to your popcorn game, try this simple recipe for popcorn balls:

What you’ll need:

• 9 cups plain popped popcorn
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into small pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do:

1. Coat a large glass bowl with butter, vegetable oil, or cooking spray and place popcorn in the bowl.
2. Place sugar, corn syrup, water, vinegar, and salt in a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Place over high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes.
3. Bring to a boil, cook until mixture registers 260°F on a candy/fat thermometer, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla until melted and smooth.
5. Immediately drizzle sugar mixture over popcorn while stirring continuously with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom of the bowl. Popcorn should be thoroughly coated and cool enough to handle after about 3 minutes of stirring.
6. Using buttered or oiled hands, tightly press mixture into 3-inch rounds. Place on waxed or parchment paper to cool, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Like spicy, sweet, salty and crunchy snacks? Try the recipe above with some Firecorn! Add extra hot sauce since butter cancels out a bit of the capsicum.

Munch & Read

Want more tasty popcorn fun in your life? Check these books out from the New York Public Library!

Popcorn Plants by Kathleen V. Kudlinski

Want to know more about popcorn? This book will tell you all you want to know, from planting to popping!

Eat Your Science Homework: Recipes for Inquiring Minds by Ann McCallum

Science and cooking come together in this fascinating and fun cookbook! Check out their Atomic popcorn Balls.

Popped culture: a social history of popcorn in America by Andrew F. Smith - Reference Item

Learn more about the aspects of popcorn culture, from the early history to producing and marketing, to popularity over time.

Popcorn: poems by James Stevenson

Grab the kids and a big bowl of popcorn and settle down to this book of fun poetry.

Buy it

Though not the "Popcorn Capital of the World” (that honor is claimed by Ridgeway, Illinois; Valpaaiso, Indiana; Van Buren, Indiana; Schaller, Iowa; Marion, Ohio; and North Loup, Nebraska... talk about competition!) New York has some pretty decent popcorn locales to check out. Here's a short list of some gourmet popcorn sellers in NYC.

Garrett Popcorn
242 West 34th Street
Hailing from Chicago, this company has grown into an international popcorn powerhouse. Many of their flavors incorporate nuts, adding an additional textural element to the corn.

Pop Karma
95 Orchard Street
Their website boast sustainably grown high quality ingredients, but the seasonal flavors are the really impressive thing. Past flavors include imaginative pairings like Bacon Apple Bourbon Caramel, masala and even pickle popcorn!

Brooklyn POPCORN Food Truck pops up tins of crunchy goodness ranging from the sweet (several chocolate offerings along with the more exotic Coconut Caramel), the spicy (Cajun anyone?) and several city inspired mixes as well. Want to see if they are nearby for a quick popcorn fix? Just check their tracking page.

Online: Kettle Corn NYC
In addition to their online shop, Kettle Corn NYC runs stands at NYC street festivals all summer long. Keep an eye on their schedule.

Get Crafty!

As delicious as popcorn is to eat it can also be used to decorate with (popcorn garland anyone?)

Here are two of my favorite ways to use popcorn as a decoration tool.

1. Use popcorn kernels to fill in empty space for your fall centerpiece.
2. Unpopped kernels are perfect for stuffing for homemade dolls or beanbags. Draw out your design on a piece of cloth and sew the edges 90% closed. Fill it with popcorn and sew the rest.
3. The kernels are handy as a medium for holding pencils, pens and makeup brushes. Just fill an empty mason jar or decorated ith unpopped kernels and stick the handles in.
4. Popcorn Snowmen - Decorate plastic cups or bags like snowmen (or your favorite superheroes) and fill with popped popcorn.

Plus if you're like me and buy or receive gifts in the form of the popcorn tins, don’t throw them away. They make great mini trash cans, storage containers etc.

Have a favorite popcorn topping, recipe or craft?
Try any of these recipes or suggestions?
Let us know in the comments!

Written by Genee Bright and Arieh Ress