My Grandpa Rigby’s Stovetop Popcorn

Remember when I told you that I had three sets of grandparents without involving in-laws or step anything? Well, here’s how. The third set wasn’t by blood. But my whole family called them Grandma and Grandpa. One of my brothers is even named after Grandpa Rigby.

Dean Weldon with Grandpa Weldon Rigby (in his later, less vibrant years)

Grandma & Grandpa Rigby were a wonderful couple that went to my parents’ church when we were growing up. Apparently I was a preeeettty bad baby and I’ve always loved hearing my mom tell me stories of how Grandma Rigby was the only person who could get me to calm down during church. (I wish I had a picture of them both to show you….the pictures are all in Utah. )

They were the kind of grandparents that always insisted on feeding you, whether it was a whole meal or cookies. The best treat we could get during a visit was some of Grandpa Rigby’s popcorn. He made it on the stove and it was always perfect.

Whenever I have stovetop popcorn (which is often), I think of the Rigbys fondly and miss them dearly. They’ve both passed on and especially now that I’m older, I realize how lucky I was to call them my grandparents.

{Not quite as good as Grandpa Rigby’s} Stovetop Popcorn

• 1-3 T canola oil
• white popcorn (it will be labeled as white…yellow is more common, but we like white better. it’s crunchier)
• butter & salt

Add enough oil to a deep pan to coat the bottom, maybe 1/8” deep.
Add enough popcorn to cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer.

Cover with a tight lid and turn to medium-high heat.

Periodically shake the pan as it heats – I kind of just scrape it back and forth over the burner. When the first kernel pops, prop the lid so there’s a little crack to let the steam out. This prevents your popcorn from getting soggy.

It will start to pop quickly after the first one, so keep an eye on it, shaking once in a while.

Have a bowl close by in case your popcorn starts to overflow. Dump some out (quickly!) and return to the heat until all kernels are popped.This is our popcorn bowl. Year round. Melt some butta. I use about a tablespoon for that huge big bowl (it’s about 15” across).

Drizzle your butter, sprinkle some salt, toss, taste. Drizzle, sprinkle, toss, taste, sprinkle, toss, taste until it’s juuuust right.

Try taking a decent picture while drizzling butter and salt shaking. It’s like rubbing your tummy & patting your head at the same time.

This special popcorn salt is essential.

It’s a very fine salt and coats the popcorn well. Top left is regular table salt. Bottom left is kosher salt. The right pile is popcorn salt. See the difference?

Maizey also LOVES popcorn. She will wake up from a nap and come into the kitchen when she hears it popping. She will even sit on the hardwood floor for a piece and she hates sitting on the hardwood floor (because she slides backwards – heh heh).

It’s a perfect evening snack for movies or engrossing literature.

And hopefully you don’t mind beggars.

Do you use microwave popcorn? We’ve bought it once since we’ve been married. And it was for a Boy Scout fundraiser. My family always made air-popped on Saturday nights and enjoyed stovetop popcorn when visiting the Rigbys. It’s not hard to understand why microwave popcorn just ain’t my thang.

Tagged as: popcorn, recipes