Wait, People Are Doing What With Their Popcorn On TikTok?

Some of the best and worst food hacks go viral on TikTok. We can thank the platform for great recipes like that viral TikTok cucumber salad, and we can try to unsee the questionable ones such as gatorwine, the TikTok invention to stretch cheap wine. But one food hack that really caught our attention is frozen popcorn. While the name doesn't paint an appealing image, users who report making it are huge fans. Frozen popcorn is allegedly supposed to have a unique texture, and not get stuck in your teeth like freshly cooked popcorn normally does. 

There really isn't much technique to this food hack, and it's an easy trend to try if you're already planning on making popcorn for movie night. On TikTok, Allrecipes posted a video of recipe developer Nicole McLaughlin pulling a bag of popped popcorn out of the freezer and taste-testing it for the camera. She didn't share how long the popcorn had been in the freezer, but another TikTok user said that freezing it for at least an hour is sufficient. 

Both TikTok posters were surprised by the fact the texture was crunchier than hot popcorn. And yes, they both confirmed that the popcorn was not sticking to their teeth. Another claim is that the flavor of the salt is more pronounced, which both TikTok posters agreed on. Additionally, the cold oil or butter provides a new solidified layer, adding melt-in-your-mouth texture.

This seems obvious, but if you love the smell and temperature of freshly popped popcorn, as well as warm, melted butter, you may not be a fan of frozen popcorn. But on the UnpopularOpinion Reddit thread, one poster shared that they preferred frozen popcorn because they didn't risk burning their mouth with hot kernels, and that the solidified butter didn't make their fingers greasy.

The first step is simply to make popcorn however you normally do; Both microwave and stovetop versions are fine. If you're making popcorn from plain kernels, add oil or butter and salt before putting it in the freezer. Let the popcorn cool slightly before placing it in a plastic zip top bag. Feel free to transform your popcorn with savory truffle oil or sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar. But if you're adding ingredients like nuts, dried fruit, or a caramel drizzle, these will likely become too hard in the freezer to enjoy. 

Popcorn does not become completely hard when it's frozen like other foods with higher moisture content, such as fruit or vegetables. Since the moisture content is relatively low, freezing popcorn provides the extra crunch that TikTok users report experiencing. The general consensus on TikTok seems to involve at least an hour of freezing, but a longer period in the freezer could add even more crunch.