There is something special about the popcorn you get at a movie theatre. It’s not the butter because I don’t get it with butter and it still tastes different than what I can make at home. Too much salt? Possibly, but it’s the flavor that is underneath the salt that makes movie theater popcorn special.

Microwave popcorn is an abomination. The bags are lined with a chemical called PFOA that breaks down in cooking process and has been identified as a carcinogen (of course, what isn’t these days?). The odor of microwave popcorn makes me gag and the taste is equally displeasing.

I make my kids popcorn the old fashioned way, in a big pot with some peanut oil. I want popcorn that tastes like movie popcorn, but as close as I have come with my method is enjoyable popcorn that is still missing something. I’ve tried everything from a pinch of sugar with the salt, to flavors like cheese, truffle, and even caramel.

The secret has been revealed! Flavacol is a flavored seasoning – salt – that can be used in the popping process to give your homemade popcorn true movie theater taste. This stuff is amazing, and given that you use just 1 tsp for 1 cup of kernels, the 1 quart container should last years, literally.