h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The best finger food ever, without a shadow of a doubt, is popcorn.

It's great because it's fun to make. The best way to do it is in a large, heavy-bottomed metal pan with a tight-fitting glass lid (so you can watch the action). Forget about those fatless, hot air popper things - good tasting popcorn requires oil and is still very good for you if you use a light vegetable oil to cook it.

Pour about two tablespoons of vegetable oil (sunflower or corn oil is best - olive oil is too strong, and burns too easily) into the pan, and warm the oil very gently on the hob - do not make it hot - so that it covers the bottom of the pan completely.

Next, add the corn kernels. Add enough to cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer. If you add any more than this, the popcorn will lift the pan lid and overflow when it pops.

PUT THE LID ON - TIGHT! Turn the heat up high - do NOT leave the kitchen.

After a few seconds, you will hear the oil in the pan begin to sizzle. If you are using a glass-lidded pan you will notice after half a minute or so that the kernels are becoming paler and beginning to swell.

On full heat, the kernels will begin popping tentatively after approximately one minute. After two minutes, they should be popping furiously. As soon as this crescendo of popping begins to subside, reduce the heat by half, and listen - and, most importantly, SMELL. When there is a pause of three or four seconds between poppings, turn off the heat. If at any time before this you smell burning, turn off the heat at once. Remove the pan to a cold ring and wait for one minute (to make sure that all popping action has ceased).

Serving - remember that you are dealing with a preparation in hot fat, and that a lot of hot steam has been created - remove the pan lid with extreme caution. Shake the pan, and tip the contents into a large, non-plastic bowl.

Opinion is divided as to whether, at this stage, to add sugar or salt. My own opinion is thi - freshly-popped, lightly salted popcorn is simply divine; sweetened popcorn is horrendous - you might as well pour milk over it and call it a breakfast cereal. Unless it's that toffee stuff that you buy in bags, but that's an entirely different food altogether.

I think microwaved popcorn is great - comes in a variety of flavours, takes less than 5 mins to cook & no washing up!

I know it's supposed to be easier, but I just can't get the hang of microwave popcorn.

I either burn it, or end up with loads of unpopped kernels. No amount of careful adjusting of my microwave settings makes any difference.

What am I doing wrong?