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

Entry: Toffee Popcorn - A950726
Author: Unconformity - U216863

Is sort of finished, but my first article so could probably do with some improvement.

It's not bad at all

The only thing I saw in there which I would disagree with are the instructions for the pan method - I thought you were supposed to put the oil in first and heat it to smoking point before putting in the corn.

If you want to change the entry from plain text to GuideML there are a few other popcorn-related entries you could link to:

A177130, A169463, and A307243

It's not mandatory that you put it into GuideML, and you entry is very nicely formatted as it is. If you prefer not to use GuideML, a Sub-editor will do it for you anyway if your entry is picked for editing, but GuideML will give you all kinds of options . The <./>GuideML-Clinic</.> is your first stop if you want to have a bash at it.

One other thing - golden syrup isn't widely known or available in some parts of the world. Is there another ingredient you can think of to substitute? I must admit that I can't, and I used to be a sweetmaker

I think it's ready for the rigours of Peer Review

Why thank you . Have updated into GuideML and added the heat oil first bit as suggested . Couldn't work out how to link articles though. Several attempts and reading the explaination didn't really help as couldn't follow it. Oh well.

You do it like this:

"It is fully compatible with films, both at home and at the cinema."

If you want to link to a non-h2g2 page you'd do it like this:

"It is fully compatible with films, both at home and at the cinema

You don't need the TITLE="Cinema Popcorn" bit in h2g2 links because the software will automatically put the title of the entry into the data box to the right of your screen, and you don't necessarily need it in HREF links - it's just handy to use when you don't want the exact text from your entry to appear in the data box, which is what will happen if you don't use it. Try it with and without and you'll see what I mean.

Hope that's not too confusing

And I have no idea if there really is a website called cinemapopcorn.com

Had got the " in the wrong place

Looking very good now

Yay!

Bung it in Peer Review now I reckon

Way ahead of you there...
I put it in peer review after changing it to GuideML.

Ah, so you did And you even took this one out of the Writing Workshop too. Well done I'm sure we'll be seeing this on the Front Page very soon

I agree, it's quality stuff... maybe a little smoothing over, gradually, but other than that, well written.

-

But here in The States...what is treacle? My wife wants to try the recipe, but we don't have a treacle shop nearby?

No treacle! No golden syrup! Am shocked. Have been bought up to love the content of those green tins, the 'out of the strong came forth sweetness' moto and the picture of the lion and the flies on the front. (Or are they bees?). They are both sticky syrups made from refined sugar, the difference between them being that golden syrup is golden and treacle dark. There are two types of treacle; the ordinary (is a dark brown colour), and black treacle (which is unsuprisingly black). It normally comes in red tins. Treacle has a richer flavour than golden syrup, and black treacle is used to make ginger bread. Well, it is to make Queen Mary ginger bread, which is the oldest and nicest gingerbread recipe I know.

As for a substitute, well, syrupy sweet sticky stuff. I can't think of anything else apart from runny honey (as in unset). Honey popcorn? Will have to try that one...

Unconformity
Thanks. Over here we have maple syrup, which is brownish and sweet and sticky. Sounds like sweet and sticky are required, brown optional, and just get the popcorn part right. I'll let you know how maple syrup works. Thanks

Hmmm. Maple syrup popcorn? Could happen. It's a bit runnier than golden syrup from what I remember, so I'd use less sugar. Maple syrup is also sweeter, so I'd use dark brown sugar to compromise. Demerara sugar would be best.

thank you, again.
Next problem? Demerara sugar? Is that a brand name, or are we in the states about to discover another taste sensation?

Maple syrup can't really be substituted for golden syrup if you want to get the same flavour, although maple syrup would work perfectly well. It would simply produce a different popcorn.

Black treacle is molasses

Demorara is just another type of suger, not a brand. It's very dark and very rich.

Maple syrup could make good popcorn (it is sweet and sticky after all), but I'm not sure the same recipe would work.

And yes, black treacle is a by-product of sugar refining, rather than just refined sugar.

Demerara sugar is coarse and dry, and comes from the Demerara region of Guyana. It is unrefined. In contrast, most brown sugar is made from a mixture of refined sugar and molasses, which makes it softer.

If you don't have any demerara sugar, then whatever do you put in coffee? (Unless you have it unsweetened I suppose).

I put soft brown sugar in mine

There's a sugar here in the US called turbinado sugar which is very much like demerara... I wonder if they are one and the same?

Are you an expert on sugars? I spent the first six years of my life working in sweet factories as a sugar boiler, and whilst I didn't formally learn any theory, I did pick up bits and pieces 'on the job', which is my favourite way of learning.

I wish I had learnt more - I'd love to write an entry about invertase and how it produces liquid centres