Good popcorn is great, but most popcorn rarely lives up to its aroma. Fluffy, hot kernels with crunch is the goal, and the key is using way more oil than you think you need.

Awards season is rapidly approaching, which means you should be watching lots of movies - so that you may express your smart and good movie opinions - and eating lots of snacks. A big bowl of fluffy, flavorful popped corn is the obvious, correct choice, but if you find yourself getting a little bored of the basic butter-and-salt situation, we have some ways to branch out.

Popcorn is the ultimate Netflix-watching snack, but I tend to overestimate the amount I'll be able to consume in one sitting, resulting in at least half a bowl of sad, stale remnants. Tossing the fluffy kernels brings me great sadness, but The Kitchn has an elegant solution: you just need to turn on your oven.

If you have mastered the popping of corn, chances are you're ready to add other crunchy, delicious, whole grains to your snack repertoire. It turns out that this is very easy to do, as most whole grains pop and puff in a manner very similar to popcorn.

A cinema wouldn’t be complete without the overwhelming aroma of popcorn. I can’t remember a time when this cholesterol-spiking buttery goodness hasn’t been an imperative element of my moviegoing experience. But why do we so strongly associate popcorn with the movies, and how did it become the number one snack of choice?