The most common question that my staff receives pertains to kettle corn and it's calories. We have gone through the painstaking process of listing the calorie level per serving for each and every one of our recipes. So if you are curious about the calorie volume of a certain kettle corn here on our site, then simply refer to the specific recipe, and you'll find that the figure is clearly listed. With regard to calculating our figures, we had a certified nutritionist help us, so while we don't absolutely guarantee the accuracy of the figures, we can stand behind them as being as accurate as possible. Do keep in mind that when you are making any of our recipes, that obviously even slight variations in the proportions of ingredients will alter the calorie level. Also if you use any different brand ingredients than what our recipes have called for, then that will likely alter the calorie level too. It should not however be that difficult to calculate an adjusted figure.
Homemade and fresh popped Kettle corn is relatively low in calories when compared to other popular snack foods. By fresh popped, I mean the traditional variety that you would buy at any kettle corn booth, which usually only contains four ingredients, popcorn, sugar, vegetable oil, and salt. Outside of the traditional fresh popped or homemade kettle corn, is where you will get into the high calories. Commercial brands of kettle corn that come prepackaged and off the store shelf, can often times be absolutely loaded with calories, as many of the popular brands are cooked in coconut oil, trans fat, or other heavy calorie laden bases. They are also usually much higher in sugar and salt content than traditional kettle corn varieties. And to top it all off, often times the store bought types of kettle corn will have an assortment of preservatives and other additives that will also up the calorie level, such as monosodium glutamate or MSG, as well as artificial coloring.
I'm not a calorie counter myself, so I don't really obsess over them much, especially when eating kettle corn. The whole point to eating it is to enjoy a nice light sweetened snack food. The trick is moderation, obviously kettle corn should be enjoyed as a special treat to yourself, not as a regular daily part of your diet. Even many of the commercial store bought varieties of kettle corn aren't going to cause you any real health concerns if consumed in moderation, so do enjoy these snacks guilt free. If you are watching your figure, and can't eat traditionally prepared varieties of kettle corn for fear of weight gain, then follow this simple trick. Prepare your kettle corn in an air popper without much oil base, using maybe just a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Then very lightly sprinkle your popcorn with a little sugar and salt, and place the browned bagged popcorn into the oven, so the sugar can caramelize. You can shave off calories this way.
At the end of the day, kettle corn is a delicious snack food, and if eaten in moderation along with a well balanced diet, then there should be no reason why you should feel any guilt over eating it. Obviously my opinion is biased, since I run a small kettle corn business, but in a decade of serving this treat, I've never seen anyone develop obesity or any health problems because of kettle corn. It's just like apple pie, you wouldn't want to eat it twice a day every day of the week, or you're going to develop health problems as a result. Another great thing about kettle corn, is that it can stay fresh for several days if stored properly, meaning that you don't have to eat it all up in one sitting, for fear of the remainder of it going bad. That concludes this very brief kettle corn and calories article. If you have a specific question for us about this subject, and it hasn't been answered here on our site, then please do not hesitate to forward us an email inquiry.
