What makes popcorn pop?

Popcorn is a special kind of corn. One thing that makes it special is that each grain has a thin, but very tight coat. When you heat it up, the little bit of water inside turns to steam. Because the steam can’t get out through the coat, the whole grain of corn explodes.

Good popping popcorn must have just the right moisture content so there will be just the right amount of steam in the grains and all of them will pop. Happy popping. I like it, too.