making popcorn for school PTA event - help!

[sydenhamhiller]

This is ridiculously pathetic post, I am blushing, but have realised I really don't know what I am doing, so hoping the power of MN will come to my aid...

Going to provide about 100 small boxes/ tubs of popcorn at a school event. Easy, I thought, as I volunteered for that, before wondering:

1. How much popcorn (kernels) do I need for that?
2. How best to make big batches? In microwave/ on stove/ invest in a popper?
3. Should I flavour? Bung in butter/ salt/ sugar?
4. How much can I charge? 50 p? £1?

I am a popcorn novice, what was I thinking... Any advice gratefully received.

I reckon one or two bags would do. You could do a mix of sweet and savoury.

Small amount of oil, in a pan on the stovetop, and it is very quick, then toss with sugar or salt as required.

You can also make it the microwave in a brown paper bag. Put a handful or kernels in at a time, put on high for a few minutes until its stops popping every couple of seconds.

Get the microwave popcorn it's called Popz - you can get sweet or salted - I get it in Tescos - dead easy and no hassle.

Instructions are on the packets, there's 3 packets in a box which makes LOADS and it lasts for ages.

the sweet supermarket micro popcorn isn't nice, though, it tastes really weird. salty is fine, though.

We get the sweet and the kids put syrup on it

Our PTA bought a popcorn cart!

I use this method and it works perfectly every time. I have no idea what canola oil is though, I just use vegetable oil and it seems fine

simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_popcorn/

No idea how much you'd need though, depends on size of boxes. One single layer across the bottom of my pan (about 20cm diameter) makes a huge mixing bowl full so one small bag of corn would be plenty o should think and not very expensive.

You can add salt during or after cooking whatever you prefer or for sweet I sometimes make a toffee sauce but that is really sweet and sticky.

Aldi sells big bags of ready popped for about 80p. It's yummy