The Internet Is Collectively Losing Its Mind Over This Viral Centuries-Old Cooking Method — Here Are My Honest Thoughts After Trying It
I'll never look at a container of salt the same way again...
I make popcorn at least three days a week. It’s my go-to morning, afternoon, or before-bed snack, and I’ve made it every which way: in an air-popper, straight from the bag (hello, Costco-sized family pack!), in a “whirly pop,” in the microwave, and on the stove. But I’ve never made it in a pool of salt...until now.
After seeing a viral TikTok where food content creator Roice Bethel (aka @roicebethel) fries food in salt, I was intrigued. His video racked up over 16 million views, so I knew I had to try it. I love popcorn, I hate frying, and I am always on a quest to make my favorite snacks even better.
While it may not be something we see often in North America, a quick Google search taught me that it is a relatively common way of cooking among street vendors and households in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh (among others!). The science of it makes sense: salt gets hot, distributes heat well, and is an oil-free way of cooking. So why not try it with my favorite snack?
First things first: I picked up a box of coarse kosher salt and used some beautiful rainbow corn (fancy, I know).
While it was suggested I use a wok, I used my Caraway non-stick pan because there’s no way I wanted to scrub a pan if something got stuck.
I poured in salt, wondering…how much? All of it? A quarter inch? An entire inch? Unsure and not wanting to waste, I settled on a quarter-inch layer, poured a ¼ cup of kernels into the pan, and thought, now what?
After watching a few videos, I decided to crank the heat to (medium) high and wait for the magic to happen, stirring occasionally. In true form, I started tidying my toddler’s toys, and kernels began flying. I quickly put a lid on top and heard it popping away.
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Thankfully, I had a clear lid to use so I could keep an eye on the action.
I’ve made stovetop popcorn since I could reach the stove, and I’ve always been told that I should shake and shimmy the pan in order to prevent burning, so I moved it a few times every minute or so, getting salt and popcorn kernels all over my stove, floor, and into the mouth of my begging dog.
Once all the kernels were popped, I strained the popcorn through a large-holed strainer, watching my salt go down the drain before transferring the popcorn to a bowl for snacking.
Upon tasting it, I first noticed it was ever so subtly salted, the perfect level of saltiness for my tastebuds, and smelled oddly like movie theatre popcorn. As I crunched and munched away, I couldn’t help but feel like the popcorn wasn't quite as fluffy and light as what my air popper produces.
All in all, I don’t think I’ll add this method to my repertoire of popcorn-making tricks. While it tasted delicious, the texture wasn’t what I was expecting from my popcorn, and compared to my air popper, it was more wasteful and time-consuming to get my popcorn fix.
I’m curious to try other salt-fried items, but keep in mind you can only do this with dry foods, like popcorn kernels, nuts, or dried beans. Would you try salt frying? Let us know your thoughts on this cooking method in the comments.
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