Corn Nuts

[drmoss_ca]

I've been trying to recreate the snacks I used to buy in Spain, and I think they might be the equivalent of 'corn nuts' in the USA. You take hard dry corn kernels, as you might buy for a hot air popper, soak them in water for a few days and then deep fry them. They are then salted and eaten. So far, I've made something that is more like deep fried popcorn - quite yummy, but not the same texture. The Spanish ones are hard and crunchy, quite golden brown, and have no husks. Mine are a bit fluffier, crunchy but with more bubbles in them so not hard and crunchy. They also have lots of husks.

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Could it be that I should be using nixtamalized kernels, ie hominy, where the husks have been dissolved in lye? Or maybe corn kernels that aren't as old as the ones stored in my basement for an uncertain number of years. Anyone know anything about this? I must say, these ones go down very nicely with a beer!

[brothers]

Somewhere on the web I'd bet. I would like to try it.

[CMur12]

Corn Nuts are larger than corn, so it has always been my impression that they are made from hominy. I never thought about it, but Corn Nuts may well have the husks removed. They are definitely hard and crunchy, but they don't appear to have a different surface layer.

- Murray

[John Rose]

I've had "parched corn" as a snack food. It's crunchy, and still has the shape and most of the original colour of the kernel, but seems to be slightly puffed.
They're about as hard as dry roasted almonds, if I recall correctly.
It was decades ago.

[drmoss_ca]

This is what 'maicitos' should look like - far from my product!

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I'm not going to find hominy in NS, so I'd better start thinking about how much NaOH to use....

[CMur12]

Those "maicitos" look identical to Corn Nuts.

- Murray

[drmoss_ca]

Seems I'm looking to boil the corn in a pH 11-12 solution for an hour, then let it steep in the same liquid for a day, then wash it and manually remove any remaining husk. When the skin grows back on my alkali-burned fingertips I deep fry it. Popping corn is not going to be the best for this as it has a thicker husk (that allows steam pressure build and thus 'pop' the corn). The best result is with a mixture of slaked lime and KOH - the calcium in the lime is needed for some of the chemical changes in the corn proteins. KOH I have, but not Ca(OH)₂. I might find that at a large supermarket as pickling lime, but I'm not going there. Maybe order some over the internets - I see that pickling lime is no longer commonly used - it reduces acidity (duh!) and encourages Cl. botulinum to grow, but "pharmaceutical grade" Ca(OH)₂ is available on Amazon for your fish tank. It's also not clear to me whether I am supposed to start with hard dry kernels or softer ones (like frozen corn), but my intention is to use the popcorn in the basement.. The standard YouTube video on this just involves soaking popcorn in water and frying it. That ends up with what I made above. Research continues.

[Rufus]

All this sounds more like a chemistry experiment than a cooking recipe. I hope it’s worth the effort.

[ShadowsDad]

Good luck.

Canned hominy won't work? I bet you can buy it online.

[drmoss_ca]

I'll see if the calcium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide do the trick, first. This would let me use up the kernels I have in the basement. I could use them in the hot air popper but for two problems - I used it for a while for roasting green coffee beans and it will make coffee flavoured popcorn (might not be bad!), and secondly, it is in a part of the house where Pippa is isolated with flu symptoms (she's getting better and still waiting for test results).
If it doesn't work out, I'll try buying hominy. And use the lime for burying the bodies.

[fallingwickets]

it is in a part of the house where Pippa is isolated

I think I speak for all when I ask you to let her know that we are hoping for a speedy recovery

clive

[brothers]

Pippa - Speedy recovery!

[CMur12]

Indeed! Wishing Pippa a negative for COVID-19 and a speedy recovery.

- Murray

[John Rose]

... This would let me use up the kernels I have in the basement. I could use them in the hot air popper but for two problems - I used it for a while for roasting green coffee beans and it will make coffee flavoured popcorn (might not be bad!), ...

For the popping corn, put 1/4 cup of kernels in a regular brown paper sandwich bag, make a 1" fold across the top, and staple it in two places.
Lay it on its side in the microwave and hit the standard "Popcorn" setting.
Don't worry, the staples are okay.

[brothers]

Just for general information, fresh CornNuts are widely available retail at about the same as a sack of chips. Also, dry hominy is available on the web for somewhere around $7 or so per pound. Note: I'm frequently mistaken, so please correct me!

[drmoss_ca]

I'm sure you're right, Gary, if you happen to live in those places! I imagine both are more easily available south of the Mason-Dixon line. But in NS? Not so easy.

[dosco]

... This would let me use up the kernels I have in the basement. I could use them in the hot air popper but for two problems - I used it for a while for roasting green coffee beans and it will make coffee flavoured popcorn (might not be bad!), ...

For the popping corn, put 1/4 cup of kernels in a regular brown paper sandwich bag, make a 1" fold across the top, and staple it in two places.
Lay it on its side in the microwave and hit the standard "Popcorn" setting.
Don't worry, the staples are okay.

Whirly Pop for the win. I was dubious at first ... but over the last few years I've found it makes the best popcorn, is consistent, and leaves the fewest unpopped kernels.

[brothers]

How does it match up with the pre-bagged microwave popcorn?

[John Rose]

How does it match up with the pre-bagged microwave popcorn?

If you're talking about my paper bag popcorn, it's as good as.
it only has whatever butter/oil and salt that you add after popping.
I don't know if it's even possible to get pre-bagged popcorn without oil already in the bag, unless there's a specialty brand, which likely means more $$$.

[drmoss_ca]

So yesterday I took a rough pound of yellow hard corn, covered it in boiling water, added a TBSP each of Ca(OH)₂ and KOH, and boiled it for an hour. The corn smelled wonderful - like fresh corn being boiled. The water went yellow and then a light brown. After an hour I turned off the heat and will let it steep for 24 hours. The husks are either split open or absent - dissolved. Today I'll wash it all and remove the remaining husks, wearing rubber gloves for the first few rinses. Then some frying and some trying.

C.