What exactly makes popcorn pop? Normally, you make popcorn by either heating a prefilled bag in the microwave, or putting some kernels in an airpopper, both of which heat up the kernels of corn until they explode. But why do they explode? Popcorn is unique because it has a really strong outer shell and a perfect mix of water and starch on the inside. As the kernel is heated, the starch melts and the water gets converted into steam. And eventually the pressure causes the shell to crack and all of the molten starch and water come shooting out, expanding into a tasty foam! And if you wanted to, you could make this whole process happen instantly, you’d just need to prevent the kernels from popping until you wanted them to, which is exactly what this popcorn popper does! As it is heated, the pressure inside builds, which prevents the water inside the popcorn kernels from converting into steam (very much like what a pressure cooker does). Once the pressure inside reaches about 10 kg/cm^2 (or...