Cake-Mix Fluffy Popcorn sure trended at Halloween! Would it be good for the winter holidays?
The short answer: It’s actually not a good idea any time of year!
The explanation: Fluffy popcorn is not only more gooey than fluffy, it can make you sick. Mixing popcorn, butter, marshmallows, and a sprinkle of sprinkles makes yummy popcorn balls that are great to eat. But you’re best off stopping there!
If you add the raw cake mix, as instructed by the fluffy popcorn recipes, you’re adding the potential for Salmonella or E. coli food poisoning.
Cake mix is made with raw flour; flour is made from raw grains that can be exposed to harmful bacteria in the field. Because it is not considered to be a ready-to-eat food, neither the grains nor the processed flour undergo a “kill step” to destroy the bacteria. Rather, it is the baking of the product with the cake mix (or flour) ingredient that kills any bacteria.
In fact, numerous poisonings occur every year due to the eating of raw batters and doughs, such as licking clean the cake mixing spoon or nibbling on cookie dough (it’s not just the raw eggs that cause illness!). And poisonings can be severe, even causing long-term and life-threatening conditions.
The silver lining is that you can make a similar snack by simply omitting the cake mix! Here’s one recipe from wellandfull.com (pictured) with lots of flavor variations. Happy Holiday Eating!
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