| 1 | Combine the above in a 2-qt. |
| 2 | Saucepan, bring to boil (stirring to dissolve sugar completely). |
| 3 | Continue boiling and stirring until syrup thickens and reaches the "hard-crack" stage -- consult the candy-making section of any comprehensive cookbook for description and candy-thermometer temperature. |
| 4 | My method of determining readiness is when the syrup "makes threads" when dropped off the tip of a spoon or when a drop allowed to fall into a cup of cool tap water forms a ball instantly. |
| 5 | It takes practice -- cook too long and the coating will be granular; cook not long enough and it"ll be sticky. |
| 6 | When the syrup reaches the desired stage, take it off the burner, immediately stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and ?teaspoon baking soda (the soda interacts with the vinegar"s acidity and makes the syrup light and sort of foamy). |
| 7 | Pour gradually over popped corn while stirring with a long-handled spoon to distribute the coating (or have someone else do the stirring or pouring). |
| 8 | This stuff is very hot and will stick to you and inflict deep burns so be careful! homemade caramel corn is much superior to anything you can buy in a package. |
| 9 | Or at karmelkorn, for that matter. |
| 10 | Once you know how to do it, you can play around with other flavorings, like cinnamon oil (use sparingly!) or other extracts. |
