Popcorn kernels that didn’t pop are called “old maids” or “spinsters”. Kernels that don’t contain enough moisture or have cracks in their outer shell that allows the steam to escape will typically become old maids. Popped popcorn kernels are called “flakes”. The two varieties of fla...
Rick Callahan
Gene KimJessica Orwig
Why do corn kernels pop? A popcorn kernel has an extremely hard hull that surrounds a mass of moist starchy endosperm (the food of the embryo). When s