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Why does popcorn pop?

At 212°F, water turns into steam

A "leg" of fluffy starch emerges and kicks the kernel into the air

The kernel spins in the air while its inward bloom outward

From kernel to a popcorn piece

An unpopped kernel is mostly starch and water

At 356°F, the kernel reaches critical heat and bursts

Escaping vapor makes the POP noise

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