Somehow, I’ve managed to write about popcorn at least three times in the last year or so without hitting on the key issue: The Great Ripoff that is microwave popcorn. And that’s because somehow, I appear to have come late to the realization party, the one in which we all recognize that popcorn can be microwaved in an ordinary paper bag (or similar container; see photo).

Twenty-five years ago, microwave popcorn became common. The myth was that the bag was especially designed with a metal-coated film to focus the heat of the microwave and produce even popping. I, along with something like 200 million other people, bought into this special bag theory. Because the ingredients in microwave popcorn usually include artificial flavors and vile-tasting vegetable oil I didn’t use the microwave, but continued to pop my own on top of the stove.

But it appears I missed the boat. All you do is take popcorn — say, 1/4 cup — and put it in a brown paper bag (preferably the large lunch bags sold in supermarkets ), then fold over the top a few times (some people recommend staples, but it seems the bags can catch fire that way and why risk it; the staple is unnecessary), then pop until the kernels stop, which is high heat for two minutes in many cases.

You can add oil to the bag at the beginning if you like, but this will yield a slightly greasy bag (so — you use a bowl). And of course you can top the finished product with melted butter or any spice you want. This enables you to have microwaved popcorn but with your choice of popcorn and oil (I like peanut), and, if you were to make popcorn daily, to save hundreds of dollars a year. At every supermarket in the country, microwave popcorn sells for at least $4 a pound and usually closer to $6. Ordinary popcorn is about $1 a pound, or less; good organic popcorn is about $2 a pound.

There has been some fear, too, about some of the chemicals used in commercial microwave popcorn bags, so you can avoid that too. But mostly you can make real popcorn — even at work, fast and cheap.