Poppin' Easy

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sudsmaster

sudsmaster

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The other day I was in a spending mood - a bad state to be in at a place like Costco. Anyway, I saw a new gadget there, a Cuisinart Easy Pop electric popcorn maker.

Heck, I thought, I remember making my own popcorn. I'm tired of the microwave stuff. It's kind of evil.

So for $39.99 I walked out with one in black (and a lot of other stuff I don't really need, except for the crew socks)... Also picked up a jug of Orville's popcorn kernels...

It's not bad. Actually it's pretty good. I like being able to use my own vegetable oils in it, rather than the saturated palm oil that modern microwave popcorn uses (well, at least that got rid of trans fats, but it's still not as healthy as mono and poly unsaturated oils).

The machine also comes with a little recipe book for making various flavored popcorn. Right now I'm happy with just veg oil, some salt, and maybe a little melted butter or trans-free soft marg (ICBINB).

After the first batch I went online to look for reviews. Apparently there have been a few iterations of the gadget, and the early models didn't vent steam and the popcorn came out soggy. Not a problem with this one. Overall I'm pleased with it but will have to see how long it lasts.

http://www.cuisinartwebstore.com/detail/CUI+CPM-900BK
6-19-2009-01-12-17--sudsmaster.jpg
 
The heater on the Easy Pop is only 500 watts. I was surprised it works so well. Like Greg says, the kernals seem to pop all at once.

After watching it a few more times, it does sense when there is too much resistance on the stirring wire, as can occur when a lot of popping starts happening. It will then pause and reverse direction. This usually seems to restore stirring just fine.
 
I have one that stirs the kernels along the bottom until they pop, haven't used in years, now you got me thinking, I have to go dig it out, tonites movie night for the kids, think I'll do it old fashioned!

mom always made it on the stove with a cast iron skillet and a high lid and swirl it on the gas stove and watch as it sparks across the grid....those were they days
 
don't cha just love the smell?

Corn popped in an oil popper not only tastes better, it smells so much nicer. Microwave corn just doesn't smell the same to me. My next door neighbor who splits his time between here and Boston was best buds with Paul Newman. Paul's brother Arthur lives near me (in a vastly different house) and is a very fine individual. He is constantly supplying us with tons of "Newman's Own" food, most of it popcorn. I have a whole cupboard full of it and it tastes like cardboard, but it makes a nice donation to the AID's center here.

That Cuisnart popper sure looks cool.
 
Hot oil is the only way to pop pop corn. Period.

Jiffy Pop? If you mean that Jiffy Pop in the aluminum pan, I still see that from time to time locally. I've never tried it...I'm too cheap.
 
I remember, when I was a kid, TV nights (such as a Walt Disney special or a re-run of Wizard of Oz) would bring out the popcorn and orange juice. For a long time I had to have OJ with popcorn!

I also remember trying to make popcorn on my own... it's a big bother with the large pot and the oil smoking and the popcorn burning, etc... It takes time and skill to make it just so on a stove. The automatic popper has yet to burn a kernel, and they all seem to pop just fine.

So far I've tried safflower oil (OK, not much taste) and peanut oil (OK, a bit of a heavy taste). Next up I'll get some corn oil and try that. After all, it is popCORN.

Clean up is a breeze. The container does take up a lot of space in the dishwasher, but then that's what we have dishwashers for! The hot plate and stirrer clean up fine.

I've noticed that the stirrer seems to have some computer logic behind it. It will hesitate before starting, and then if it encounters an obstacle it seems to stop, pause, and then rotate in the other direction. Or maybe I'm just imagining this. But it would probably be a good idea!

I might even break the real butter out of the deep freezer for the next batch...
 
There may not be computer logic. I had a West Bend "Stir Crazy" that surely had no computer electronics, and I seem to recall that sometimes it reversed for no real reason. Although, I don't recall it happening once running.

Of course, it's quite possible that new poppers have a computer...everything else does these days.
 
Stove popping actually isn't that hard...at least for me now.

I used to have a lot of trouble, and I tried several stove poppers sold at Goodwill. (Those ones with the stir rod run by a crank.) They never worked for me. Then, I thought to try a heavy aluminum pan. Those modern poppers have very thin metal. That pan works wonderfully...it seems almost as fool proof as an electric popper.
 
Does anyone remember those air popcorn poppers? They were all the rage in the 70's.

I remember Jiffy Pop when it first came out about 1957 or so. My parents tried it once or twice. They turned on the gas and put the Jiffy Pop on the stove and promptly left the room. A few minutes later the Jiffy Pop container was all swollen up. Imagine their surprise when they opened the container to see nothing buy black popcorn kernels.
 
I may of brought a couple bags of microwave popcorn here and there, and don't care for them.

I've done air popper since in the 80's. A couple of years ago, Mom got her hand on a stove top crank type popper for us, and I been really happy with that.
 
I never much cared for air-popped popcorn. All dried out and tasteless. But it was the rage in part because of the "fat is bad, carbs are good" mantra that the nutritionist establishment was pushing at the time.

But if you have an air popper, hang onto it. I understand it's the bee's knees for roasting fresh coffee beans, if you ever get into that.

Whatever you do, don't try using a pressure cooker to pop corn... lol...
 
I don't like air popped, and one bag of microwave isn't enough at time, so I bought a Stir-Crazy popper off of eBay about three years ago. It's the best popper I've ever had. I also have one of the stove top poppers with the crank. A big bowl of popcorn, and a good movie perfect combination.
 
Coconut oil

Don't dog the coconut oil. Not only was it superior to the Trans Fats that replaced it, but I think that coconut oil is much healthier than its level of saturation would have you believe. It's supposed to be one of those foods that better for you than it ought to be.

I worked at a theater during the changeover. The poppers were much easier to properly clean after coconut, too. Corn oil would leave a sticky residue.
 
I miss Jolly Time solid popping oil but this is the next best thing:

1. Plug in your West Bend Stir-Crazy cornpopper and let it preheat for a full minute without the dome.

2. Put a whole stick of Nucoa margarine on the heating surface and let it melt until it stops sizzling.

3. Dump in a cup of popcorn (2/3 cup of Orville Redenbacher; a full cup really WILL blow the top off).

4. Remove the butter melter cap and put the dome in place. Let it pop 'til it's finished. Put the cap back on, pull the plug, turn it over and EAT!
 
I have some cans of coconut "milk" (mostly coconut oil) that I use to add flavor and body to various stews and sauces (essential for a good curry, imho). Goes great with beans.

I'll have to look up the health aspects of coconut oil. I'm sure it's far better than trans fats, which are probably responsible for a lot of heart disease in this nation. But the gold standard for "good" fat is probably still extra virgin olive oil.

I also have an avocado tree that is starting to produce well (after 10 years!) and it's a real treat to be able to eat one on almost a daily basis (although this year's crop is about done now). I understand avocado oil is also a very healthful oil.
 
Sticky wickets

Sticky cooking oil is caused by the oil going rancid - either from improper storage or excessive aging, or from heating the oil too high in the presence of salts and acids. Corn oil is probably more likely to go rancid than coconut oil because it is much higher in polyunsaturated fats - which tend to go rancid quicker than monosaturated or fully saturated fats, such as in coconut oil.

Anyway, I just bought some fresh corn oil and popped up another batch in the Easy Pop. I liked the taste of the popped corn (used three tbs corn oil), and didn't notice it was sticky at all.

A rancid oil will also tend to get viscous. I noticed this happening with a small consumer size deep fryer. The peanut oil, after a while, would get thick, and that's when I would change it out. The resistance of saturated fats to rancidity probably accounts for the popularity of hydrogenated vegetable oils for deep fat fryers in many restaurants in the past. But now with the information getting out about the dangers of trans fats, I suppose places with deep fryers are turning to stuff like palm oil or coconut oil instead. Even lard would be more healthful than a hydrogenated shortening (and it's great in pie crusts!).

For those with a chemistry interest, the rancidity is basically oxidation, in which the double bonds of unsaturated fats are broken and attached to oxygen, and often cross-linked with other rancid fats. This thickens the solution, and is the process by which oil finishes are formed - as in linseed oil, oil paints, varnish, etc. Cross linked fats are useful because they form protective coatings on things, but they are not good to eat.

It's a bit of a two edge sword - doctors and nutritionists recommend unsaturated fats because they are better for the body, but if they are allowed to go rancid before consumption the benefit probably vanishes, and might even be replaced by some toxicity.

I am often reminded of a bit I saw Julia Child do. As she was adding gobs of butter to some recipe, she remarked that butter was far better for one than margarine or other "made up" shortenings. This was back in the 70's, long before the general alarm was raised about trans fats. That lady knew her stuff!
 
I like pop corn, but hate the husks that get caught in my teeth. If i could find a way around that i might eat more pop corn. Is there a brand that is better in that regard?
 
I think the Orville Redenbacher kernels popped in oil seem to leave fewer husks caught in my teeth than even his microwave variety. Maybe it's because the popping is more complete in oil.

There is a hull-less popcorn, but I understand it's smaller and not as fluffy as regular popcorn.
 
Well, so far I've tried four different veggie oils to make popcorn in this gadget: Safflower, Peanut, Corn, and Soybean.

Of these, I like the taste with the corn oil the best. In fact, I find I don't have to add butter - I just use some extra oil in the popper and then salt to taste when it's done.
 
I must be crazy......

I LOVE burned pop corn !

Made in corn oil.....on the stove top.
Real butter poured on and salt.

Hmmmmmm.....I also love burned potato chips !
Wise potato chips that is.

My cousins and I used to fight over who would get the
burned pop corn or potato chips.

I still like both.
 
Joe and MattL:

"2. Put a whole stick of Nucoa margarine on the heating surface and let it melt until it stops sizzling."

Joe: And WHERE, may I ask, are you finding Nucoa stick margarine? It disappeared here years ago, and it was my favourite brand. "Penny for penny - pound for pound - you get more GOOD with Nucoa!"

Matt: The problem with popcorn hulls has to do with the spacing of one's teeth. Tightly spaced teeth - or widely spaced ones - don't give much of a problem. But Mr. In-Between can be a bear. I feel for you - I have the same problem, and I loooooove popcorn.
 
Wow. I really hate burned food. It tastes bitter and evil to

With good reason:

Acrylamide in food survey (courtesy UK Food Standards Agency)
Tuesday 11 January 2005

As part of an international research programme, the Agency has conducted a survey looking at people's exposure to acrylamide - a potentially harmful chemical found in some foods.

The survey's findings are consistent with research in the UK and elsewhere. The levels found would mean that the amount of acrylamide people actually eat is at least 1000 times lower than the doses reported to cause cancer in rats in laboratory tests.

Since the initial 2002 discovery of unexpectedly large amounts of acrylamide in some foods, research has continued internationally to improve understanding of the chemical and to look at ways of reducing acrylamide levels.

More than 200 research projects have been initiated around the world and this survey has been conducted as part of that international effort. The results will be considered as part of the February 2005 Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives safety evaluation of acrylamide in food.

Acrylamide is formed naturally when starch-rich foods are fried, baked, grilled, toasted or microwaved at high temperatures for example chips, roast potatoes, crisps and bread. It has also been found in a variety of other foods. It has caused cancer in rats in laboratory tests and its presence in some foods may harm people's health. It has not been found in any raw or boiled foods.

The Agency's dietary advice remains the same. It continues to recommend that people should eat a balanced healthy diet, including plenty of fruit and vegetables, bread, other cereals and potatoes and should limit the amount of sugary and fatty foods they eat, including fried food such as chips and crisps.
 
Canola oil in a 4 qt Revereware pot on the gas stovetop. I can usually get it down to under 10 old maids and no burning. I usually have pop corn for dinner at least once a week.
 
We use corn oil in a loosely covered (and frequently shaken) cast iron skillet. The iron imparts a great flavor to popcorn that you just can't get with aluminum or steel pans.

We've tried air poppers, microwave popcorn etc, but it's downright awful compared to stove-cooked.
 

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