Poppin' Easy

[mayguy]

Last night I made popcorn on the stove top, and I also did the melted butter on the stove too.. I cooked the butter till I started to see a little bit of brown in it, and we both loved it! It kinda give it a nutty flavor to the popcorn.

I am going to try and use the butter right in the popper instead of the oil.

 

[retro-man]

I think this was an old weight watchers suggestion when making air popped popcorn. For a topping try a little sprinkle of soy sauce. We have use this a number of times and I actually enjoy it. When making home made popcorn on the stove with oil sometimes I will add garlic salt or onion salt in with the oil and this gives the popcorn a great flavor. Unfortunetly popcorn is on the list of can't haves anymore since I had diverticulitus last year. One of my favorite anytime of day enjoyments.
Jon

 

[sudsmaster]

Probably not a good idea to use butter in the popper. It will likely burn and scorch before the popping starts. Same for most margarine. The milk solids can't take the high heat.

Similarly, oil goes rancid much faster if there is salt in it when it's heated. So adding salt to the cooking oil is also not recommended.

 

[sudsmaster]

A little speed bump on the road to easy poppin'...

I read some reviews on line - eopinions and elsewhere - and some people criticized certain features of the Easy Pop construction. Apparently there have been several versions of the machine, but I found one of the problems the other day.

There are small handles on the stirring/heating unit that have tabs that lock into slots on the base motor unit. Well, as others have noted, the tab on one side of my Easy Pop broke off. It still worked ok but it didn't set as securely on the base, and that is important since the electrical connection also depends on a good fit.

So I went back to Costco today and got a new unit. The first one I got had a black base. So I got the one with the red base - thinking maybe the red plastic will be stronger than the black. No real reason to believe that, but what the heck.

I didn't think I was being anything but gentle with the first one, but this time I'll make sure to take extra care when latching and detaching the stirring/heating unit from the base motor unit. We'll see how long this one lasts. And yeah, I still have to return the first one to Costco for a refund.

Other than that, I already made a batch of popcorn with the replacement unit and it worked flawlessly.

 

[sudsmaster]

Mystery solved

As I was putting the new red base into the dishwasher, I noticed that the position I was choosing - with the electric prongs facing downward to drain better - was also positioning the side tabs to each side, and the one on the right, due to the way the Bosch lower rack is constructed, was being pushed out into the doorway. Then when the rack was being closed, that tab would hit the door frame and this is probably what caused it to break with the previous unit.

In other words, operator error ;-).

I'm being more careful now when I load the base into the dishwasher. I put the prongs to the left and the tabs are positioned at 12:00 and 6:00, where they can't get damaged.

 

[roto204]

Wow

Great bit about the coffee beans.

Now, remember--there will always be a place for microwave popcorn. I have found nothing better for clearing out an office when you just want everyone to go away than to over-nuke a bag and let the burning aroma waft its way through the place.

 

[sudsmaster]

Yeah, burnt microwave popcorn is pretty foul. I think it's the result of overheating the fake butter flavoring (butyric acid, as I recall).

I never thought of trying it to clear out an office, though. Perhaps because I'd have to live with the aroma as well.

 

[petek]

Seems like Cuisinart is busy copying everyone elses appliances now..the West Bend Stir Crazy, the Presto Salad Shooter and the GE pop up door toaster oven.
The West Bend Stir Crazy is still being made and you can usually find them at Walmart for around $30, doesn't go in the dishwasher though.
I tried making kettle corn in mine as per the instruction booklet but it made a really really ugly sticky mess, even with the popper being teflon.. it reverses as well when it encounters resistance.

I wished I could find the real deal theater popcorn salt that we used to have at the movie house I worked in baack in the early 70's. I've tried some I've found in the grocery store that say "theater popcorn salt" but they aren't the same at all.

 

[sudsmaster]

What was old is new again.

 

[sikiguya]

My favorite popper

Here is one of my favorite vintage eletric poppers.

Lid has a crank and when you hear the first 'pops', you start to turn the handle slowly. Works perfectly everytime. Also used a local farmer's popcorn which popped up really well, hardly any kernals left.

 

[sikiguya]

Heating Element

Heating element before it warmed up-gets super red!

 

[sikiguya]

Starting to get hot

Just a couple kernals have popped, ready to turn the crank!

 

[sikiguya]

Final result

Lightly coated in 'real" butter with a little salt.

Made several bags to take with us to Lake Michigan for the 4th of July Fireworks. Beats paying $3/bag down there for some. This was MUCH tastier.

 

[sudsmaster]

Cool.

Somewhere in my collection I have a plug in butter warmer/sprayer gadget. It can take a full 1/4 lb stick of butter, and warm it up till it's liquid. Then it had a built in pump and spray nozzle, so you can spritz the popcorn evenly without large gobs of melted butter wetting down random popped kernels.

I'm a gonna have to find it (again). I had it out a few months ago but can't remember where I put it. I was intending to bring it into the house but must have gotten distracted.

There was also a microwave version, but this one is all electric.

 

[sudsmaster]

Hot Topper

Eureka! Found it!

Found the Presto Hot Topper, that is, everything except the owners manual, which I think may be in a file drawer I haven't gotten to yet.

To celebrate I cleaned it up, and then melted a healthy slab of natural butter in it. Then popped up 1/3 cup of Orville's best. Hot Topper worked perfectly, spritzing the popcorn fairly evenly with delicious melted butter.

Yum. I think this thing could be used for maple syrup for pancakes/waffles as well. Cleanup is a bit of a chore, as I don't dare put the thing in the dishwasher.

Here's a shot from eBay:

 

[sikiguya]

Cool!

That's cool! I have never seen one of those and I am an AVID thrift store shopper.

It is worth getting out to use for a bowl of popcorn? How about using it for corn on the cob?

 

[countryguy]

Sudsmaster,

You made the popcorn sound so good that I used my air miles points today to order the popper!

Gary

 

[scott55405]

We had a Presto similar to that one depicted above for many years, with the open coil element that gets red. I have an old Knapp Monarch electric with glass lid that makes wonderful popcorn.

 

[sudsmaster]

Yes, the Hot Topper is worth getting out for a bowl of popcorn.

I hadn't thought of using it for corn on the cob, but that sounds like a good application as well, although a bowl of melted butter and a pastry brush would probably do just as well.