I thought I found the trick to prepare my own microwave popcorn. I perfected a system of popping corn in a small paper lunch bag. Sometimes the popcorn would clump together and burn and sometimes half the bag would be filled with unpopped kernels, but this was my solution to pre-packaged and preservative-filled microwave popcorn bags. But a new popper I found online makes my paper bag method seem completely archaic!
This popper is essential a laboratory grade glass container which allows corn to be popped in the microwave without oil or butter. Pour the corn kernels into the container, close the lid, microwave for two and a half minutes and your popcorn is ready! The lid is perforated so if you would like freshly melted butter on your popcorn, add butter right from the refrigerator and it will melt as the corn pops. Genius, right?
The handle stays cool enough to pour the freshly popped corn easily and it's dishwasher safe.
What's your favorite way to make popcorn?
• Microwave Popcorn Popper, $21.95 on Amazon
Related: College Eating: How To Make Better Microwave Popcorn
(Image: Amazon)
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One large Pyrex bowl set slightly askew on top of another. It vents the steam and allows for minimum popcorn kernel escape. Works like a charm every time.
Or one large Pyrex bowl with a plate on top, again slightly skewed to vent the steam.
Making multi-taskers even multi-taskier, FTW!
I usually just use a glass bowl sprayed with Pam and then I spray all the kernels. I cover it with a microwave lid and it works fine BUT, you must warm up the microwave. To do that, you run it with a cup of water for 1 min. Overall, there will be some unpopped kernels, but, especially when youy buy at the bulk bins, it is so cheap that it doesn't matter.
Also, if you are going to spend 21 on a popper for the microwave, why not just buy an air popper?
I've never used any kind of oil or spray stuff on my popcorn, and it turns out just fine. I also don't *ever* pre-heat the microwave. I expect the usefulness of doing so varies from one microwave to the next.
I always thought putting a cup of water in for a minute first was to create moisture, not to pre-heat.
Or you could just put in on the stove in a tiny clear topped pot. My 1qt saucepan does the trick every time. It takes about the same amount of time, tastes phenomenal, and is a lot more fun to make. The one downside is the oil you need. But for one serving it's not much at all!
I use the Microwave Popcorn bowl that Nordic Ware manufactures. It works great. Before that I just used a brown paper bag and no oil.
Yeah I am a stove top popper too.
I don't use much oil, less than a tablespoon, for a cup of popcorn (which is nearly a gallon when popped). You do have to preheat the pan but once that is done it doesn't take much time at all to pop. And you can salt & butter to taste (with REAL butter YUM).
I've actually had this product for about 2 years and though I love it, I find that two-and-a-half minutes is NEVER enough time to fully pop the 1/4 cup of kernels I use. Though, it may be because my current microwave is very small and not all that powerful and the popper just barely fits with the rotatig tray removed. though, wen I've got good kernels (they go bad easily) and a good batch of popcorn, it's soooo much better than bagged popcorn.
We have an air popper, that I've had since college. It's really tasty. My husband has been on a popcorn kick lately... we absolutely prefer white popcorn. Not sure what it is. Just tastes better to me....
I've been using the Nordic Ware one for awhile as well. I'm "accident prone" and this glass one wouldn't last a year with my luck.
i own this popper and love it! though i never use the butter melter on top - i just do it separately
I don't have a microwave and stove-pop all my popcorn. Granted, when I was a teenager I burnt it a couple of times. But now I'm well versed and have no qualms about making it the old-fashioned way.
Probably won't be getting a microwave in the near future either.
Stove-top. We have a tall pot we use and put a short dishtowel over it to catch the steam. To me, it tastes better cooked this way.
You can pop the microwave popcorn on the stove as well. Just cut open the bag, scrape out the kernels and "movie theater" flavor if that's your thing, and pop as usual. I know this because I got some microwave corn as a stocking stuffer one year and that's all I had on hand in the middle of a full-blown popcorn craving.
This is neat, I'll admit, but for me it's stove top or air pop any day. I use a big enamel Dutch oven and my universal glass skillet lid; the obvious plus is that you can make sweet popcorn this way as well. A friend gave me an air popper he didn't have room for, and if I'm feeling really lazy or am doing a little too much at once, I use that. The kids love to watch the popcorn come out (and catch a few pieces), too, plus you don't get all the unpopped kernels. If you're going to own a special piece of equipment just to make popcorn, I'd say an air popper is the best one to buy.
If I could find a way to do stove top without oil, I would. (Alas, Google fails me.) This looks cute! But since I already own pyrex, maybe I'll try that first.
brown paper lunch bags. Pour in just the kernels, fold over the top a couple times ( maybe a half inch fold?) it woun't be sealed but it works just the same. I pop for about 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Pour in bowl and add melted butter or olive oil or whatever you choose. So easy! (p.s. this is from Alton Brown's method).