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Best Popcorn Makers?
Okay, I know, weird question but I didn't get the popcorn maker I asked Santa for and now am about to buy one but am rethinking my choice.
I'm deciding between the air popper that dumps it out in the bowl, the round one that has the arm that spins around the bottom to keep the kernels moving (I think it uses oil and the top bowl can become the serving bowl) OR the glass microwave one with the silicone stopper that cooks it without oil in the microwave. (dailygrommet.com Catamount microwave popcorn.)
Do you have any of these or have an opinion? I guess I am partial to NOT using oil ('cuz you can add more butter!!!!) but if taste is better.......thanks for any ideas.
(I don't use microwave packets anymore due to toxins so that is out tho' its wicked easy.)
Re: Best Popcorn Makers?
my read shelf:
I read about the lining containing toxins that accumulate and are hard to 'shed' when I was TTC. They think they might contribute to fertility and reproductive cancers. Also some friends that are chemicl engineers and work with chemicals said that no chemical engineers they know cook, reheat or serve with plastic and one said he felt the same about cooking bags with popcorn, those slide covers with hot packets, etc.
I'm still working on storing with plastic and am collecting glass containers but its tough to give up some tupperware. But I'm working on it..........
I'm a chemical engineer. I also do not cook with, reheat, or serve food on plastic (though my kids do get polypropylene drinking cups and have a few polypro dishes, I'm comfortable with the safety of polypro), and I try to only store food in glass or ceramic containers. And I sure as heck do NOT EVER eat microwave popcorn. It's nasty - and well documented that workers in microwave popcorn factories have a much, much higher rate of lung cancer.
I make popcorn on the stovetop, in a regular stainless steel soup pot with a heavy bottom.
Here are my thoughts on various popcorn makers: air poppers typically have BPA plastic parts, and hot BPA releases an endocrine disruptor, though surely by now there are brands that are using polyester instead of BPA plastics, and they would advertise as BPA free. Whirly pops are made of aluminum, of which internet theories abound about it being the cause of Alzheimer's (however, in the study that 'confirmed' this, the lab techs used aluminum lab equipment, so OF COURSE there was aluminum in the brain samples that they were analyzing!).I don't buy the Alzheimer's-aluminum connection.
I'd go with the whirly pop or the microwave thing, or use a big soup pot on the stove top
Hey girl, thanks. You know YOU are the chemical engineer friend I referred to re: plastics use.
My husband agreed with you when I told him.
Thanks for the referral, I didn't think about BPA in the air popper. I will get the micro thing since I don't need oil with it. Really, Thanks so much! Miss ya.
Hah hah! I was wondering if you guys knew other ChemEs
The glass microwave thing looks really neat! Now I want one for myself.
I have read that you can put kernels in a brown paper lunch bag and microwave that, but I'm pretty sure I'd burn my house down if I tried.
We do homemade microwave popcorn. It's super simple.
Take a paper bag, add desired amount of popcorn kernels to bag. Fold top over, place in microwave and pop as you would a bag.
It's plan air popped popcorn without all of the chemicals from the store bought stuff. We spritz with a little grapeseed oil and top with salt or other powder flavourings.
really it is so easy.
Add a few tbs of high heat oil to the bottom of a heavy pot, add 3-4 kernals, heat on med high until the kernals pop.
Then add 1/3 cup (or more) swish around (using the handles) cover and take off heat for 30 seconds.
Put back on heat.
When they vigorously pop shake the pot (I move it back and forth) over the heating element until popping slows.
Pour into bowl! So easy and I've never burned it and it pops nearly all of them!
It's a great use of the bags! Plus you can reuse the bags since there is no oil going directly in there. I also find I don't waste kernels because if there are some left at the bottom of the bag after popping, I just put them back in the container for next time.
We've only burnt a batch or two along the way, but that was because we let it go after popping stopped. DH uses the sensor so he never has a problem, I on the other hand, screw it up all the time because I don't use the microwave sensor.