The microwave that came with my house is the first time I’ve ever had a microwave that had perfectly working popcorn setting. It has never burnt a bag of microwave popcorn.
You guys have a popcorn button?
Yes, I like to live dangerously.
When I want a quick bag, sure do. Kirkland (Costco) popcorn is great and dirt cheap.
But when I want great popcorn we use our popcorn popping machine with some coconut oil, flavocol, and butter topping. This is the recipe the movie theaters use.
Vast majority of bag instructions state “DO NOT USE POPCORN BUTTON” so no. Also I don’t eat much popcorn.
I try to, but it doesn’t seem to work in any logical kind of manner. You just kind of have to push it and some other buttons randomly before it starts to do something.
Yes, because my microwave uses a sensor for it.
If it was just a guesstimated time like some cheap microwaves, I wouldn’t.
How do I check if mine does have it?
Throw a bag of popcorn in there and try it out.
No microwave, but my hot air popper gets it perfect every time.
Not all popcorn buttons are alike. Per Alec at Technology Connections, some microwaves merely engage a timer and in those microwaves following the instructions on the bag are probably better,. Others have a sensor that looks for the poof of steam that comes from the bag opening its vent. Based on how long it takes for that poof of steam to occur it can deduce the size of the bag and thus how much longer to cook for. On these microwaves I use the popcorn button.
Yes, but I never let it run for the full amount of time. I have to stand there and listen for when the kernels stop popping, otherwise it will burn.
I try it to see if it works. Most of the time it’s too long but sometimes there’s that perfect microwave that has the steam sensor and it pops with no kernels.
Only when I’m out of real popcorn. A little interdimensional snack isn’t too dangerous as long as I eat it with plenty of salt.
I spent the extra money for the sensor cook, so damn right I use that popcorn button
You should check out this video, it’s very eye-opening when it comes to how microwaves work (only linking to YouTube because I couldn’t find a decent Invidious source): https://youtube.com/watch?v=UiS27feX8o0 (edit: https://materialious.nadeko.net/watch/UiS27feX8o0)
It depends on your model of microwave.
Personally, my wife and I intentionally deprived ourselves of a microwave in the house because we recognized that it makes us more prone to heavily processed foods (we’re not crazy “5G/microwaves give you cancer”people or whatever). We just recognized that we like eating whole foods and having one on hand makes it tempting to start buying a lot of garbage foods.
I came to upvote the TC link comment and my mission was a success
Same. Haven’t had one for over 3 years now and I’m not sure I’m missing anything good. I make popcorn in a stock pot with ghee, powdered salt, and a little turmeric for color. Sometimes a little nutritional yeast or jalapeno powder. My popcorn game has never been better.
How do you handle leftovers? Probably about 80% of the food I eat wasn’t cooked on the day I eat it
This is gonna sound silly but I use my instant pot as a bain marie with the warm function or as an air fryer, depending on the dish. My lunches are in tupperware and I just leave them to warm around 10 am, or I throw on the oven lid and roast it up.
Pretty much the only thing I think I’d use a microwave for is to reheat old coffee. Instead I just make it new.
That sounds amazing! I’ve been craving popcorn lately but never learned how to do it sans microwave.
I hoped for the link ;D
Funny you should say that about whole foods. I only use my microwave to cook (steam) fresh or frozen vegetables (not in a plastic bag), and to reheat meals I cooked myself. I never buy microwave foods because they always come out nasty, cook unevenly, taste horrible, and the box is 10 times the size of the contents. I do sometimes pop popcorn in the microwave, but I use a paper lunch bag and regular popcorn. WARNING: NEVER walk away if you use this method, it will start on fire if you don’t watch it.
Yeah, I’m not 100% “microwaves are bad.” I actually miss it sometimes because it was easier to make breakfast burritos in bulk then reheat them in the microwave.
But yeah, microwaveable dinners and the like are pretty gross.
Exactly my feelings. Yes, you can quickly blitz veges in a microwave, but it’s just as easy to pop in a plastic pack of lasagne. And from-scratch meals taste so much better.
The only preset button I use is the +30Seconds button, the rest are useless to me.
You don’t use the baby or snake presets?
Babies get roasted in the oven so they get crispy. And I am allergic to snakes, plus it’s not a full meal anyhow.
Try the numbers if you have them. I recently discovered that hitting 2 instantly starts 2 minutes then +30 saves me having to press +30 five times for the equivalent.
I was starting to worry about how much abuse my +30 button could take.
4 times.
4 times extra but five times total to reach the equivalent.
Edit: just to be extra clear in the comment I’d be getting 2:30 with just one press of the +30 button
To make popcorn I push the 30 button 3 times, done.
There are many buttons on my microwave. I have paid no attention to any of them but I know hitting the one at the bottom-right makes numbers go up by 30s per boop, while food go warm.
My microwave popcorn recipe is:
- Put in
- Boop liberally so you know it’s over 5 mins, probably 4–5 days
- When popcorn pops average about one every 3s, start counting to five
- If you reach five, serve
That’s an ominous “if”…
I see we share the same brain cell.
