HOTPOP Microwave Popcorn Maker

Review for:The Original Hotpop Microwave Popcorn Popper, Silicone Popcorn Maker, Collapsible Bowl BPA-Free and Dishwasher Safe- 20 Colors Available (Red) ASIN# B01M1CJNXH For the record. Popcorn has been my go to snack for the last 50 years, I’ve made it every way possible including over a campfire. I’ve used everything from the foil Jiffy Pop tins, air poppers, microwave popcorn bags, a good old fashion pot and oil, electric poppers with the rotating arm, a paper bag in a microwave NO oil…you name it. I’ve had this for about 3 months now, I was using it on a small cheap Magic Chef microwave in the garage because the main one in the kitchen was on the fritz. The smaller one in the garage was on its way out as well. First thing I discovered is that this popper gets very hot, and because of its soft silicone material, it is kind of difficult to handle, so I either use a dish towel or oven gloves to dump this slowly into a bowl to allow for the unpopped kernels to stay behind have a second try. I'm comparing this to several Presto Popcorn Poppers I’ve had since the 90’s that must use a heat reflective paper tray to make the popcorn, I hardly ever had any unpopped kernels from 3 ounces (2 batches) of fresh kernels with those poppers. But the paper trays don’t last long, and when used with oil start to break down after 4 batches or so, and I discovered that they probably use POFA’ ’s to coat them for oil resistance, I can't get a straight answer from them but I was emailed that they are made of 'oil resistant' paper, and upon further online research I discovered that the are more than likely coated with POFA's/PTFE's, the same as microwavable popcorn bags, which defeats the purpose of reusable popcorn poppers. The following is from my experience, I’ve read many comments about popcorn burning and I hope this will help. I’ve found with this Hotpop popper, that I should ONLY use about 32 grams of popcorn, or thereabouts, at a time, (about 3 slightly rounded tbsp max.) if I use much more than that and the popcorn tends to burn. The popcorn needs to keep moving, and if the density of the popped kernels is too much, the ones underneath will not move around and they will burn. I make 3 batches to fill up one bowl, which yields about 10 -12 cups depending on the brand of popcorn and the oil type I use. Oil is NOT necessary to use with this popper, and many commenters buy it for that very reason, but without oil the popcorn seems to me to be TOO dry and has the texture of styrofoam. I also never use more than 4 grams of oil per batch, about 1 level utensil tsp. The popcorn I use is usually Whole Foods organic, Trader Joe’s Organic, or Jolly Time Organic. I only use organic popcorn, because regular corn of any kind eaten regularly (over a few days to a week) aggravates my inflammatory arthritis. It's not the corn but more likely the pesticides, herbicides, & fungicides that are used on it. I know this because when the arthritic pain started about 10 years ago, I began writing down EVERYTHING I ate, and there was a direct correlation between pain, inflammation & stiffness, and the location of that pain, from certain foods and food types that I consumed. And popcorn is considered a ‘dirty crop’ in that respect. (it’s the same with corn chips for me as well) And btw, all popcorn is non-gmo, not a valid selling point and is not necessary to list on the container by the very food manufacturers that complained putting that on their food packages would cost too much money??? Anyway, back to the review. This popper works OK, I have a new about $500 (+ -) GE microwave and the popcorn pops much better now. To get a good pop the kernels need to be at about 400 - 460 degrees, the weaker, cheaper microwave’s can’t get there and more powerful microwaves usually need the power to be reduced to about 80% or 70% to keep the popcorn from burning. (most microwaves simply cook at 100% power, will reduce that time to whatever %%% you set it at unless you get an inversion microwave which reduces the actual power) I am currently using a 2.2 cu.ft. GE that is about 1200 watts? SO in order to keep the popcorn from burning I set it to 70% power at 3 minutes 30 seconds, or 80% for 3 minutes with the popper on the outer edge of the turntable, and keep my eye on it. I will get the most popped yield from the 70% setting. On this particular microwave if I put the popper in the middle of the turntable the popcorn will burn no matter what I do. I prefer avocado oil, it gives the popcorn a nice fluffy but crisp texture and the kernels pop up very large. I also use olive oil from time to time, but the kernels tend to pop a bit smaller and are a little softer in texture and it takes a bit longer to pop. All a matter of preference. And you have to experiment a bit to find out what works best for you and your microwave. This Hotpop cleans up SO easily. Even with a little bit of oil, all I need to do is to wipe it and the lid down with a sheet of paper towel, then compress and store it, and it takes up hardly any space. And after every few uses I will toss a couple of drops of dish soap with water in it and it cleans right up. NOW THAT I LIKE! I also like that I can drop it without the worry of breakage, no brittle plastic. I've dropped and cracked a few of the hard plastic ones over the years. And you should give your microwave a rest between batches if making more than 2 or three at a time. Popcorn popping is rough on microwaves and can tend to overheat them. Just put your hand on the inside of your microwave or on the turntable and feel the heat when you’re done popping, and compare that to heating up a cup of soup or something, and you will see what I mean. Overall on its own merit, I give this 5 Stars, I’d buy another one of this type, and I highly recommend it for popcorn aficionados or for those who just want a quick snack.