POP IT UP

As I've been scanning the shopping networks, I've seen those popcorn poppers which have a stirrer in them. I've been recently been noticing how bad those microwave popcorns I've been using have become. I've noticed the amount of calories that are in them and the chemicals they use in them. And personally, I'm tired of them. I've tried, like most of you, I'm sure, to put the kernels of corn in a pan and popping that way, but the popcorn kernels almost always never pop all of them and many of the popped corn is a bit burned. But there is a better way.

I've been holding off on purchasing the popcorn popper from the shopping networks because they were a bit pricey and they charged shipping. I've looked in Walmart to see if they had one similar to the ones on TV, but they haven't, so I've gone without.

Yesterday I checked again at Walmart to see just what kinds of popcorn makers they had. And, indeed, they had the one as seen on TV. It still was pricey, but no shipping charges, so I purchased it.

Inside the box was a recipe book where you could make a variety of recipes. I didn't know there were such a variety of popcorn you could make. Some were spicy, some were caramel. I thought of just starting out with my simple and most liked recipe...popcorn with butter, real butter. Inside the box was also a coupon for $.50 Orville Redenbacher popcorn. I had also already purchased the popcorn, so I'll use it on my next purchase. It's pretty good. It's the yellow popping corn. There is also a white popping corn, but I learned the yellow popping corn is a larger popped corn.

There is a place where you could put slivers of butter on top and with the heat of popping the popcorn below, the butter would melt and drip on to the base below which when adding only one tablespoon of oil, popped the corn which is being rotated by a revolving bar. Great ideas! There were hardly any unpopped kernels left at the bottom and the top can be used as a serving bowl when the popper is flipped. Another great idea! I must confess though, I did have to microwave some more butter and add it to the popped corn. I salted the popped corn, and walla, it was really great. No fake butter. Just pure, unadulterated, popped, salted and buttered, popcorn.

The popcorn tasted different. It was dryer, plainer tasting. I didn't add too much salt as I've been trying to cut back, but still very enjoyable, as I had it for dinner. Shame on me, you say. But, I don't do this kind of eating every day, but since I had a new toy to play with and a healthy alternative to the bagged stuff, I figured it wasn't too bad of a deal I had dealt myself.

Later on though, that evening (about 6:30) I got a bit hungry and heated up a portion of the wonderful pot roast I had made in the Crock-Pot a couple of days ago. Chuck roast was on sale at the market and after cooking it for about four hours (their recipe book said to cook it for six to eight hours) I felt, enough already, and stopped it. The meat was falling apart enough and the vegetables were cooked. It was delicious, but I've decided that this Crock-Pot cooking just cooked foods way too much. I've learned also, that it's how you like your food cooked and volume in the Crock-Pot has to really be considered.

So if you're contemplating making your own popcorn with little fuss, mess and healthier, I'd really recommend this popper. It's made by Presto. I've got a deep fryer made by Presto I've purchased many years ago and it still works great.