Nordic Ware 60120 Microwaver Popcorn Popper 12 Cup
by Nordic Ware
Our Price: $6.99
Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days
Category: Kitchen
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: Nordic WareBrand: Nordic Ware
Release Date: 2007-05-01
Model: 60120
Color: White
Product features:
- Makes light, fluffy microwave popcorn without using oil
- Made of gemstone unbreakable cookware with a plastic lid
- Microwave safe
- Dishwasher safe
- Made in the USA
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Nordic Ware 60120 Microwaver Popcorn Popper 12 Cup
Customer Review: Makes lots of popcorn without or with oil
Summary: 5 Stars
I just ordered my second one because my first one's lid broke after a year and a half - the lid had warped and I snapped it trying to get it to flex back. The bowl still works if covered by something like a plate, but moisture and popcorn buildup can cause problems that way, so basically I'd rather just get another one and have a second large bowl for other use (or as a backup if one is dirty and I'm lazy, which seems likely!).
Anyway, this thing is pretty darn good. You put in the kernels, put on the top, and listen for the kernels to pop less than once every 2 seconds, then shut off the microwave, and you get hot popcorn! You can also add salt and oil in before nuking and you'll get decent results (although too much oil can drown the kernels instead of aerosolizing and blend with the poppping corn), just top it off with a little more salt and oil at the end to get quality popcorn - perhaps not movie-style or stovetop, but also it takes less oil and salt to make this tasty, so there's a health benefit to be enjoyed. I occasionally will add tabasco sauce to the oil when I nuke a batch, it tastes great but it does fill the air around the microwave with pepper gas for about 15 minutes which stings the eyes and lungs, so um... don't do that without taking precautions.
Keep in mind, if you put in too much popcorn and it can overflow, but it won't stop cooking; put on too much time and don't listen for popping to slow, and the popped corn will scorch (mother nature isn't a precision factory, every batch of kernels will pop differently so be responsible with your microwave popcorn or you risk burned popcorn or even fire).
The popper bowl material is an unusual, strong, thick, amalgamted plastic like the other microwave cookware from Nordic Ware, it gets really hot but it survives that heat nicely. It also stays hot for a while, which at the bottom of the bowl can be too hot for some surfaces (like a glass table or one's lap), so I suggest using an old small wooden cutting board or something similar to set it on; a good side-effect of the bowl holding heat is it keeps the popcorn warm longer. The bowl quickly took some stains at the bottom (both inside and outside) from the heat, the oils in the kernels, or a combination, but continues to work with no adverse effects. Cleanup is easy, making dry popcorn you just wipe it down and it's pretty much ready to go; with oil popcorn it's a quick wet soapy sponge and dry (it's a big bowl, so you will likely get wet washing it by hand). The package only says the lid is dishwasher top-rack safe, says nothing about the bowl in the dishwasher, but since it can take a firm beating from the microwave oven, I figure it can handle hot water and Cascade liquid, and so far it's done great in the dishwasher as long as I sweep out the kernels and hulls first - I dunno, maybe your dishwasher will find a way to ruin it since it's not approved, but mine hasn't so far - it can take up a lot of real-estate in the dishwasher though, sometimes it's just easier to wash it by hand than cover up so much of the bottom rack (it's too tall for the top rack).
The lid is a softer, clear(ish) plastic that has an X-shaped grip section and cutaways around the sides to let out steam (open it away from your arm and body, steam is hot!). Over time, the lid on mine warped so it fit the bowl even more loosely than it already had (to be fair, I was foolishly storing it upside-down right after cooking and that may have helped warp it) and then let out a few kernels and popped corn, but it otherwise continued to work. The lid is top-rack dishwasher safe, the top grip will gather a little water at the end of the cycle but otherwise it does fine; it really only needs cleaning when running oil with your corn, the oil vaporizes and collects on the lid along with the vaporized water from the kernels.
It'll take a few rounds to get the right amount of kernels, I overpopped a ton of batches early - that's 12 cups of popcorn each from just a relatively small-looking amount in the bottom! Mine takes about 4 minutes to cook all that corn in my 800 watt microwave, however I find that the time is affected by the quality of the popcorn I'm buying, and the weather. The quality of the kernels also affects the number of unpopped and old-maid kernels (kernels that cooked but didn't pop due to a leak in the hull, an overly thick hull, or the wrong hull to germ ratio - each kernel is a natural pressure cooker that explodes a liquid into a solid when it hits the air), Orville in the jar is a significantly better pop with less hulls, as well as better to cook with, than the generic in the bag. Don't obsess about popping every last kernel, it's better to have half a dozen unpopped kernels among 12 cups of popcorn than to have part of your popcorn scorched, that blackened stuff is inedible and stinks up the unscorched popcorn as well as your house.
Bottom line, for the price, I think this thing delivers pretty well. It has a few little drawbacks, but when all you need is a handful of kernels, this product, and a microwave to make 12 cups of popcorn, that's a great product - no extra stuff to buy, no oil required, no unitaskers (as Alton Brown would say) that are noisy and hog a ton of electricity and shoot kernels everywhere. This thing is quick, it's easy to use and to clean, it is a big bowl, and it's inexpensive.
Description of Nordic Ware 60120 Microwaver Popcorn Popper 12 Cup
Ideal for popping delicious popcorn with or without oil. Serve directly from bowl. Quick and easy popcorn, from your microwave. Dishwasher & microwave safe. Make light and fluffy popcorn in about 4 minutes. Just place 1/2-cup of popcorn kernels in the bottom bowl and cover with the lid. When the popcorn has finished popping, invert the bottom bowl and lid, and you instantly have a container for your freshly popped corn. 12 cup capacity. Proudly made in the USA by Nordic Ware.Made of gemstone, an unbreakable, chip-proof cookware material, the Nordic Ware corn popper efficiently transmits microwave energy directly to the popcorn kernels, popping them quickly without oil. It produces the results of a hot-air popper without an additional appliance. This oil-free method is refreshing when compared to bagged corn, because you don't have to contend with grease, salt, and artificial flavoring unless you dress the corn yourself after cooking. However, take care to monitor the progress of corn during the first use. The manufacturer lists a three-to-five-minute cook time for 1/2 cup of unpopped kernels, but as microwave ovens vary, it could take considerably less time to pop. And overcooked corn burns fast using this method. Luckily, the base and lid are designed not to warp or melt, so burned kernels won't damage them. Use this versatile popper for cooking, storing, and serving popcorn and other snacks. The popper base is also ovenproof. --Carol Gnojewski
Popcorn Poppers
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