Nordic Ware 60120 Microwaver Popcorn Popper 12 Cup
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List Price: Our Price: $6.00 You Save: $4.50 (43%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Nordic Ware 60120 Microwaver Popcorn Popper 12 Cup
Customer Review: I love the Nordic Ware Microwave Popcorn Popper!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Nordic Ware Microwave Popcorn Popper in the 3-qt size is a wonderful little device. It's very low-tech, so it's easy to use, and it works fast. I've made popcorn in it both with and without oil, and either pops beautifully. To make a full container of 4 cups, you place 1/4 C of raw popcorn in the popper bowl. If I make it with oil, I drizzle 1/2 tsp. of olive oil over the kernels, then stir them until they are coated with the oil. In our particular microwave, this amount of popcorn finishes with only a few unpopped kernels after only 2 minutes and 35 seconds on High.
I have one warning: Don't put the lid in the dishwasher. And if you have crowded kitchen cabinets, as we do, make sure it isn't crammed into the cabinet with anything on top of it so it gets bent up. This happened to us, and the popper wouldn't pop at all because air could get into the container. I managed to fix the problem, though, by doing this: I put a regular batch of kernels in the popper bowl and carefully wiggled and adjusted the lid so it fit correctly, then placed a ceramic dinner plate on top of it to hold it in the proper shape. Then I set the timer on the microwave to the regular time to pop the corn. The lid straightened out immediately due to the combination of heat softening it just slightly and the pressure of the plate. However the popcorn itself did NOT pop with the addition of a plate on top (I have no idea why, but it doesn't matter, because normally you'd never put a plate on top of it). After that incident, I've washed the popper by hand--it cleans easily with warm soap and water--and I store it on top of the refrigerator where there's nothing nearby that might bend the lid.
This popper allows you to make an inexpensive, tasty, low-cal, high-fiber, whole-grain snack. Even using 1/2 tsp. oil, 4 cups of popcorn is only 65 calories, and a mere 50 calories without the oil. If you are craving something crunchy, and you want to avoid high-calorie chips, this really does the trick.
Customer Review: I have used this for over 10 years
Summary: 5 Stars
I've probably used it even longer than that. I actually own 2 of them, and both of them work fine. I haven't had any problems with the lid being mishapen, probably because I don't use my dryer element in my dishwasher. I turn that off, and my dishes are virtually dry when I take them out anyway, because of the hot water. If you want to put this item in the dishwasher, I recommend turning off the drying element or just washing it by hand.
That said, I've enjoyed this very much. I used to shake a pan on top of the stove, and that was a little more work than just putting the popcorn in the bowl, putting the lid on, and putting it in the microwave. I have burned a batch or 2 from not watching it carefully, so I do try to stay near the microwave so I can make sure it is not burning.
If you want kettle corn, add a tablespoon of sugar, and a pinch of salt before popping the corn. It's delicious! I also do this when cooking on top of the stove. It's hard to resist the slightly sweet taste. Add butter to that and I'm in heaven. I also can eat this without butter, but I'm prone to wanting that buttery taste, so I melt a little butter in a custard cup in the microwave for 1 minute and pour it on the popcorn. It's better for you than movie theatre popcorn, because who knows what they use to "butter" your popcorn.
It's also more economical than buying the microwave popcorn in the bags, not to mention that most of those have hydrogenated oils that clog up your arteries.
You will have to use pot holders to take it out of the microwave. That is a given with something that hot and steamy, unless you let it sit for a while.
I bought the second one because I could not find the lid to the first. Now that I've found the original lid, I have 2 bowls, and that's fine with me, because I know this product is good quality. I may wind up giving one to my daughter when she moves away from home.
Customer Review: Works great with my 700 watt microwave oven
Summary: 5 Stars
Before I bought this, I had tried making popcorn in brown paper lunch bags and also in plain glass or corning bowls in my microwave oven. I must have tried 10 times using both oil and without oil. I could never make it work, getting only a small quantity of kernels to pop and ending up with a burned mess. I figured since my microwave was 20 years old and underpowered, that was the problem. It's just 700 watts.
I saw this and thought I'd give it a try. If it didn't work, I figured I could use it as a large kitchen bowl or to heat stuff in the microwave. I'm thrilled to say this worked brilliantly! I put 1/4 cup of kernels, 2 teaspoons of canola or olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt in the bowl, mix well for a minute, then microwave for 4 minutes and 45 seconds. The popped corn is nearly to the top of the bowl. Works well with and without oil. There is a small amount of unpopped kernels at the bottom every time but it's really minor. I put the bowl right on top of my microwave carousel, which raises it about 1-1/2" off the bottom of the oven (so that may impact popping time).
The fact that this bowl is relatively inexpensive makes it a great bargain.
So if you're looking for an easy and fast way to microwave popcorn, buy this! You won't be disappointed.
TIPS: If your corn is old and/or dried out, it might tend to burn more easily and you'll get more unpopped kernels. Put the kernels in an airtight container, then add a few teaspoons of water, close the top, shake the container a little, and let it sit overnight. All the water will be absorbed by the next day, and the popcorn will pop more uniformly with fewer unpopped kernels.
Also, as an alternative to buying expensive and hard-to-find popcorn salt, you can grind regular table salt in a spare coffee grinder. This is what I did, and the finely ground salt melts better in the oil and coats the popped corn much better.
Customer Review: Yummy Popcorn ~nice and crisp!
Summary: 4 Stars
I have changed my rating on this....after I learned how to use it, I make delicious popcorn every day! It still leaves many unpopped kernels (with or without oil)...I have tried it both ways! The bowl is heavy and gets very hot. It's also not easy to get it out of the microwave when it's hot...it's bulky and hard to handle. I have a 1100 watt microwave and it takes 5min and 30 seconds....using 1/2 cup of Jolly time kernels and 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil, high setting. Make sure you stir the kernels and oil and I spread them out into an even layer as much as I can. The bowl has discolored from excessive use and hot oil, but other than that it's still going strong! I would definitely buy again, now that I know how to use it!!
** It's been almost 2 years now and I still love the popcorn this bowl makes! If you just use it over and over, you'll figure out how long it takes in your microwave. Listen carefully until there are like 2 seconds between pops. I am altering my time that I wrote before...it is taking almost 6 minutes for a heaping 1/2 cup of popcorn and a good tablespoon of olive oil. There are kernels left behind that never pop, but I attribute that to maybe just bad kernels or something. My bowl is stained a lot, but it doesn't alter the function at all. My lid has warped however, and i will ask Nordic Ware for another one, since they say it doesn't. It keeps the popcorn in the bowl, the main purpose of it anyway I think. I am using the bowl, as I type, in the oven with a potato casserole in it lol........I never tried it before, but it says you can use it in the oven, and I couldn't find my glass baking dish (my daughter probably "borrowed" it), so thought i would try it. I think I will get a new one now, they are certainly cheap enough and of course Amazon stands behind whatever they sell.....LOVE Amazon!!
Customer Review: Simply Works
Summary: 5 Stars
Been making popcorn on the stovetop for decades, with the occasional store-bought microwave bag when I was lazy, and wanted a solution that allowed for less (or no) oil and was just as convenient.
I bought the Orville air popper and the Nordic Ware Microwave Popper. I love them both. Sometimes, the I want zero oil air popped...which the kids enjoy watching. Sometimes a want a zero fuss microwave bowl. You can buy both of these and they are still cheaper than the "stirring" poppers at Target...
So, my microwave has a "popcorn" setting which works perfectly. I put in a half-cup full of kernels. I use a misto-sprayer to lightly spritz the kernels with oil...throw a little salt into the mix...put the lid on, hit the popcorn button on my Sharp and walk away. I come back to a perfectly popped tub (that is hot, so use oven mitts and don't rest this on your lap). I just eat them straight from the bowl.
Clean up the bowl, I'm good to go. This is way easier than cleaning a pot, shaking it, keeping the lid ajar to prevent steam from making my popcorn soggy. And there's no secondary serving bowl to clean. This, all in one, is super simple and allows me to control what goes into my popcorn...which is amazing.
I haven't experimented as other reviewers have...and you have to adjust settings to your microwave...everyone's is different. A lot of great advice...on Amazon's reviews. But I can't recommend this product enough. Seriously, get this, get the air popper and try them out...it makes a great snack, that much healthier.