On Sat, 07 May 2011 14:24:35 -0400, George
wrote:
Unless you always happen to enjoy that toxic chemical factory explosion
smell from the fake butter an alternative is to just use one of these:
http://www.cookware.com/Nordicware-60120-NWR1271.html
Ours is probably 10 years old. It uses plain popcorn, doesn't heat up
the glass and no oil is needed.
I've got you beat. Mine is 54 years old. I was iirc (I was only 10) a
premium from a popcorn company, or at least a much reduced price with
proofs of purchase. This was before Orville Redenbacher even sold
popcorn, at least where we lived, but probalby everywhere. Either my
mother or I have had my pot for 54 years now. It does need oil in the
bottom. It's just a big pot with a lid that fits.
Yours is only 22 dollars, I'll admit, but I've thought about remaking
my own if I ever ruin it. (I've dropped he lid and bent the edge, and
when I bend it back, it's not quite as round as it was, but so far so
good. The lid has a handle sort of like (| but sideways, where |
is the top of the pot, with about a 4mm hole in the lid and the
handle, and a metal rod going through both. Abvoe the lid, the rod
turns sideways for 3 or 4 inches and then bends up to hold a loose
fitting, rotating knob.
Inside the pot, it goes down the middle almost to the bottom, where it
turns almost horizontal to go close to bottom of the pot and reach
almost to the side of the pot, but an inch from the edge turns
clockwise a little, I guess to scoop up unpopped corn from the outside
and put it closer to the center.
I only go into this detail, because one could make one of these
himself. Pots are easy to get (you need one with a handle so the
wire rod won't flop around, but you could even rivet a handle on a
regular lid. I do think my pot has vents on the side of the lid. I'll
look if someone wants. The only slightly hard part would be getting
rod the right diameter, but all it needs is to weak enough that you
can bend it, and strong enough that it won't bend by itself. How hard
is that. That the crank is on the top has never bothered me. A
little steam probably comes out the hole around the rod, but I've
never noticed. I do notice that after 54 years, and periods where I
ate popcorn every day or two for months, the hole is a little bigger
than it was.
