We're big fans of popcorn at my house. But we're not big fans of the chemicals and artificial flavors in many microwave popcorns. And using brown paper bags -- though easy, convenient and relatively chemical free -- isn't exactly environmentally responsible if you make a lot of microwave popcorn.
So we were excited to try the PopTop microwave popcorn popper from Chef'n. The all-silicone bowl can pop up to 10 cups of popcorn without using a drop of oil. (Though the flavor will be better if you use a bit of oil.) The silicone popper is heat-resistant, but still gets plenty hot when popping
corn so be sure to use pot holders or oven mitts when removing it from the microwave. And you'll likely want to transfer the popped corn to a different bowl if serving right away.
Getting the top folded closed is a bit tricky -- if the folded flaps aren't just right, they will open prematurely, sending corn kernels flying around inside the microwave -- and some spillage is to be expected when popping a full bowl as the "petals" open as the bowl fills. However, we didn't have any problems popping single and two-serving portions.
Our only complaint about the popper is the vague instructions. They say to fill the popper with up to 5 tablespoons of kernels and then drizzle with oil, but they do not give an amount of oil. And we did notice that not all of the kernels popped, but that could be blamed on the age of our kernels. (Older kernels tend to be drier, and it's the internal moisture in the kernel that makes it pop.)
$20
Food on 02/10/2016