New Popcorn Popper

Popcorn has been a  favourite snack right from our dating days.  It's inexpensive and easy to make.  I made popcorn for years using a pot on the stove and occasionally we'd buy a Jiffy Pop to use when camping.  I bought an air popper popcorn maker that made making popcorn easier but noiser.  Much later we discovered microwave popcorn.  I used to pick-up a large box of microwave popcorn at Sam's Club but then discovered the potential health risks associated with microwave popcorn so I switched to a Whirley popper.  I really like my Whirley popper and it did a wonderful job until the gear mechanism on the lid broke.  My immediate thought was to buy another Whirley popper but then I found this little beauty.

I liked both the design and functional features of the Cuisinart® EasyPop™ Popcorn Maker PCM-1800RSA at Sam's Club for $25.71 (pictured) so decided to try it.  A new Whirley popper would have cost me $25.19 plus shipping.  The EasyPop™ has all the benefits of a Whirley pop without any of the work.  You simply put the popping plate onto the base then place the bowl on top that doubles as a serving bowl later.  The bowl has vents on the top to keep the popcorn tender and crispy just like the Whirley pop.  When the corn is finished popping you can place the cap over the vents then invert bowl with popping plate.  The popping plate is quite hot so should be returned to the base to allow cooling.  The popcorn in the bowl can then be seasoned and served in the bowl or poured into another serving bowl.  The bowl, lid and popping plate are dishwasher safe.  A measuring cup (not pictured) is included for easy measuring of the popcorn.

The EasyPop™ has a stirring mechanism similar to a Whirley popper except it is motorized.  The popping plate has a non-stick surface.  It is fully immersible and dishwasher-safe.  The popping plate itself locks into place on the base.  If the popping plate is not properly positioned the unit will not operate.  You add the desired amount of oil and popcorn then place the inverted bowl into position on top of the popping plate and turn the unit on.  Unlike hot air poppers the EasyPop™ is quiet.  The main noise is the corn popping.  This popcorn maker makes up to 10 cups of popcorn in under 5 minutes.  It uses 550 W almost a quarter of the energy used by most large stove elements (2000 W).  I like that this small appliance will save money while giving me the same great results.

The seasoning possibilites for popcorn are endless.  By far our favourite seasoning is simply butter and salt so that is how I flavoured the first batch of popcorn made with the EasyPop™.  The results were as good as the Whirley popper.  The popcorn was tender and crisp.

The popcorn maker came with an instruction and recipe booklet.  Some of the recipes sound quite interesting - southwestern popcorn, wasabi popcorn, pesto popcorn and even chocolate popcorn!  I will post various popcorn creations as I make them.