No homegrown popcorn in a microwave? why?

Most M/W use an estimated setting based on ounces of corn. I've found that many do not tell you how much is in each bag. The bags usually have no size markings. Check the face of the box for something like "2 each 3 oz bags".
* Try to use a normal re-heat setting (at full power) and cook a bag using the a minute longer than the recommended setting. Listen to the popping sounds and stop the M/W when the pops slow to 3-4 seconds. (2-3 seconds with 'Kettle' corn) Note the time lapsed and this is your correct setting. You may try the popcorn menu to find a similar setting but really your best bet is to use the method above as it's the most accurate.
* Note; Old or stale corn will not all pop (it dries out as it gets older and there is not enough moisture in the kernnal to steam pop.)
* M/W varies from model to model and brand to brand. Only way to check is to try several settings to get the best results.
* Pop corn brands vary in quality. You will find the better name brands pop more.
* Once you find a good popping brand then stick to that size and brand. (unless they change it on you.)
* If your really stuck on getting every corn kern popped then go with an air popper. It won't come out of cooker till it pops.

Good movie, don't forget the goobers, milk duds, frosty...
Aloha, ukeboy57

Popcorn is a low-moisture food which can cause a microwave to overheat, as can a failure of the cooling fan or blocked vents.

You should always turn a paper plate upside-down on the turntable (slightly off-center for better heating) and place the popcorn container on top of that.

The paper plate elevates the popcorn for better exposure to the energy and protects the turntable from excessive heat.

Placing food off-center instead of in the center increases exposure to the energy and prevents the same spot on the turntable from being overheated repeatedly, which leads to material fatigue and cracking.

It's also a good idea to put about 1/2 cup of water in a 1-cup microwave-safe container in the corner of the oven when cooking low-moisture foods like popcorn, bacon, and potatoes.

The microwave's magnetron has a thermal protector (thermostat, TCO, or thermal fuse) attached to it.

If the magnetron gets too hot, it can be damaged or destroyed, so the thermal protector opens and disconnects the power to the whole oven.

If it is a resettable device, the power will be restored when the device cools. If it is not resettable, the device must be replaced.

FixYa does not directly notify us experts of responses, so if you have other questions, please contact me directly.

- William E. Miller, AS-EET
[email protected]
http://www.microwavecontrol.com
Microwave Oven Control Panel Repair Nationwide
"Recycling by repairing since 1982"

We can't sell you the bowl at Fixya as we only can help with instructions and so on. What I can help you with is where and who to contact about the bowl.

I believe your popper is made by WestBend. So you have a couple of choices. You can look for a repair shop that will have replacement parts. These are not that common these days but they are around. You can search on the net for them and I would talk to the store you purchased the popper from and ask where you can get parts. They may have a local repair depot that will be able to help. If that doesn't get you a source then you need to try Westbend.

Go to http://westbend.com/ and click on the support tab. Then click on replacement parts then Westbend and then popcorn popper. Select your model and it should now display all available parts. Unfortunetly the replacment parts tend to be power cords and covers so there may not be a bowl available for your model. It is still worth using the Westbend contact information and asking if they have one just in case.

Aside from other sources such as ebay or thrift shops you may not be able to find a bowl. And what you have to keep in mind is the replacement cost of the bowl plus shipping if you can find one. You may find that you will have to buy a new popper as it would cost less than getting the bowl.

What type of popper is it? The 50030178 model isn't one I'm familiar with.

For most of the small air poppers, such as the Presto Air poppers, fill the measuring cup lid with popcorn so that the popcorn is level with the top of the cup. Add this amount of popcorn to the popper. On those units, there is a fill line inside the popping chamber. Do not fill past the line. For these air poppers, if you want to have butter or margarine on the popcorn, add 3 tablespoons of the extra to the lid after you replace it on the popper.

For the Hamilton Beach Hot Oil Poppers, the manual for the 73300 is available here: http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/use-and-care/use-and-care.php . Fill in the type of device and then the model. The amount of oil and popcorn will depend on how much you want to make. For a single serving, you need 2 T (tablespoons) of kernels and 1 - 1 1/2 t (teaspoon) of oil. For enough popcorn for a family, you should use 1/2 cup of kernels and 1T of oil. http://useandcares.hamiltonbeach.com/files/840190701.pdf has a full chart of the amounts on page 6.

I hope this helps. Please add a comment with the brand of popper and I'll check for a specific chart for that unit.

Cindy Wells
(It's been a while since I used the air popper that I used to have.)

(BUTTER chamber thing) The little rectangular scooper-looking thing on the slope of the top is where you can put a chunk of butter that will melt from the hot air and drizzle into the popcorn popper as the popcorn is popping. My dad said you cant use oil in it

No -- it's a dry popper. Here's a link with more info.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B0045ZNWBK/ref=dp_db_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1


Charlie

How old is your popcorn? If it's over a year old in the pantry and not in the fridge it tends to dry out/shrible inside. Or...note that these days instructions indicate between 2 types:
regular hot air popping method and microwave friendly popcorn. You can buy hot air poppers cheaply at many resale shops.

You would be better off to replace the filter. Purchase two and use the first one to capture the remaining smoke residue. Then install the other clean one to keep microwave free of smell. Check the web site www.partselect.com for the replacement filter. If you found any of these suggestions helpful, please rate my solution. D. Lange

Placing the bag on an inverted glass bowl or pyrex casserole dish worked!!!!!  For 2 years, I have cursed my Dacor microwave for its inability to make popcorn (burns a hole in the bag, bag stays flat, almost no kernels pop, etc...)  I read the last suggestion to use the glass plate and I am now sitting with a bowl full of perfectly popped popcorn - with only 1 kernel unpopped.  The metal tray in the microwave conducts too many waves through the bag I guess.
Thanks for the solution!

Sounds like the magnetron has failed. That gutteral sound is a classic symptom. I've described it to my customers as sounding like gurgling into a coffee cup. Dry popcorn is a very dry food, so not as much of the energy is absorbed. When that happens, more microwaves can reflect back to the magnetron and damage it. I'm surprised they don't mention that if and when you don't use butter. But if this is an older microwave, it may have been on its way out already. Not too many parts seem to be available for this Welbilt model, but your best bet if you want it repaired is to call their nuumber in your owner's manual. If it's older or a fairly simple counter-top microwave, then it would probably be more economcial to replace the oven.