I have a daewoo countertop microwave/convection oven and I can't pop popcorn. It pops only half of the popcorn and burns what it pops. What's the deal?

i had that problem. the solution is glass. my turntable is not glass and microwave popcorn must rest on glass to pop. just place a glass dish upside down and cook it on that.

Your power level should be on high, but you shouldn't rely on the oven to time the cooking. I have yet to find an oven that won't burn popcorn if it has a preset POPCORN button. Press it and walk away and next thing you know, you've got charcoal. You should always stick around while making popcorn. Stop the oven and take the bag out when the time between pops drops to 1 or 2 seconds. The corn will continue to pop on its own for a bit because of stored heat, but you won't burn it. You'll never get 100% of the corn to pop, so don't worry about unpopped kernels.

You can order a turntable of off eBay and as for the other tais a trial and error thing you will just have to mess with it microwaves vary

Put any microwave popcorn on a up side down dish so it is about in the middle of the oven. Make sure you follow the "this side up" instruction on the bag.

I am a microwave pop corn wizzard.

If the microwave functions normally while cooking everything else, but is only burning popcorn, there is no component problem that will cause this. You cannot adjust or replace any internal component to make it not burn popcorn. All power levels and program options are contolled by the consumer at the control panel. Refer to your owner;s manual for their recommendations.

If the oven is equipped with a popcorn feature button, it is programmed for a recommended power level and time. This is an ESTIMATED program feature. The manufacturers of both the oven and the popcorn will also give directions that tell you to turn the oven off when the popping slows to about a pop every 2 seconds. Failure to do so can result in burning.

If the microwave does not come with a popcorn feature button, the manufacturers of the popcorn have directions on the outside of the box that tell you what POWER LEVEL and TIME to set the oven on for the desired result. Again, the you still have to listen as the bag pops to ensure it does not burn.

In addition, on some microwave ovens, there is a feature that allows you to select the SIZE of the popcorn bag. Some popcorn manufacturers have smaller snack size bags that don't take as long to pop. You have to select the appropriate size to get the correct program option.

In any case, you never are to place popcorn in a microwave oven and walk away from it. All these program features are ESTIMATIONS based on manufacturers testing and recommendations for the best results. All microwave ovens are different and operate at different power levels. Your best judge is to listen as it pops.

I hope this helps you.

Are you cooking it this way, as shown in the owner's manual?

"Use an overturned 9 or 10 inch oven proof glass pie plate on top of the
turntable when popping bagged microwave popcorn."

You can also use a paper plate in a pinch, but as always, never leave a microwave unattended while it's cooking, since some paper products can have impurities which will allow overheating and possibly fire.

This is a convection oven, so it has a metal turntable tray.

Microwaves cannot penetrate the metal from below like it would on a standard microwave's glass tray, allowing for even heating.

If you've lost your owner's manual, you can get it here.

We're happy to help you with free advice and we'd appreciate your thoughtful rating of our answer.

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!

Awesome.

Some microwaves specially if convection type you will need to get a microwave safe bowl turn upsidedown and place the popcorn on top of the bowl for it to pop properly.

That's probably because there's still steam (humidity) in the cavity after the first bag is popped.

After the first bag pops, try wiping down the walls and ceiling and leaving the door open for a couple of minutes.

You might even blow or fan the air out of the microwave.

We're happy to help and we appreciate your thoughtful rating of our answer.