@@blueheartorangeheart3768 I think what they were saying is a real popcorn aficionado will probably eat a large bowlful and not even consider a smaller portion
@@Annie261. That's what I got from the comment. My two-person serving of popcorn and one-person serving of popcorn are both the same size, it's always gonna be a big-ass bowl of popcorn.
Thanks for including us in the video, James! So happy to hear you enjoyed the popcorn. We were able to bring our prices down a little recently (+ increase our serving size a little) so hopefully, more people can enjoy the pods! We also have a new butter flavor we just launched, let us know if we can send you some to try! :)
I see the Dash popcorn baller being great for having multiple people cranking out the popcorn balls before the sweet mixture sets up, especially if you’re having your kids help. Clean hands and consistent popcorn balls.
I still remember my mom buying the Jiffypop popcorn when I was a kid before microwave ovens were invented. It was always fun seeing the foil "dome" expand as the popcorn cooked
I used to make popcorn balls by hand with my grandmother when I was little. She would always spray our hands with cooking spray to keep them from sticking to our hands. That's the only reason I don't make them for my own kid. The popcorn ball maker would make things so easy!
@@alec4672 I'm usually not a popcorn ball eater, I stick with the easier and less-messy loose popcorn. Form it into a popcorn cookie, though, yeah I might give that a try.
@Destiny I think the traditional popcorn ball recipe uses candy syrup, so they should stick together on their own. What he made in this video is more like a rice Krispies treat with popcorn.
How about bars, like rice crispy treats? There's a place in Salem Willows that sells (sold? been a while since I've been in the area) popcorn bars in all different flavors.
Perhaps the butter issues with the pop corn kettle thing, is that some people were using real butter, and others used margarine- that could definitely make a difference
@@minarchisttrucker2775clarified butter also has the milk solids removed which is the stuff that burns as you heat the butter for too long and gives anything you cook an awful flavor once it's too burnt
I’ve gone back to the old lunch bag method even though I have several popcorn popping gadgets, including a stir crazy popper. Get a standard brown paper lunch bag, put in a little less than a 1/4 cup of popcorn. I use a long plastic sealing clip to hold the bag closed. It takes about 2:30 min. I, then melt ghee since it’s 100% butterfat and won’t make popcorn soggy. Since there’s no water in ghee, it doesn’t melt easy in the microwave. I usually put the ghee in a glassware teacup, put the cup in a 2nd dish of water and microwave it for 2 minutes. I can’t stand dry popcorn or the 100-calorie snack bags so this method, I can control the amt of fat added and there’s not much cleanup.
I love my ecolution microwave popcorn maker. Trick is to make sure you put the handle facing the center and have the bowl part spinning along the edge so it travels and not just spins in a circle. You do have to wait for it to cool before using it again but it doesn't take too long to cool off. I wait to put the butter on after I pop the corn and the silicone top is still hot and it melts the butter just fine then.
I have a Red one that I really like. Even better than the silicone one I have been using. Also easier to clean then the silicone one. I have had good luck using salted butter in mine 😊
Since I'm po' and never use butter, anyway, all of these seem like pricey gimmicks to me. Good ole paper lunch bags and a tiny spray bottle of liquid aminos works for me.
For the microwave popper, we’ve had the best flavor success by popping the popcorn dry (no butter) and then separately melting and mixing in the desired butter or seasonings for the best consistency. Cheers!
This was such a fun episode! I love it when you test several products in the same category and see if you like them or not. They are good for testing stuff that wouldn’t make a full video. I might have to try those popcorn pods to see if I like them! They seem to be dead simple to make and even though they are pricy, I think that it’s the kind of thing you reach for when you want a special treat or if you just want to treat yourself.
The Popcorn pods sound like they might be very good for different flavors, but I’m with you on the price - $3 per pod for just a bowl full - eeeh! But just maybe as a gift for just once in awhile would be great.
I actually don't think the price is that bad. An equivalent amount of chips would cost that much or more. And it's a lot cheaper than theater popcorn and probably much better tasting as well.
I bought my hubbie one of the collapsible silicone microwave popcorn bowls about five years ago and it's still going strong. I love that it collapses so that I can just put it in a drawer near the microwave. I so rarely buy kitchen gadgets, but this one was definitely a worthwhile investment. Just get some fine popcorn salt and you are good to go.
My mom has tried every popcorn bowl, "old fashioned" popcorn poppers, and even several brands of refrigerated popcorn pods, and they nearly all suck. Only the Opopop pods have been really great, but they are far too expensive to be affordable. The best affordable method we've found has been to buy dried corn kernals in a jar, set a half cup of corn in a tupperware jar, add your melted butter and seasonings, then store in the fridge overnight. The next day you pat the corn dry and then pour into a plain brown paper bag and microwave for a 2 minutes to 3 minutes.
I bought the red popcorn maker, as opposed to the blue snack sized one, for my 2 daughters each one Christmas. They work great but the one daughter who used the butter feature also had an issue with it. I think she used too much because it didn't all melt. The non-butter user daughter (lol) loved it so much she requested another when she broke the first. Tbh...we finally just gave up on healthy popcorn, though, & got a different maker that uses oil. There's nothing like popcorn popped in oil with salt added 🤤
@@andreaanonymous5474 coconut oil is a popular pick for making popcorn at home. You can also use peanut oil or ghee (higher smoke point than regular butter and the water is evaporated out, so your popcorn is less likely to get soggy).
I just use a paper lunch bag. Place the popcorn in, fold the top down, creasing as you go. Put it in the microwave on high for 2 minutes ( but listen for when the pops slow down). You might have to adjust to your microwave, but I’ve found that it makes great popcorn, cheap.
I used to do it this way... Is yummy and taste homemade. I switched to this red silicone bowl tho. Taste similar like homemade and I don't need to buy and use brown paper bags 😊
@@monamarie1984 I mean brown paper bags are made of recycled paper and are biodegradable. Vs silicon which never biodegrades. But if it is more practical for you to use silicone then you should!
@@evearellie well, I already have it now- 🤣🤣🤣 but I did not know that about silicone! Thanks for sharing. 🥰 And also, I would always run out and when I wanted yummy popcorn I would be like dammit! I'm out of paper bags 🤣🤣🤣 we eat a lot of popcorn on my house.
Bailey would love what I do. I pop about a half cup of popcorn in the air popper for my dogs (I have 5). Then i throw it all up in the air and yell that it's SNOWING!!! It then becomes an exciting frenzy to eat popcorn. It's a huge hit and not messy. There may end up being a rare piece of popcorn that gets missed, but not often. Oh, remove any unpopped kernels first obviously.
@@shorttimer874 that has only really happened like once ever since the 1950s where an outside person did that to kids. The news blows it completely out of proportion. The other 8 isolated incidents were all kids pranking their siblings or parents. “In all these detailed cases, the child was not injured, and because he was the immediate source of the apple, it seems possible that he was also the source of the blade. As Best and Horiuchi (authors of the Razor Blade) note, more than 75 percent of reported cases involved no injury, and detailed followups in 1972 and 1982 concluded that virtually all the reports were hoaxes concocted by the children or parents. Thus this legend type seems to have grown out of a tradition of ostensive hoaxes relying on an understood oral tradition, rather than on any core of authenticated incidents.”
@@shorttimer874 --My mother did that too! I didn’t have the nerve to tell her that trick or treaters hated them. She’d dress up with green makeup put a green sheet over her head to give them out. She stayed silent, I liked that part.
i've been buying bulk popping corn and then just sticking it in a teflon pot with 2 tablespoons of ghee to a 1/2 cup kernels and 2 teaspoons of ground salt and it comes out really good. It's crazy how much cheaper it is than everything else out there and how easy it is to make, but you need to use a big pot because a 1/2 cup makes a ton of popcorn.
LOL @ Bailey eyeballing the counter waiting for a morsel to drop haha. I wouldn't use such things, I buy bagged popcorn and toss it in the microwave...I'm a fan of kettle corn and it comes out great.
Grab a 4-6 lb brown paper lunch bag. Put 1/4-1/3 cup of popcorn seeds into the bag. Microwave for 2:30 minutes. Melt desired amount butter in a small dish drizzle into the bag and shake it. Less mess less hassle.
First of all I’m 68 so don’t care I’m eating what I want, but it ‘ain’t’ popcorn without salt n butter ON it. I’m not sold on silicone either! Will state-you can almost make it in anything but hands down old school methods work well. Popcorn balls were made with KARO syrup old days so super sticky had to oil your hands and we put them on Saran Wrap. Talk about MESS!!! Lol so these ball makers are a win if you don’t have a substitute at home. I can think of numerous ways now watching your vid to make them with what I have on hand-thanks saving me money. I love how thorough you are. Often, products aren’t in my needs lane, yet you’re so enthusiastically ready to go either way so you’re real-much appreciated! Have a great day stay cool and as your Az neighbor-review more heat dispersing related items so we can stay cool enough and not get heatstroke 🙏🏻❤️🤔
I have the large, red version of the microwave popcorn popper. To me, it is snack size. That dinky, little blue thing would make enough popcorn to piss me off. LOL
I have the Ecolution popper. I got it years ago at Macy's. $5. To use the butter feature, make the popcorn first. Then slap the butter on top. The glass and lid will be plenty warm and the butter melts nicely. Or, you can put a dollop of butter in the bottom, along with butter flavored oil. The oil has a higher smoke point and keeps the butter from burning. It makes geat popcorn. I've put as much as 1/4 cup of kernels which makes a full container of popcorn. Sprinkle on some nutritional yeast, which tastes a bit like Parmesan cheese. So yummy!
I use the WW Healthy Kitchen silicone microwave bowl with lid ($1.99 at Burlington). Works better than anything I've ever used (air poppers, nordic ware microwave bowl) & I usually dislike silicone ice trays & bowls cuz I can taste the silicone. Not an issue with this popcorn bowl. I love it & use it often. I just melt butter in a separate bowl, crock etc after popping corn. Less wasted kernels since using this bowl.
The first one you did. My wife uses it every day. If you cook too long, it does burn. She does 3 minutes, but she uses more popcorn than the lid. She also uses a tad bit more butter. She loves her popcorn.
They doesn't make any sense. The cleanup is the same as if you bought just the kernels, and added butter to taste at less than a tenth the cost of a pod. It goes just as fast if not faster.
@@AlienFrequency I know I'm right. Besides I think kettle popcorn taste far better than either microwave or air popped popcorn. It's really worth testing it. And it is probably the cheapest snacks you can find. The big difference when compared to regular microwave popcorn is the fat used, and with air popped popcorn there's no fat used at all which really makes them taste bland. Even adding butter and salt after the fact doesn't quite make up for it.
@@blahorgaslisk7763 oh course; everything that's bad for you tastes better. I miss the old days when I could just toss a bag of popcorn in the microwave for 2 minutes. Now they say the chemicals they use in microwave popcorn has carcinogens 🤦🏻
@@AlienFrequency Everything we eat has carcinogens, at least I can't come to think of anything that doesn't have it. And fat when heated tend to form more of them. So nothing new there. But that doesn't mean I think you would ignore the scientists when they warn about something. No need to increase the risk more than necessary after all. Now I admit that throwing a bag of popcorn into the micro is painless. No fuss no muss, but it also tastes objectively worse than real popcorn made in a kettle. Now the popcorn pods in this video has the worst of both worlds. On one hand you get the same highly processed fat as in the microwave popcorn, with all the preservatives needed to keep it from going rancid. But you also get the same amount of cleanup as when popping popcorn the old fashioned way. And yet with the same microwave popcorn taste instead of the nice clean taste of real popcorn.
If I'm popping in the microwave, I just use a paper bag/lunch sack. You can put a little oil and salt in there, but then you need to put the bag on a plate as the oil soaks through. Really good stove top popcorn: chop up raw bacon, put in pot, cook about half done, add popcorn kernels and lid. By the time the popcorn is done, the bacon is crispy, and every bite is full of bacony goodness. Dad also liked to make popcorn in reserved sausage grease.
FYI to popcorn lovers, Josh Weismann has an AMAZING video on making movie popcorn better by using just a few ingredients, one of which is clarified butter so your popcorn doesn’t get soggy… at all. He also shows how to make a garlic bread popcorn that’s out of this world! Go check it out.
You can just buy popcorn kernels and put them in a pot with some oil. It's exactly the same thing. Popcorn is not hard and incredibly cheap. The "microwavable" popcorn bags are way overpriced. Just buy the 2lbs bags.
Actually something that might be kinda fun is if you wanted to replicate the popcorn pods, you could probably just buy some shaped molds online, melt some ghee, and put the melted ghee and popcorn kernels into the molds to let them cool. Probably need a vacuum sealer or something to store them in, but they would essentially be the same thing as the popcorn pods.
Yep, I was checking the comments for someone saying that. Real butter or a butter alternative might burn while making popcorn in the Ecolution since the smoke point of butter is pretty low, but I think because of the way a microwave heats, it's less likely to burn in the amount of time it takes to pop that amount of popcorn. But I'm not a good scientist, so who knows?
@@NunnSkull In the US, butter is typically 1/6 water, since the USDA requires ~85% butterfat in it. If it were pure fat, it would be labeled as "butterfat." So it's not a matter of cheaper butter. All butter sizzles in a hot pan.
@@NickCombs Popcorn bags are absolutely terrible for you because they use cheap non-stick liners to prevent the artificial butter from leaking through. Popcorn can be healthy if you air pop it.
the pods are pricey but I could see them being handy for people who are idk camping or something and have a pot to cook with but don't want to carry around a bunch of oil and kernels
I have a silicone bowl with a silicone lid , best thing I ever bought and it makes a huge bowl full, never burns comes out perfect every time. Also from Amazon
Recently found and have been watching your channel nonstop! I grew up watching the evening news, and always got excited for the Consumer Reports section. Later in college I’d pull all-nighters and be rewarded with 5am infomercials. Thank you for all you do! Shout-out to your family’s music taste, btw! I’ve seen Noah reppin’ NIN and Aquabats, and seen you wearing Ghost Atlas! Been listening to Ghost Atlas and ERRA at work this week. Stay cool! 😎
I have a silicon popper that I love. I spray the corn with a little oil and add some salt. I use a sprayer with my own oil. You can also just stir in a teaspoon or so of oil, and stir the kernels before microwaving.
Glad you talked about using your hands to make popcorn balls. I absolutely HATE stickiness feeling. it bugs me. Same with ribs too despite how good they are. lol a place for a stick was a nice touch too. I can almost avoid touching the whole thing. but I still love popcorn and popcorn balls
At home we make popcorn in the big cooking pot on the stove. A little bit of canola oil in the bottom, 3 kernels to start... put on heat until they pop (now you're at temperature), dump in the rest of the kernels (about a cup), hold the lid on and shake it over the heat until it stops popping. Oven mitts for metal pot-lids are a must. Season it while it's still hot. Makes enough for four adults to have second and optional third helpings. We have a glass cooktop... not sure how easy this method would be on an element or with gas burners since we slide the pot around over the heat a lot and an uneven surface might be more tricky?
The popcorn pod is basically what is inside a bag of microwave popcorn. Unpopped kernels in a solid fat. This version, of course, uses heat instead of microwaves, so I guess it's for people who think the microwave is going to harm you, or want popcorn in a place where they won't have a microwave.
Why would i want to clog up my kitchen with another gadget? I already have a pot. It is extraordinarily easy to make popcorn on the stove. Well, on a gas stove at least.
We used to have popcorn ball makers in the 1960's (yes, I am that old). Especially at Christmas time. By the way...your dog will love one. Imagine their joy when they find a ball that they can eat!
Yup-we had the good ones, the REALLY good ones and the skip that house ones too🤣the REALLY good ones were made with Karo syrup. Plus, some added M&M’s some chocolate chips!!!🤤🙏🏻🤣
I have a feeling that the people complaining about burnt popcorn may be using a more powerful microwave than what is recommended. I've seen a 400w microwave back in high-school which was only ever used on warming up water or milk, the one i have is 900w and i get by with it, at work ive seen microwaves with 1200w-1800w that will cook a frozen hotpocket under a minute while my 900w microwave would take around 3 minutes. Im guessing the ones complaining are the ones with the high wattage.
My favorite way to make popcorn is in a paper lunch back, with a little butter and salt before popping. Only thing you have to know if you put the butter in when popping you may want a paper plate under cuz the butter can soak throw bag sometimes.
The popcorn ball by hand you're supposed to butter your hands and then make the ball the problem most of the other people had with the microwave popcorn maker was probably the butter was cold so it didn't melt fast enough so by the time they had melted it it burned The popcorn not the butter the popcorn was burned
I have the microwave popcorn bowl and it’s pretty great when I want proper popcorn but don’t want to get the pot and olive oil out. I can do a quarter cup and it’s pretty perfect.
I am a popcorn enthusiast. I make a super small batch of popcorn almost every other day. I could absolutely use that Ecolution Popcorn Maker to replace my Salbree silicone popcorn maker. Would be much easier to clean and I dont have to worry about burning the bottom anymore.
I ordered the Ecolution popcorn popper after seeing it in this video. I cannot wait to use it. I bought the small size along with some popcorn salt. So exciting! I've been looking for a convenient popcorn popper for a long time. I was going to order the Stir Crazy, which you also reviewed, but I think this will suit my needs better.
I’ve made marshmallow popcorn for years. The ones you made look so bare compared to mine because I stir mini M&M’s into mine. I freeze them first so they don’t melt and make a mess. I also make an extra large batch (compared to yours). I pop up 3 bags of Orville Redenbacher,s Natural (unbuttered) popcorn and put it in a turkey roaster pan taking care to remove all the old maids. Then in a large pan on the stove I melt stick of butter and 16 oz bag of mini marshmallows. Occasionally I’ll add a little food coloring to jazz it up. I pour the marshmallow mixture over the popped popcorn and mix it up, then I add about a cup of frozen mini M&M’s and do a light stir so they don’t melt and break up in the popcorn. I press it into the turkey roaster and let or sit until it’s at room temperature, then I use a metal spatula to cut the popcorn into single size pieces and wrap them them individually in plastic wrap, shaping them into a more rounded shape (optional). These have been a family favorite for over 30 years.
As someone who has burned their hands many many times making popcorn balls ..yes...that popcorn ball maker looks to be a win. I thought it wasn't going to be a win but I'm sold.
My grandmothers used to make the best popcorn balls. One always made a really soft, gooey caramel one and the other made on3 with jello so they were flavored with orange or raspberry or whatever. Both so good!
I like doing the hand made popcorn balls better it has more of a rustic look to them. The popcorn baller just smashes them while you still get the popcorn's unique shape to them with the hand made ones.
I bet the bad reviews (burnt) for the Ecolution Popcorn Maker were a result of leaving it in for the full 3 minutes and not paying attention to the end of pop. 😂
The glass microwavable popcorn maker is a generic device that is sold under different brands. I have one made by Tasty and absolutely love it, I found the secret trick to get most of them to pop without burning is to just swish some water around the inside and leave a tad bit of water at the bottom before adding the kernels, as you microwave it'll steam up and protect the popcorn and wait until popping slows down to more than 1 second per pop and enjoy!
I like that popcron maker, when im wanting really buttery popcorn I microwave some butter first and then make the popcorn then pour the popcorn into a bowl and shake it while pouring the bit of butter in then give it a real good couple mixing shakes and good popped corn with butter spread out.
There's no "snack size" when it comes to popcorn.
What were you trying to say with this comment?
@@blueheartorangeheart3768 I think what they were saying is a real popcorn aficionado will probably eat a large bowlful and not even consider a smaller portion
@@Annie261. That's what I got from the comment. My two-person serving of popcorn and one-person serving of popcorn are both the same size, it's always gonna be a big-ass bowl of popcorn.
Truth.
Snack size=40oz
Thanks for including us in the video, James! So happy to hear you enjoyed the popcorn. We were able to bring our prices down a little recently (+ increase our serving size a little) so hopefully, more people can enjoy the pods! We also have a new butter flavor we just launched, let us know if we can send you some to try! :)
What fats and oils do you use in your product?
in all honestly i don’t think the price is anything too crazy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ definitively interested in checking you guys out soon
@@2degucitas The fat is cacao butter according to their website. I copy-pasted the ingredients list below.
Ingredients:
Showtime Butter: Popcorn kernels, cacao butter, butter, salt, butter natural flavor.
Butter: Popcorn kernels, cacao butter, salt, butter.
Rosemary Garlic: Popcorn kernels, cacao butter, salt, rosemary, garlic.
Spicy: Popcorn kernels, cacao butter, salt, jalapeño.
Lemon Black Pepper: Popcorn kernels, cacao butter, salt, lemon, black pepper.
Do you sell kettle corn? My family loves kettle corn it's always gone in minutes when I make my own recipe
Oh man I wanna try it. Yeah $11 is a bit steep but I really like how it looks and it seems easy.
I see the Dash popcorn baller being great for having multiple people cranking out the popcorn balls before the sweet mixture sets up, especially if you’re having your kids help. Clean hands and consistent popcorn balls.
Butter your hands first so the hot caramel doesn't stick.
I still remember my mom buying the Jiffypop popcorn when I was a kid before microwave ovens were invented. It was always fun seeing the foil "dome" expand as the popcorn cooked
I can only assume you mean 'before microwave ovens were common and cheap', because microwave ovens predate jiffypop by... A long time.
@@Szrikono need to be a smarty pants
@@Charles-linquest-JRVery good that @Szriko corrected the timeline of microwave invention. Can't stand people being incorrect in UA-cam comments!
When were you born? They had microwaves in the 70s.
I used to make popcorn balls by hand with my grandmother when I was little. She would always spray our hands with cooking spray to keep them from sticking to our hands. That's the only reason I don't make them for my own kid. The popcorn ball maker would make things so easy!
My grandma would roll all the popcorn into a log shape with wax paper and after it cooled just cut off cookie sized slices with a bread knife.
@@alec4672 I've never heard of this before, but that would make things so much easier, as well!
@@alec4672 I'm usually not a popcorn ball eater, I stick with the easier and less-messy loose popcorn. Form it into a popcorn cookie, though, yeah I might give that a try.
@Destiny I think the traditional popcorn ball recipe uses candy syrup, so they should stick together on their own. What he made in this video is more like a rice Krispies treat with popcorn.
How about bars, like rice crispy treats? There's a place in Salem Willows that sells (sold? been a while since I've been in the area) popcorn bars in all different flavors.
Perhaps the butter issues with the pop corn kettle thing, is that some people were using real butter, and others used margarine- that could definitely make a difference
Or going the full 3 minutes 💀
yeah butter has a small amount of milk solids that can alter chemical reactions maybe
Clarified butter or ghee is what you want for popcorn lol it's basically butter with the water content removed which is what makes the popcorn soggy
Yea easier to just use some butter seasoning for popcorn after it’s popped
@@minarchisttrucker2775clarified butter also has the milk solids removed which is the stuff that burns as you heat the butter for too long and gives anything you cook an awful flavor once it's too burnt
Aw...I loved Bailey watching the popcorn popping. What a good clean-up dog too.
She so good at her job as the cutest clean up dog. 🐶
I’ve gone back to the old lunch bag method even though I have several popcorn popping gadgets, including a stir crazy popper. Get a standard brown paper lunch bag, put in a little less than a 1/4 cup of popcorn. I use a long plastic sealing clip to hold the bag closed. It takes about 2:30 min. I, then melt ghee since it’s 100% butterfat and won’t make popcorn soggy. Since there’s no water in ghee, it doesn’t melt easy in the microwave. I usually put the ghee in a glassware teacup, put the cup in a 2nd dish of water and microwave it for 2 minutes. I can’t stand dry popcorn or the 100-calorie snack bags so this method, I can control the amt of fat added and there’s not much cleanup.
I love my ecolution microwave popcorn maker. Trick is to make sure you put the handle facing the center and have the bowl part spinning along the edge so it travels and not just spins in a circle. You do have to wait for it to cool before using it again but it doesn't take too long to cool off. I wait to put the butter on after I pop the corn and the silicone top is still hot and it melts the butter just fine then.
That’s what my thought was on the butter. I figured the residual steam would melt it nicely.
I have a Red one that I really like. Even better than the silicone one I have been using. Also easier to clean then the silicone one. I have had good luck using salted butter in mine 😊
Perfect size for those on a cut
Since I'm po' and never use butter, anyway, all of these seem like pricey gimmicks to me. Good ole paper lunch bags and a tiny spray bottle of liquid aminos works for me.
@Char Covelesky are you able to reuse the lunch sack or just a one time deal?
For the microwave popper, we’ve had the best flavor success by popping the popcorn dry (no butter) and then separately melting and mixing in the desired butter or seasonings for the best consistency. Cheers!
This was such a fun episode! I love it when you test several products in the same category and see if you like them or not. They are good for testing stuff that wouldn’t make a full video. I might have to try those popcorn pods to see if I like them! They seem to be dead simple to make and even though they are pricy, I think that it’s the kind of thing you reach for when you want a special treat or if you just want to treat yourself.
The Popcorn pods sound like they might be very good for different flavors, but I’m with you on the price - $3 per pod for just a bowl full - eeeh! But just maybe as a gift for just once in awhile would be great.
I actually don't think the price is that bad. An equivalent amount of chips would cost that much or more. And it's a lot cheaper than theater popcorn and probably much better tasting as well.
Yeah thats a lot of money for 1/8cup of popcorn kernels stuck in a puck of crisco!
Don’t bother, it’s nasty tasting! I made the butter one and the herb one. Threw the rest away.
Ikr, the bowls not even what I consider big
I think someone could make this themselves.
I bought my hubbie one of the collapsible silicone microwave popcorn bowls about five years ago and it's still going strong. I love that it collapses so that I can just put it in a drawer near the microwave. I so rarely buy kitchen gadgets, but this one was definitely a worthwhile investment. Just get some fine popcorn salt and you are good to go.
I love seeing the popcorn gadgets. Thanks for your reviews. 👍
My mom has tried every popcorn bowl, "old fashioned" popcorn poppers, and even several brands of refrigerated popcorn pods, and they nearly all suck. Only the Opopop pods have been really great, but they are far too expensive to be affordable. The best affordable method we've found has been to buy dried corn kernals in a jar, set a half cup of corn in a tupperware jar, add your melted butter and seasonings, then store in the fridge overnight. The next day you pat the corn dry and then pour into a plain brown paper bag and microwave for a 2 minutes to 3 minutes.
Thanks for sharing this! I too love popcorn of all kinds. I plan on trying this.😊
Yes,just throw some in a paper bag,pwrfwct every time.
I bought the red popcorn maker, as opposed to the blue snack sized one, for my 2 daughters each one Christmas. They work great but the one daughter who used the butter feature also had an issue with it. I think she used too much because it didn't all melt. The non-butter user daughter (lol) loved it so much she requested another when she broke the first.
Tbh...we finally just gave up on healthy popcorn, though, & got a different maker that uses oil. There's nothing like popcorn popped in oil with salt added 🤤
I use oil in my large size ecoloution and add some flavacol, it tastes like it's straight from the movie theater!
@@thumbzarehandy What kind of oil do you use?
@@andreaanonymous5474 coconut oil is a popular pick for making popcorn at home. You can also use peanut oil or ghee (higher smoke point than regular butter and the water is evaporated out, so your popcorn is less likely to get soggy).
Now I’m craving popcorn. Thanks, James. Lol
Oh the popcorn pods, I bet they would be good for camping
The first tasting at 1:58 was just so masterful.
I just use a paper lunch bag. Place the popcorn in, fold the top down, creasing as you go. Put it in the microwave on high for 2 minutes ( but listen for when the pops slow down). You might have to adjust to your microwave, but I’ve found that it makes great popcorn, cheap.
yeah no need for contraptions. this works perfectly
I used to do it this way... Is yummy and taste homemade. I switched to this red silicone bowl tho. Taste similar like homemade and I don't need to buy and use brown paper bags 😊
@@monamarie1984 I mean brown paper bags are made of recycled paper and are biodegradable. Vs silicon which never biodegrades. But if it is more practical for you to use silicone then you should!
@@evearellie well, I already have it now- 🤣🤣🤣 but I did not know that about silicone! Thanks for sharing. 🥰 And also, I would always run out and when I wanted yummy popcorn I would be like dammit! I'm out of paper bags 🤣🤣🤣 we eat a lot of popcorn on my house.
@@monamarie1984 yeah if you already have it might as well use it! And I feel you about running out. Popcorn is such a great easy snack.
I miss your longer videos. But, obviously, I love your content anyway! 🤜🏼🤛🏻
I totally agree with you.
Depends on how many products
Popcorn ball maker, you can also use for rice crispie balls or peanut butter chocolate crispie balls and other deserts ❤..
Bailey would love what I do. I pop about a half cup of popcorn in the air popper for my dogs (I have 5). Then i throw it all up in the air and yell that it's SNOWING!!! It then becomes an exciting frenzy to eat popcorn. It's a huge hit and not messy. There may end up being a rare piece of popcorn that gets missed, but not often. Oh, remove any unpopped kernels first obviously.
Now we know what James is giving out for Halloween 🎃 popcorn balls....great video as always 👍
Growing up Mom would make them with caramel to give out when money was tight. No longer an option after the Halloween razor blade scare.
@@shorttimer874 that has only really happened like once ever since the 1950s where an outside person did that to kids. The news blows it completely out of proportion. The other 8 isolated incidents were all kids pranking their siblings or parents.
“In all these detailed cases, the child was not injured, and because he was the immediate source of the apple, it seems possible that he was also the source of the blade. As Best and Horiuchi (authors of the Razor Blade) note, more than 75 percent of reported cases involved no injury, and detailed followups in 1972 and 1982 concluded that virtually all the reports were hoaxes concocted by the children or parents. Thus this legend type seems to have grown out of a tradition of ostensive hoaxes relying on an understood oral tradition, rather than on any core of authenticated incidents.”
@@shorttimer874 maybe for family and friends only that what my grandparents would do special bags for family
@@shorttimer874 --My mother did that too! I didn’t have the nerve to tell her that trick or treaters hated them. She’d dress up with green makeup put a green sheet over her head to give them out. She stayed silent, I liked that part.
@@shorttimer874 Yup-first razor blades then poison in pixie sticks! Scary 😳🤔
i've been buying bulk popping corn and then just sticking it in a teflon pot with 2 tablespoons of ghee to a 1/2 cup kernels and 2 teaspoons of ground salt and it comes out really good. It's crazy how much cheaper it is than everything else out there and how easy it is to make, but you need to use a big pot because a 1/2 cup makes a ton of popcorn.
LOL @ Bailey eyeballing the counter waiting for a morsel to drop haha. I wouldn't use such things, I buy bagged popcorn and toss it in the microwave...I'm a fan of kettle corn and it comes out great.
Grab a 4-6 lb brown paper lunch bag. Put 1/4-1/3 cup of popcorn seeds into the bag. Microwave for 2:30 minutes. Melt desired amount butter in a small dish drizzle into the bag and shake it. Less mess less hassle.
If they use tub margarin instead of real butter it will be soggy due to the water in margrine.
First of all I’m 68 so don’t care I’m eating what I want, but it ‘ain’t’ popcorn without salt n butter ON it. I’m not sold on silicone either! Will state-you can almost make it in anything but hands down old school methods work well. Popcorn balls were made with KARO syrup old days so super sticky had to oil your hands and we put them on Saran Wrap. Talk about MESS!!! Lol so these ball makers are a win if you don’t have a substitute at home. I can think of numerous ways now watching your vid to make them with what I have on hand-thanks saving me money. I love how thorough you are. Often, products aren’t in my needs lane, yet you’re so enthusiastically ready to go either way so you’re real-much appreciated! Have a great day stay cool and as your Az neighbor-review more heat dispersing related items so we can stay cool enough and not get heatstroke 🙏🏻❤️🤔
I have the large, red version of the microwave popcorn popper. To me, it is snack size. That dinky, little blue thing would make enough popcorn to piss me off. LOL
I have the larger size version of the first one you tried, and I completely fill the top thing with butter and also have never had a problem with it.
I actually like that popcorn ball maker. I tried it before by hand and it was a disaster. Said I would never try that again , but maybe now I will lol
I have the Ecolution popper. I got it years ago at Macy's. $5. To use the butter feature, make the popcorn first. Then slap the butter on top. The glass and lid will be plenty warm and the butter melts nicely. Or, you can put a dollop of butter in the bottom, along with butter flavored oil. The oil has a higher smoke point and keeps the butter from burning. It makes geat popcorn. I've put as much as 1/4 cup of kernels which makes a full container of popcorn. Sprinkle on some nutritional yeast, which tastes a bit like Parmesan cheese. So yummy!
I use the WW Healthy Kitchen silicone microwave bowl with lid ($1.99 at Burlington). Works better than anything I've ever used (air poppers, nordic ware microwave bowl) & I usually dislike silicone ice trays & bowls cuz I can taste the silicone. Not an issue with this popcorn bowl. I love it & use it often. I just melt butter in a separate bowl, crock etc after popping corn. Less wasted kernels since using this bowl.
i have an unsatiable urge to dip the popsicle popcorn ball in chocolate.
The first one you did. My wife uses it every day. If you cook too long, it does burn. She does 3 minutes, but she uses more popcorn than the lid. She also uses a tad bit more butter. She loves her popcorn.
yall eating popcorn everyday?
@@linkinlinkinlinkin654 yes the fiber is the best.
One of the few times I've actually seen more than one of these before your review. Good stuff, keep it up!
dang, I wish the popcorn pods weren't so expensive. I love popcorn, and those seem right up my alley.
They doesn't make any sense. The cleanup is the same as if you bought just the kernels, and added butter to taste at less than a tenth the cost of a pod. It goes just as fast if not faster.
@@blahorgaslisk7763 perhaps you're right. If they could get the price down, I'd probably justify it.
@@AlienFrequency I know I'm right. Besides I think kettle popcorn taste far better than either microwave or air popped popcorn. It's really worth testing it. And it is probably the cheapest snacks you can find.
The big difference when compared to regular microwave popcorn is the fat used, and with air popped popcorn there's no fat used at all which really makes them taste bland. Even adding butter and salt after the fact doesn't quite make up for it.
@@blahorgaslisk7763 oh course; everything that's bad for you tastes better. I miss the old days when I could just toss a bag of popcorn in the microwave for 2 minutes. Now they say the chemicals they use in microwave popcorn has carcinogens 🤦🏻
@@AlienFrequency Everything we eat has carcinogens, at least I can't come to think of anything that doesn't have it. And fat when heated tend to form more of them. So nothing new there.
But that doesn't mean I think you would ignore the scientists when they warn about something. No need to increase the risk more than necessary after all.
Now I admit that throwing a bag of popcorn into the micro is painless. No fuss no muss, but it also tastes objectively worse than real popcorn made in a kettle.
Now the popcorn pods in this video has the worst of both worlds. On one hand you get the same highly processed fat as in the microwave popcorn, with all the preservatives needed to keep it from going rancid. But you also get the same amount of cleanup as when popping popcorn the old fashioned way. And yet with the same microwave popcorn taste instead of the nice clean taste of real popcorn.
If I'm popping in the microwave, I just use a paper bag/lunch sack. You can put a little oil and salt in there, but then you need to put the bag on a plate as the oil soaks through.
Really good stove top popcorn: chop up raw bacon, put in pot, cook about half done, add popcorn kernels and lid. By the time the popcorn is done, the bacon is crispy, and every bite is full of bacony goodness. Dad also liked to make popcorn in reserved sausage grease.
We love Wynonna Pure butter spray on our freshly popped popcorn 🍿 😊
For the first one you used butter but lots of people just use margarine which may be why some people have issues since margarine is made with oil.
FYI to popcorn lovers, Josh Weismann has an AMAZING video on making movie popcorn better by using just a few ingredients, one of which is clarified butter so your popcorn doesn’t get soggy… at all. He also shows how to make a garlic bread popcorn that’s out of this world! Go check it out.
Bailey is the best part of all your videos!! I'm such a dog lover. Blessings Always
For the Popcorn Pods, would you get the same result if you were to take the contents of an unpopped microwave popcorn bag and put it into a pot?
Yes, it looked like what is inside microwave popcorn bags. Seems pointless, given the cost and the relative inconvenience.
You can just buy popcorn kernels and put them in a pot with some oil. It's exactly the same thing. Popcorn is not hard and incredibly cheap. The "microwavable" popcorn bags are way overpriced. Just buy the 2lbs bags.
Anarchist! 🤣
Actually something that might be kinda fun is if you wanted to replicate the popcorn pods, you could probably just buy some shaped molds online, melt some ghee, and put the melted ghee and popcorn kernels into the molds to let them cool. Probably need a vacuum sealer or something to store them in, but they would essentially be the same thing as the popcorn pods.
Butter will not make popcorn soggy. However, margarine and some mock butters will.
Yep, I was checking the comments for someone saying that. Real butter or a butter alternative might burn while making popcorn in the Ecolution since the smoke point of butter is pretty low, but I think because of the way a microwave heats, it's less likely to burn in the amount of time it takes to pop that amount of popcorn. But I'm not a good scientist, so who knows?
@@bostonrailfan2427 better check your butter then because there's water in it. Use clarified butter instead, or buy better butter if that's the case.
If you need a butter alternative try Miyoko's. Also stick butter alternatives may have better results because they are formulated differently.
Bull
@@NunnSkull In the US, butter is typically 1/6 water, since the USDA requires ~85% butterfat in it. If it were pure fat, it would be labeled as "butterfat." So it's not a matter of cheaper butter. All butter sizzles in a hot pan.
Don't eat popcorn much, but I found the review thorough and entertaining (especially the messy part, lol).
Most of his videos are of stuff I have no interest in buying but I watch every single one of them because he's so darn entertaining.
@@John_Locke_108 He buys and tries them, so we don’t have to!
I used to not eat it much, but popcorn is one of the healthier snack options.
@@NickCombs Popcorn bags are absolutely terrible for you because they use cheap non-stick liners to prevent the artificial butter from leaking through. Popcorn can be healthy if you air pop it.
@@__aceofspades Yeah I'm aware of microwave bags and their carcinogens. I make my popcorn in a wok with a dome lid for extra big batches :)
the pods are pricey but I could see them being handy for people who are idk camping or something and have a pot to cook with but don't want to carry around a bunch of oil and kernels
I like the ecolution and the popcorn ball maker. Thank you James 😊
I have a silicone bowl with a silicone lid , best thing I ever bought and it makes a huge bowl full, never burns comes out perfect every time. Also from Amazon
Recently found and have been watching your channel nonstop!
I grew up watching the evening news, and always got excited for the Consumer Reports section. Later in college I’d pull all-nighters and be rewarded with 5am infomercials. Thank you for all you do!
Shout-out to your family’s music taste, btw! I’ve seen Noah reppin’ NIN and Aquabats, and seen you wearing Ghost Atlas! Been listening to Ghost Atlas and ERRA at work this week. Stay cool! 😎
I bought myself the stir crazy because of James' review and I absolutely love that thing. best popcorn ever
2:26 I think it’ll work better if you put the butter on the kernels & use it to pop the popcorn, rather than put it on the lid
I have a silicon popper that I love. I spray the corn with a little oil and add some salt. I use a sprayer with my own oil. You can also just stir in a teaspoon or so of oil, and stir the kernels before microwaving.
Good to know about the Dash popcorn maker. Been so tempted to get.
Pup being half vacuum cleaner half adorable
Glad you talked about using your hands to make popcorn balls. I absolutely HATE stickiness feeling. it bugs me. Same with ribs too despite how good they are. lol a place for a stick was a nice touch too. I can almost avoid touching the whole thing. but I still love popcorn and popcorn balls
At home we make popcorn in the big cooking pot on the stove. A little bit of canola oil in the bottom, 3 kernels to start... put on heat until they pop (now you're at temperature), dump in the rest of the kernels (about a cup), hold the lid on and shake it over the heat until it stops popping. Oven mitts for metal pot-lids are a must. Season it while it's still hot. Makes enough for four adults to have second and optional third helpings. We have a glass cooktop... not sure how easy this method would be on an element or with gas burners since we slide the pot around over the heat a lot and an uneven surface might be more tricky?
Accidentally funny: “be sure you listen to the popcorn to make sure it’s not burning” 😂😂
The popcorn pod is basically what is inside a bag of microwave popcorn. Unpopped kernels in a solid fat. This version, of course, uses heat instead of microwaves, so I guess it's for people who think the microwave is going to harm you, or want popcorn in a place where they won't have a microwave.
Why would i want to clog up my kitchen with another gadget? I already have a pot. It is extraordinarily easy to make popcorn on the stove. Well, on a gas stove at least.
Thanks for trying our Cheerie Lane popcorn pods!! (I'm one of the founders) You amaize ; )
It could be the amount of butter it could also be the power of the microwave
We used to have popcorn ball makers in the 1960's (yes, I am that old). Especially at Christmas time. By the way...your dog will love one. Imagine their joy when they find a ball that they can eat!
I like using ghee and flavored butter powder. Put all that in a pot like the last option and heat. It's the closest tasting to movie popcorn to me.
Clarified butter is the trick.
My mom used to make popcorn balls by hand for Halloween treats almost every year. Our house was one that few kids skipped.
Yup-we had the good ones, the REALLY good ones and the skip that house ones too🤣the REALLY good ones were made with Karo syrup. Plus, some added M&M’s some chocolate chips!!!🤤🙏🏻🤣
I have a feeling that the people complaining about burnt popcorn may be using a more powerful microwave than what is recommended. I've seen a 400w microwave back in high-school which was only ever used on warming up water or milk, the one i have is 900w and i get by with it, at work ive seen microwaves with 1200w-1800w that will cook a frozen hotpocket under a minute while my 900w microwave would take around 3 minutes.
Im guessing the ones complaining are the ones with the high wattage.
Nothing beats a Whirley pop, coconut oil, and Flavacol! Best popcorn you will ever eat at home!
One thing does: A Whirly Pop and *bacon grease* .
Bacon popcorn.
That Cherrie Lane pod seems like it's better suited as a fancy gift or for a special occasion rather than casual eating.
I don't know why but I read that as 3D printing popcorn and I got really excited for a second lol
Lol with my dog we'd say oops and she'd come running 😊
My favorite way to make popcorn is in a paper lunch back, with a little butter and salt before popping. Only thing you have to know if you put the butter in when popping you may want a paper plate under cuz the butter can soak throw bag sometimes.
I think the popcorn ball maker is right up my alley. Our family recipe is a cooked sugar syrup that is so hot. Thanks James!
Sounds delicious! I would love your recipe 😍
I’m just incredibly impressed that he said “supposedly’ instead of the typical UA-camr pronunciation “supposably” 🤣
The popcorn ball by hand you're supposed to butter your hands and then make the ball the problem most of the other people had with the microwave popcorn maker was probably the butter was cold so it didn't melt fast enough so by the time they had melted it it burned The popcorn not the butter the popcorn was burned
I have the microwave popcorn bowl and it’s pretty great when I want proper popcorn but don’t want to get the pot and olive oil out. I can do a quarter cup and it’s pretty perfect.
Honestly, it would be neat to find a way to create homemade popcorn pods
Someone took a simple coffee carafe, added a few cheap items, and sold it at three times the cost. Genius! LOL!!
I am a popcorn enthusiast. I make a super small batch of popcorn almost every other day. I could absolutely use that Ecolution Popcorn Maker to replace my Salbree silicone popcorn maker. Would be much easier to clean and I dont have to worry about burning the bottom anymore.
Unpopped kernels in popcorn are called "old maids"
peek into alternate universe where Jackson Galaxy never became the catdaddy
I ordered the Ecolution popcorn popper after seeing it in this video. I cannot wait to use it. I bought the small size along with some popcorn salt. So exciting! I've been looking for a convenient popcorn popper for a long time. I was going to order the Stir Crazy, which you also reviewed, but I think this will suit my needs better.
As a kid I used to hate getting popcorn balls on Halloween but now I love popcorn and would love those popcorn ball makers.🍿😊
The popcorn pods are fine but popping Popcorn the old time way is cheaper and more affordable and you can make as much as you want.🍿
I’ve made marshmallow popcorn for years. The ones you made look so bare compared to mine because I stir mini M&M’s into mine. I freeze them first so they don’t melt and make a mess. I also make an extra large batch (compared to yours). I pop up 3 bags of Orville Redenbacher,s Natural (unbuttered) popcorn and put it in a turkey roaster pan taking care to remove all the old maids. Then in a large pan on the stove I melt stick of butter and 16 oz bag of mini marshmallows. Occasionally I’ll add a little food coloring to jazz it up. I pour the marshmallow mixture over the popped popcorn and mix it up, then I add about a cup of frozen mini M&M’s and do a light stir so they don’t melt and break up in the popcorn. I press it into the turkey roaster and let or sit until it’s at room temperature, then I use a metal spatula to cut the popcorn into single size pieces and wrap them them individually in plastic wrap, shaping them into a more rounded shape (optional). These have been a family favorite for over 30 years.
The major thing about popcorn and tortillas chips is that have to salt them when they are hot so the salt sticks to them. At least, I think so.
As someone who has burned their hands many many times making popcorn balls ..yes...that popcorn ball maker looks to be a win. I thought it wasn't going to be a win but I'm sold.
You don't really neeeed a dedicated microwave popcorn popper. A Pyrex bowl with a plate on top works just fine.
My grandmothers used to make the best popcorn balls. One always made a really soft, gooey caramel one and the other made on3 with jello so they were flavored with orange or raspberry or whatever. Both so good!
I like doing the hand made popcorn balls better it has more of a rustic look to them. The popcorn baller just smashes them while you still get the popcorn's unique shape to them with the hand made ones.
I bet the bad reviews (burnt) for the Ecolution Popcorn Maker were a result of leaving it in for the full 3 minutes and not paying attention to the end of pop. 😂
The popcorn ball makers would be fun for a gathering of kids. The adult could do the marshmallow melting, etc.
They make the pods in a single pack just to try one out I'd absolutely go for one. They look really cool
I have the turquoise maker, and and I always use butter, because when I did it without any butter and oil, I burned the kernels.
The glass microwavable popcorn maker is a generic device that is sold under different brands.
I have one made by Tasty and absolutely love it, I found the secret trick to get most of them to pop without burning is to just swish some water around the inside and leave a tad bit of water at the bottom before adding the kernels, as you microwave it'll steam up and protect the popcorn and wait until popping slows down to more than 1 second per pop and enjoy!
Lol they definitely drown their popcorn in butter
Thank you for your videos.
Haven't watched a video of yours in a long time....but ivlove popcorn and clicked instantly as soon as I saw popcorn lol
I like that popcron maker, when im wanting really buttery popcorn I microwave some butter first and then make the popcorn then pour the popcorn into a bowl and shake it while pouring the bit of butter in then give it a real good couple mixing shakes and good popped corn with butter spread out.
The popcorn maker does well with popping oil and you can top off the measuring cup for a full popper instead of half full.