Popcorn Poppers & Recipe for Spicy Popcorn

Today is a great day to break out my horror fest type movies and get some popcorn going. Of course there are several ways to pop those little corn kernels, but I prefer a popcorn popper over a bag of microwave popcorn.  I don’t know if it is because it brings back memories of my dad and my grandpa or if it really does taste better, but I definitely have a craving for some salty, buttery goodness.  The other reason I prefer these types of poppers is simple economics.  I eat a lot of popcorn.  I can eat a box of the microwave stuff in just a couple of weeks.  Buying the bag of popcorn kernels without the oil and butter is much cheaper in the long run.  I’m all about saving some money.  I decided to do a little research into popcorn poppers for those of you who are looking to switch from the bagged deal and go with the real deal.

The first popper is the Prest PopLite Hot Air Corn Popper.  This one is a small counter top popper that uses hot air, not oil.  This is supposed to be healthier and better for you.  According to the website this popper pops 18 cups of corn in less than 2.5 minutes.  That is a whole lot of popcorn!  There is a butter melter cup in the top that can be use as a measuring cup too!

The second popper is the Presto PowerPop Microwave Multi-popper.  This one works with oil or without so I can get that buttery greasy goodness with this one!  It pops up to three quarts in about 2.5 minutes…again that is a lot of popcorn!  This whole popper is dishwasher safe too!  The popper is about 10” wide and 6” tall so it should fit in our little microwave pretty good. 

Finally, the third popper is the Presto Orville Redenbachers Stirring Popper.  Now this is a popcorn popper for the serious popcorn connoisseur.  This popper will pop 6 quarts of popcorn and will make kettle corn!  I love me some kettle corn!!!  This is a counter top model that has a stirring arm inside.  There is a built-in melter to distribute butter while it is popping.  You can even use the transparent lid as your bowl.  There is a non-stick surface for easy cleaning and the lid can be washed in the dishwasher.

For those of you who are wondering which one I own, I use the Orville Redenbachers Stirring Popper. As much popcorn as I can devour in one sitting it is the best one for me. Plus I love butter, and the fact that it distributes it while the corn is popping is superb for my tastes.

Whenever I want a little spice in my life while watching a good ol' flick here is a recipe that came with the Orville Stirring Popper that I love:

Sassy South of the Border Popcorn
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon popcorn salt
1⁄8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1⁄3 cup popcorn
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter, thinly sliced

Mix garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, salt, and red pepper in a small bowl; set aside. Pour popcorn into the popper base, distributing it evenly around the loading area. Drizzle vegetable oil over the corn. Place the popper cover/serving bowl over the popper base. Place butter in butter melter and pop corn according to instructions in the How to Use section. After flipping popper, remove base. Shake bowl to distribute butter. Sprinkle seasoning evenly over popcorn; shake to distribute.

Presto Skillet Desires

I’m thinking about buying myself a new Presto skillet, I have found several different brands, but it seems to me that Presto has a large variety to choose from at decent prices (plus I already own some Presto products and haven’t had any trouble with them). I feel that having one of these little cooking machines would come in handy. Easier to clean than the stove, and handier than a regular skillet it seems. In case you are curious here is what what Presto has to choose from:

Presto Electric Skillet 11 Inch
Presto Electric Skillet 16 Inch
Presto 12 Inch Electric Stainless Steel Skillet
Presto Electric Skillet 16 Inch with Glass Cover

They are all good looking to me but the one that interests me the most is the Presto 12 Inch Electric Stainless Steel Skillet.  The first reason is because it is stainless and would match my other appliances, my personal opinion is that it looks more expensive and attractive than the others…anyway it has such a smooth surface, the food should just slip and slide with ease no sticking! Also, because it is stainless steel, I don’t have to worry about that nonstick stuff flaking off in my food and while washing. It even says in the description that it is fully immersable with the heat control removed and that it is dishwasher safe, and very easy to take care of.  It fries, grills, roasts, stews, bakes, makes casseroles, one-dish meals, and who know what all else this bad boy can do (ever seen Transformers? LOL). This particular one impresses me because it has a glass cover so that I can keep an eye on it which is easier than needing to lift the lid every time and letting heat escape. The Control Master heat control keeps accurate cooking temperatures automatically, neato!
And to top it all off I’ve already found a deliciously sounding bad for the arteries recipe for whichever electric skillet I decide to purchase. 
Yumm:

Oriental Hamburger Casserole

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (10 1/2-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (10 1/2-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 (ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup uncooked instant rice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup chow mein noodles

Preheat electric skillet at 325°. Add ground beef and onion. Brown well. Add remaining ingredients except noodles. Bring to a boil. Turn heat control down until pilot light goes out. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chow mein noodles. Heat through.

Presto Pizzaz Pizza Oven Semi-Review

So how do you feed yourself when your stove is out of commission? (And you don't want to waste money on fast food)

That is a question that I had to answer for myself yesterday…

Actually, I had gotten a weird gift from my aunt during Christmas (which oddly enough turned out to be a stroke of luck with this impeding needing food adventure). One of those gifts you kinda sit on a shelf and don’t think anymore about. I know a lot of people fight the crowds and return these gifts, but I keep a collection of them. And I’m glad I did, because one of those gifts turned out to be my newest kitchen hero.
Even without my oven, I was able to cook myself a frozen pizza (and no I did not eat it while it was still frozen.)

My aunt had bought me a Presto Pizzazz Pizza Oven. It has an open design so I was like, “yeah that’s not an oven”. (see below)  But hell if it didn’t work.



So I discovered that this little pizza cooking machine makes a mean frozen pizza.  Seriously, better than the oven.  Even my cheapo pizza tasted better than delivery.  This little thing is fun to watch rotate the pizza around while it cooks it (ok so I might be easily amused but I thought it was neat).  And it cooked everything evenly, no cold spots, no doughy spots, no burnt spots.  I think next time I might try making my own pizza on this Presto Pizza Oven.  Also the directions say it can heat most frozen foods, chicken nuggets, quesadillas, jalepeno poppers, chicken wings.  Hello this mean machine would be perfect for heating snacks on game day!  You can even use it to make fruit pizzas, but since my blog is about artery clogging foods, I’ll leave the fruit pizza recipes to other people to blog about.

I might have to go dig through that shelf of weird Christmas gifts and see if there are any more items that are hidden treasures…hmmm.

Oh, and I did call my landlord, the stove should be fixed within a week (I hope).

Microwave Bacon Cooker, Should I get One?

It is my day off, and this morning when I woke up I had a craving for bacon.  However, I do not have a craving for a big ole mess, grease popping on my hands, or all that grease.  I don’t care for nuking my bacon on a plate since it really doesn’t get as crisp as I prefer it.  A friend of mine told me about a new product I need to try.  Here is what I found out about it online.

Presto makes a microwave bacon cooker and it goes by the name of: Presto Powercrisp Microwave Bacon Cooker. The particular one that I am talking about is model number 05100.  It fully cooks bacon in approximately 40-90 seconds per slice on the highest setting.  The microwave bacon cooker is fully immersible and dishwasher safe (all parts) sweet!  There is a one year limited warranty on this product.  The cooker comes apart to make it smaller for storage. You can make the bacon as crisp or as floppy as you like, just make sure you fully cook it! I don’t want any of my readers getting sick.  The Presto Powercrisp Microwave Bacon Cooker cooks the bacon in a more healthy way than pan frying. It lets the grease run down into drip tray instead of letting the bacon stay in the pan in the grease which contains the fats.

I would like to get one of these bacon cookers because I think it would be so much easier and faster than pan frying.  Also, I wouldn’t have the hot grease popping up on my hands and fore arms when I am flipping the bacon.  I wouldn’t get small grease spots on my clothing either (sure an apron would help, but I think that’d look rather goofy on me).  I also would not have to clean up the grease that pops out over on my counter and stove.  The instructions say to put a paper towel over it to contain the grease.  This bacon cooker holds ten slices of bacon. It has a wide lip all the way around the bowl so that you can easily handle it. I could cook my eggs on the stove while I am cooking the bacon in the microwave.  I don’t have to do one at time, a quick, easy delicious breakfast. I may even use it to make my own bacon bits.  They would be so much better than those that I get from the grocery store in the little plastic bottles (much fresher).  I wouldn’t even need to dirty another dish.  When you cook it in a frying pan you have to either dump the grease into another pan or get a plate and put a paper towel on it to dry up the grease, I would just leave it on the little racks and have one less dish to wash. 

I think I might have to go purchase one of these right now…