@Kidsandliz This is the bottom half of a descent coffee roaster. Throw one of those infrared ovens on top and you are set. Do it outside and do your research. Green beans are cheap and you can get magnificent stuff for Meh pricing. Starbucks is overroasted and nasty. Youtube has some instructionals. Coffee roasting is a fun hobby. As a bonus, great coffee.
@aryia11@Kidsandliz tried roasting green coffee beans that a friend gave me. best coffee i have ever had! now i wanna buy some, but where do i get ‘em?
@aryia11@Kidsandliz@pskemp2 Happy Mug, Sweet Maria’s, and Coffee Bean Corral are great places to start. Expansive, diverse selections at each. You can search by region or “notes.” And if you get bored, lazy, or run out of time, Happy Mug sells fresh "pre"roasted beans as well; they are delicious.
I had an earlier version of this (without the knee-slappin’ “Stir Crazy” branding) and it worked great for many years. Until the non-stick coating started peeling off.
Now I have one of those stainless steel pots that goes on the stovetop and has a manual crank.
@cengland0 Either mechanically (by depositing it on a rough surface) or chemically (by breaking some of the bonds on the surface so it can stick to the metal).
/giphy science
Stir Crazy makes great popcorn, and is pretty easy to clean, but the stirring implement can bend and scratch the nonstick coating of the heating surface. Depending on how you feel about such things, that can make it a pretty disposable product.
Bought one in one of the previous sales, works okay, popcorn quality and popping quantity and time about the the same as a Presto Power Pop. And also similar, it’ll burn the popcorn if you wander away. eventually catching on fire, melting down, and destroying your house and life. Not for the forgetful or easily distracted.
These are great! Bought one when they were first offered a year or two ago. Bought 3 more next to around for gifts. We’re all still using them and love them!
We go in together to buy a big box of the Great Northern 6 oz popcorn packs from Amazon. They’re perfect for this thing, fill it up completely and have very little kernels left over.
Pro tip, add the salt when finished to help prevent scratching the non-stick coating.
@bchevrier didn’t know they had a smaller one! Might have to go find it, 6 oz is too much for just me and I’m about to be an empty nester so won’t have a kid to steal it from me anymore…but, I have too many kitchen appliances as it is, lol!
@haydesigner@JinksB@pskemp2@yakkoTDI meh, to each their own? Mine does 12oz, which is plenty for me for the most part. If I need more, I can always brew another.
@haydesigner@JinksB@PHRoG@pskemp2@yakkoTDI Amen! They suck! But I’ll stop now before I go on a rant about the inferior drek that K-cups produce… Not to mention flavored coffees
the secret to movie theater popcorn is a powdered seasoning called FLAVACOL. salty, buttery, and it works with poppers that use oil. add it at the start. DON’T EYEBALL IT: follow instructions.
Orville Redenbacher butter oil works very well, too.
Bob’s Red Mill is one of the BEST brands of kennels around - highly recommended!
and for easiest good popcorn, her the microwave silicon popcorn bowl: add oil and Flavacol to the kennels, listen carefully, and you get perfect popcorn, already in a bowl. then throw the bowl in the dishwasher: DONE!
@docflash Thanks for the kernel recommendation. I bought this popper from Meh a while back but the one time I used it I was annoyed by the tough skins; I thought maybe the method was to blame but my friend said it’s more likely the Target-brand popcorn I used.
@docflash@Kyeh the 6oz Great Northern popcorn packs from Amazon come out amazing too. Great quality popcorn, everything’s all measured out. Each pack is sealed very well so it stays fresh.
Moisture kills popcorn so when you buy/open a large container of it, it starts degrading quickly.
Not entirely true. The moisture in the kernel is what allows the corn to pop. Ideal moisture content for pop-corn is 14%.
We have had good luck with popcorn kernels stored in a 1/2 gallon mason jar with one of those terracotta ‘sugar bears’ (soaked in water) in it. Keeps the moisture content sufficient to allow long term storage with minimal risk of mold.
@chienfou Right, 14% is really low moisture content in comparison to the relative humidity in your standard home.
Mason jars seal much better than a plastic jug or even the glass jars kernels tend to come in…sooo, not sure where it’s not entirely true…you kinda confirmed my statement there, .
@PHRoG
Too much moisture could allow it to mold, but I have NEVER had a bag of popcorn mold on it’s own. Lack of popping is lack of moisture in the kernel. If the ambient humidity is greater than 14% typically how would moisture be a problem affecting popping? I
@chienfou@PHRoG Ambient humidity under 35% is going to suck moisture out of a kernel that’s 14%. Ambient humidity of 50 to 70% probably will give you an open container shelf life of 6 months or more. Ambient humidity higher than that… Trust me, you don’t want to live there. It’s all relative.
@PHRoG@werehatrack
I think you are confusing ambient humidity with % moisture.
A food’s % moisture is just that. How much water by weight.
Ambient humidity is a reflection of the relative amount of moisture any given air temp can hold before it settles out as dew etc. If your air was 14% moisture it would feel VERY wet. (about 175 gm of water in a cubic meter of air, or about 2x the water that air can possibly hold at 50°C (122°F) when it’s at 100% humidity – about 8 times what it can hold at 25°C (77°F).)
@docflash@pskemp2 Thanks! I went looking online and found Amish popcorn so I ordered from there; the prices were pretty good, I thought, though you do have to pay shipping.
Question, if I mix butter and olive oil while cooking it keeps the butter from burning. Why can’t you do that when making popcorn? My wife is an air popper gal but I got her one of those silicone microwave bowls and now that is all she uses
I had one of these like the stir crazy but without the stirring when I was a kid and you could make caramel popcorn with it but it was such a PITA to clean up
@oldmantick Coconut oil is surprisingly effective in these things. It doesn’t taste as coconutty as I expected, and it’s a decent alternative to other oils.
@oldmantick I guess you could try it… I’d be concerned about it burning the butter though (the milk solids?) Maybe use clarified butter, I have no idea how hot the plate actually gets.
Got this here last time it was offered. Love it. As others have already said, the quality of the popcorn you buy makes a huge difference, so definitely recommend spending a bit more for a quality brand like Bob’s Red Mill instead of store-brand or such.
IME, if your microwave popcorn leaves a nasty aftertexture in your mouth, you’re using shitty microwave popcorn.
OBTW, the original version of onion rings at Burger King were the absolute worst about that gross aftertexture thing, and it was obvious that they were made from finely chopped and reshaped onion bits because every single one of them was exactly the same size and shape. I’m told that BK still has “onion rings” on their menu, but there’s no way in hell that I will ever make the mistake of ordering them again. They’re nastier than those cheapass gas station prepackaged fried “pies”.
Heresy of the Day: I don’t really care for popcorn. I’ll occasionally try a handful when it’s around, but I don’t go looking for it.
You are all welcome to my share.
I really like this unit to the point that I purchased another one the last time these were on sale here. They seem to be of sturdy build, and my current one is still plugging along after about a year. We use it at least once a week.
@theangryintern They seem to be a little slow recently, my order from 1/24 also still says it’s processing. This thing is great, though, so it should be worth the wait!
@ircon96@theangryintern A “little” slow? Their info says it should arrive by Feb 2 at the latest. It’s Feb 3, and hasn’t even shipped yet. Meh set the expectation, not the customer. Trouble in paradise?
@theangryintern I have 2 items due Feb 2-6, and 1 due Feb 6. All say processing. Typical delivery from TX to MA takes 5 days, so even if they get them out today I won’t see them until next week. I’ll remember this going forward before buying more.
Specs
Product: West Bend Stir Crazy 6-Quart Popcorn Maker Machine
Model: 82505
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Price Comparison
$39.69 at Amazon
Warranty
1 Year Westbend
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jan 30 - Thursday, Feb 2
Well this is a popping good deal. (grin)
@Kidsandliz This is the bottom half of a descent coffee roaster. Throw one of those infrared ovens on top and you are set. Do it outside and do your research. Green beans are cheap and you can get magnificent stuff for Meh pricing. Starbucks is overroasted and nasty. Youtube has some instructionals. Coffee roasting is a fun hobby. As a bonus, great coffee.
@aryia11 @Kidsandliz tried roasting green coffee beans that a friend gave me. best coffee i have ever had! now i wanna buy some, but where do i get ‘em?
@aryia11 @Kidsandliz @pskemp2 Happy Mug, Sweet Maria’s, and Coffee Bean Corral are great places to start. Expansive, diverse selections at each. You can search by region or “notes.” And if you get bored, lazy, or run out of time, Happy Mug sells fresh "pre"roasted beans as well; they are delicious.
@aryia11 @Kidsandliz @pskemp2 I tried roasting breen beans and they were dried out and chewy. Even with cheese sauce. What am I doing wrong??
Did it have this model name before Covid?
@phendrick Yes.
I had an earlier version of this (without the knee-slappin’ “Stir Crazy” branding) and it worked great for many years. Until the non-stick coating started peeling off.
Now I have one of those stainless steel pots that goes on the stovetop and has a manual crank.
@awk If it’s really non-stick, how do they get the coating to stick to the pan?
@cengland0 Either mechanically (by depositing it on a rough surface) or chemically (by breaking some of the bonds on the surface so it can stick to the metal).
/giphy science
Stir Crazy makes great popcorn, and is pretty easy to clean, but the stirring implement can bend and scratch the nonstick coating of the heating surface. Depending on how you feel about such things, that can make it a pretty disposable product.
Thankfully, at this price, who cares?
@kyouteki hopefully a lot of people…
/giphy plastic ocean
I can feel the butter flavoring on my tongue already. mmm… “butter”.
Best 25 bucks you can spend
see how it compares
@russellmz super cool share, thanks!
/giphy youdaman
I got one a while ago here, it works great! Very good popcorn…
Melt the butter separately though, keeps the mess on the maker down
@robson Found that out the hard way. Also ended up burning the popcorn, waiting for the last of the butter to melt.
Bought one in one of the previous sales, works okay, popcorn quality and popping quantity and time about the the same as a Presto Power Pop. And also similar, it’ll burn the popcorn if you wander away. eventually catching on fire, melting down, and destroying your house and life. Not for the forgetful or easily distracted.
These are great! Bought one when they were first offered a year or two ago. Bought 3 more next to around for gifts. We’re all still using them and love them!
We go in together to buy a big box of the Great Northern 6 oz popcorn packs from Amazon. They’re perfect for this thing, fill it up completely and have very little kernels left over.
Pro tip, add the salt when finished to help prevent scratching the non-stick coating.
@PHRoG I love the Great Northern packs. I’ve got an older Stir Crazy and I think the bowl is smaller, so I buy the 2.5 oz size on Amazon.
@bchevrier didn’t know they had a smaller one! Might have to go find it, 6 oz is too much for just me and I’m about to be an empty nester so won’t have a kid to steal it from me anymore…but, I have too many kitchen appliances as it is, lol!
On the rare occasion I eat popcorn it is either purchased at the movies or it is Smartfood.
I know these make great popcorn, but I am too lazy.
I’m lazy too, but it does Not extend to my love for popcorn & my love for laziness! 🫢
Meh. How about a K-cup machine? (Not that kind of K-cup - get your minds off lingerie for a minute)
K-cups are horrible for the environment @JinksB
@haydesigner @JinksB not all of them.
@haydesigner @JinksB use the refillable basket, there’s no waste
@haydesigner @JinksB @pskemp2 that’s what I do. Same set going on 8 years now too.
Plus, they have recyclable ones now and have recycling services for the regular ones in some places (my work does this).
@haydesigner @JinksB @PHRoG @pskemp2 K-cup machines suck so much. Why would I want to run it multiple times just to make one cup of coffee?
@haydesigner @JinksB @pskemp2 @yakkoTDI meh, to each their own? Mine does 12oz, which is plenty for me for the most part. If I need more, I can always brew another.
@haydesigner @JinksB @PHRoG @pskemp2 @yakkoTDI Amen! They suck! But I’ll stop now before I go on a rant about the inferior drek that K-cups produce… Not to mention flavored coffees
@yakkoTDI
The thing is supposed to be designed to make one cup at a time. Not really sure why you would want (or need) to run it multiple times to make one cup…
the secret to movie theater popcorn is a powdered seasoning called FLAVACOL. salty, buttery, and it works with poppers that use oil. add it at the start. DON’T EYEBALL IT: follow instructions.
Orville Redenbacher butter oil works very well, too.
Bob’s Red Mill is one of the BEST brands of kennels around - highly recommended!
and for easiest good popcorn, her the microwave silicon popcorn bowl: add oil and Flavacol to the kennels, listen carefully, and you get perfect popcorn, already in a bowl. then throw the bowl in the dishwasher: DONE!
@docflash Thanks for the kernel recommendation. I bought this popper from Meh a while back but the one time I used it I was annoyed by the tough skins; I thought maybe the method was to blame but my friend said it’s more likely the Target-brand popcorn I used.
@docflash @Kyeh the 6oz Great Northern popcorn packs from Amazon come out amazing too. Great quality popcorn, everything’s all measured out. Each pack is sealed very well so it stays fresh.
Moisture kills popcorn so when you buy/open a large container of it, it starts degrading quickly.
@docflash @PHRoG Thanks, I was hoping to get recommendations on this thread!
@docflash @Kyeh try the husk-free corn; it’s not completely free but still less and tastes good too
@docflash @pskemp2
Oh, I didn’t know there was such a thing! Where do you find that?
I would love that, I hate the husks.
@PHRoG
Not entirely true. The moisture in the kernel is what allows the corn to pop. Ideal moisture content for pop-corn is 14%.
We have had good luck with popcorn kernels stored in a 1/2 gallon mason jar with one of those terracotta ‘sugar bears’ (soaked in water) in it. Keeps the moisture content sufficient to allow long term storage with minimal risk of mold.
@chienfou Right, 14% is really low moisture content in comparison to the relative humidity in your standard home.
Mason jars seal much better than a plastic jug or even the glass jars kernels tend to come in…sooo, not sure where it’s not entirely true…you kinda confirmed my statement there,
.
@PHRoG
Too much moisture could allow it to mold, but I have NEVER had a bag of popcorn mold on it’s own. Lack of popping is lack of moisture in the kernel. If the ambient humidity is greater than 14% typically how would moisture be a problem affecting popping? I
@chienfou @PHRoG Ambient humidity under 35% is going to suck moisture out of a kernel that’s 14%. Ambient humidity of 50 to 70% probably will give you an open container shelf life of 6 months or more. Ambient humidity higher than that… Trust me, you don’t want to live there. It’s all relative.
@PHRoG @werehatrack
I think you are confusing ambient humidity with % moisture.
A food’s % moisture is just that. How much water by weight.
Ambient humidity is a reflection of the relative amount of moisture any given air temp can hold before it settles out as dew etc. If your air was 14% moisture it would feel VERY wet. (about 175 gm of water in a cubic meter of air, or about 2x the water that air can possibly hold at 50°C (122°F) when it’s at 100% humidity – about 8 times what it can hold at 25°C (77°F).)
@docflash @Kyeh Amazon, believe it or not…
@docflash @pskemp2 Thanks! I went looking online and found Amish popcorn so I ordered from there; the prices were pretty good, I thought, though you do have to pay shipping.
Question, if I mix butter and olive oil while cooking it keeps the butter from burning. Why can’t you do that when making popcorn? My wife is an air popper gal but I got her one of those silicone microwave bowls and now that is all she uses
I had one of these like the stir crazy but without the stirring when I was a kid and you could make caramel popcorn with it but it was such a PITA to clean up
@oldmantick Coconut oil is surprisingly effective in these things. It doesn’t taste as coconutty as I expected, and it’s a decent alternative to other oils.
@oldmantick @wickhameh I use walnut oil for popcorn popper. Doesn’t smoke/burn like butter, and kind of adds a nice fleck of nutty flavor.
@oldmantick I guess you could try it… I’d be concerned about it burning the butter though (the milk solids?) Maybe use clarified butter, I have no idea how hot the plate actually gets.
@oldmantick @robson
our solution was always to throw the butter in with the kernels after the oil was hot.
/giphy withdrawn-weathered-apricot
Got this the last time they had it available. Still going strong - actually used it last night.
Got this here last time it was offered. Love it. As others have already said, the quality of the popcorn you buy makes a huge difference, so definitely recommend spending a bit more for a quality brand like Bob’s Red Mill instead of store-brand or such.
Bought one a couple years ago after seeing B-in-L use his. Works great.
Quick survey: Do you pour all your popcorn in at once in the beginning, or do you put two kernels in and wait for them to pop before adding the rest?
@wickhameh you let it heat the oil up and then pour it all in.
@PHRoG @wickhameh First it puts the heat on its oil and then it gets the corn.
IME, if your microwave popcorn leaves a nasty aftertexture in your mouth, you’re using shitty microwave popcorn.
OBTW, the original version of onion rings at Burger King were the absolute worst about that gross aftertexture thing, and it was obvious that they were made from finely chopped and reshaped onion bits because every single one of them was exactly the same size and shape. I’m told that BK still has “onion rings” on their menu, but there’s no way in hell that I will ever make the mistake of ordering them again. They’re nastier than those cheapass gas station prepackaged fried “pies”.
Sorry, air popper FTW
Got one of these in a IRK last year-not bad at all and still use it.
/buy
@uvassassin It worked! Your order number is: sharp-bawling-sandman
/image sharp bawling sandman
Heresy of the Day: I don’t really care for popcorn. I’ll occasionally try a handful when it’s around, but I don’t go looking for it.
You are all welcome to my share.
@macromeh Thank you! [off to melt some butter]
YES! Our old one died and we wanted a new one. So glad I saw this today. These things work great.
I have no storage. sigh
Got one last year and love it. Just used it last night! Fantastic popcorn maker.
I really like this unit to the point that I purchased another one the last time these were on sale here. They seem to be of sturdy build, and my current one is still plugging along after about a year. We use it at least once a week.
Lovely idea for us popcorn-krazy kidz, but months after purchase, my popcorn still has a plastic taste. Still…worth…iiiit?
/buy
@artulo It worked! Your order number is: unwilling-darling-mink
/image unwilling darling mink
/showme popcorn everywhere
/buy
@bfmiller It worked! Your order number is: complex-bleary-fact
/image complex bleary fact
Anyone know the status on this one? Ordered on 1/26, still says “Processing”
@theangryintern They seem to be a little slow recently, my order from 1/24 also still says it’s processing. This thing is great, though, so it should be worth the wait!
@ircon96 @theangryintern A “little” slow? Their info says it should arrive by Feb 2 at the latest. It’s Feb 3, and hasn’t even shipped yet. Meh set the expectation, not the customer. Trouble in paradise?
@beachhead @ircon96 @theangryintern Ice storms in paradise- they’re in Texas.
@theangryintern I have 2 items due Feb 2-6, and 1 due Feb 6. All say processing. Typical delivery from TX to MA takes 5 days, so even if they get them out today I won’t see them until next week. I’ll remember this going forward before buying more.
@theangryintern also, all my items were bought on the 27th and my CC was charged.
@derek17j I got my shipping email on Saturday, so mine is on the way.