Having recently reacquired my taste for popcorn and being disgusted by the high price and mediocre flavor of microwave popcorn I thought it was a perfect time to break out the old hot air popcorn popper (More commonly know in these parts as a small fluid bed coffee roaster.) that had been patiently sitting on a shelf here for two decades or so waiting to be recalled to service. Tonight it got its chance! I pulled the popper off the shelf where it had sat all these many years and tore off the plastic grocery bag Id wrapped it up in before putting it into cold storage. Having been nicely protected it required very little cleaning. I gave all the parts a quick wash and wipe down and then got down to business.
I carefully filled the built in measuring cup with the popcorn Id bought earlier in the day and put some butter in the melting tray. I then crossed my fingers and flipped the switch and was rewarded with a loud roaring from the (Sunbeam) Great American Popcorn Machine II. I let it run for a couple of minutes to clear out any dust or what-not from sitting all those years and then dumped the popcorn into the roaring maw. I put the big metal bowl under the chute to catch the popped kernels as they came floating out on their bed of air.
I hovered over the popper as the kernels whirled round and round waiting for the popping to begin and admiring the even melting of the pats of butter. And then.....there it was! A muffled *pop* but nothing (Im sorry but I cant give you the time to First Pop as I didnt have my roasting software running.) came out the chute. And a second muffled *pop*. But still nothing coming out of the chute! Then in quick succession several kernels burst with each *pop* getting louder and clearer. Suddenly a kernel came popping out of the chute. WooHoo!! We have popcorn! I reach out to grab this ceremonial first piece of popcorn and just as Im about to grab it there erupts a rapid fire series of explosions in the popping chamber and my hand is being blasted with searingly hot unpopped popcorn that is all of a sudden blasting out of the chute at the speed of sound!
I quickly yank my hand back and as I do so the kernels instead of hitting my hand now hit the big mixing bowl and due to their speed ricochet right out! Then the popped corn comes flying out as well. Where was this gentle wafting of corn that I had in my memory of this machine? Apparently theyve been giving popcorn steroids over the intervening 20 years since the poppers last use and theres some pent up rage issues with the corn as well it appears! D-Day is now being reenacted in my popper and Im busily trying to block seeds and popcorn from escaping the immediate area of the counter where the popper was. Id already given up on the idea of keeping them all in the bowl. That simply was not going to happen!
Once the immediate surprise had passed the humor of the situation set in and I went from giggles to full throated laughter as Im trying to bat the flying seeds and popcorn at least onto the counter top if not actually back into the bowl from which they are ricocheting. Eventually enough popcorn is in the bowl to prevent most of the pieces from ricocheting madly about the room and not too much later all the popping is done. So I pour my perfectly melted butter over the popcorn I had along with a little salt and enjoyed it. All while making a mental note to only use a third as much popcorn next time and to be prepared with 2 pan lids for use as deflector shields!
Java "Still finding seeds!" phile

I carefully filled the built in measuring cup with the popcorn Id bought earlier in the day and put some butter in the melting tray. I then crossed my fingers and flipped the switch and was rewarded with a loud roaring from the (Sunbeam) Great American Popcorn Machine II. I let it run for a couple of minutes to clear out any dust or what-not from sitting all those years and then dumped the popcorn into the roaring maw. I put the big metal bowl under the chute to catch the popped kernels as they came floating out on their bed of air.
I hovered over the popper as the kernels whirled round and round waiting for the popping to begin and admiring the even melting of the pats of butter. And then.....there it was! A muffled *pop* but nothing (Im sorry but I cant give you the time to First Pop as I didnt have my roasting software running.) came out the chute. And a second muffled *pop*. But still nothing coming out of the chute! Then in quick succession several kernels burst with each *pop* getting louder and clearer. Suddenly a kernel came popping out of the chute. WooHoo!! We have popcorn! I reach out to grab this ceremonial first piece of popcorn and just as Im about to grab it there erupts a rapid fire series of explosions in the popping chamber and my hand is being blasted with searingly hot unpopped popcorn that is all of a sudden blasting out of the chute at the speed of sound!
I quickly yank my hand back and as I do so the kernels instead of hitting my hand now hit the big mixing bowl and due to their speed ricochet right out! Then the popped corn comes flying out as well. Where was this gentle wafting of corn that I had in my memory of this machine? Apparently theyve been giving popcorn steroids over the intervening 20 years since the poppers last use and theres some pent up rage issues with the corn as well it appears! D-Day is now being reenacted in my popper and Im busily trying to block seeds and popcorn from escaping the immediate area of the counter where the popper was. Id already given up on the idea of keeping them all in the bowl. That simply was not going to happen!
Once the immediate surprise had passed the humor of the situation set in and I went from giggles to full throated laughter as Im trying to bat the flying seeds and popcorn at least onto the counter top if not actually back into the bowl from which they are ricocheting. Eventually enough popcorn is in the bowl to prevent most of the pieces from ricocheting madly about the room and not too much later all the popping is done. So I pour my perfectly melted butter over the popcorn I had along with a little salt and enjoyed it. All while making a mental note to only use a third as much popcorn next time and to be prepared with 2 pan lids for use as deflector shields!
Java "Still finding seeds!" phile


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