[Hyperfixed] has a podcast episode that does a deep dive into exactly why bags of microwave popcorn advise against using your microwave’s popcorn setting (in North America, anyway.) The answer is probably more complex than one expects, and involves the long history of microwave oven development as well as consumer behavior.
There are really two questions involved: one is “what does the Popcorn button actually do?” The other is “Why does every package of microwave popcorn say not to use it?”
The answer to the first question is “it depends”. Microwave ovens are amazing things, but the popcorn setting on any given microwave oven could be anything from just a dumb timer, to a setting that tells the oven to monitor popping sounds or humidity levels (because popping releases steam). These kinds of microwave oven features were figured out ages ago, meaning the technology to precisely handle a bag of microwave popcorn not only exists in equipped ovens right now, but has existed for decades.
The problem is not all microwaves are so equipped. A microwave oven where the popcorn setting is just a dumb timer is really an invitation to under- or overcook the bag. And when overcooked, microwave popcorn scorches and could even burn.
That brings us to the answer of the second question: why does every package warn not to use the popcorn setting? In short, because the popcorn maker has no idea what any given user’s microwave oven is doing. When people hit a button marked “Popcorn” they tend to leave the process unattended, and when a microwave oven ruins a bag of popcorn, the user blames the popcorn manufacturer.
This means microwave popcorn manufacturers stick to some variant of the only process known to work in all ovens: monitor the process, wait for popping to slow to a rate of one pop every two seconds, then stop.
That’s the quick answer, but [Hyperfixed] goes in a ton of researched detail across the entire spectrum of this issue. If deep-dive niche technical podcasts are your thing, we recommend queuing it up for a listen.
A better answer is not to eat microwaved foods as they may contain chemicals known to cause cancer.
How is that? I thought microwave just excited water molecules. What kind of chemicals do a microwave oven help to produce which are not present in other kind of cooked food?
They mean “microwaved foods” as in “ultra-processed junk food designed to be quickly prepared in a microwave” rather than “any food prepared in a microwave”. Although really “minimising consumption of junk food is good for you” is better advice than “AVOID X BECAUSE SCARY CHEMICAL”.
Most countries have functioning regulatory agencies where food sold for human consumption doesn’t really have any significant level of toxic chemicals, even in the junk food. We’re very good at detecting the presence of compounds which have been shown to cause cancer in rats, but that’s invariably when they’re forcefed 1000x the quantity you will ever consume in a year every day for a month. That’s information for the aforementioned regulatory agencies to act on, not individuals.
At what point does a food become ultra-processed? How can we tell?
If it’s ready to eat right out of a can or jar or from frozen package, heat and serve, assume it’s ultraprocessed
If it’s not still trying to bite you, it’s probably ultra-processed according to somebody.
Some food is ultra-processed by default, because it lacks appropriate fangs.
just walk it through the kitchen.
100% of cancers have been found to contain dihydrogen monoxide which has a known interaction with consumer microwave frequencies.
Dihydrogen monoxide is extremely dangerous. People are routinely far to casual handling it without appropriate PPE.
even cats understand how dangerous it is.
Well, hot water is indeed considered as a group-2A carcinogen, so..
Dihydrogen monoxide causes over 300,000 deaths globally each year. People are much too complacent with it.
The government funds massive underground distribution networks of dihydrogen monoxide … WAKE UP, SHEEPLE!
MMM, PFA’s in the bag lining.
My preference is untreated popcorn in a brown paper lunch bag. No need for additives or preservatives.
Apparently the Whirlpool AccuPop exists. Too expensive and internet enabled for my taste though. No doubt a cheap micro could offer the same popcorn cooking with an offline experience.
An entry for the next 555 contest, using a microphone to restart a delay after each pop, use the delay to set the maximum duration between pops, when the timer runs out it triggers the stop button.
Pro tip: It may be internet enabled, but it’s not internet-connected unless you give it your wifi login.
So does the air you breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat. (Also the water the food you eat absorbs/drinks)
Whats your point? You could get hit by a bus crossing the street tomorrow. Why not just enjoy a bag of popcorn every now and then if you want to.
It’s often less that the person is upset with consuming popcorn and being happy. It’s usually more that they’re upset with others consuming popcorn and being happy. They should not have that choice!
There are statistically speaking probably some sane people who have personal problems with popcorn for themselves. You just never hear from them.
I am one such. It arises from the absurd claim on each package: “3.5 servings per bag”. Riiiiiiight…I am unable to stop until the old men and burny-bottoms are gone.
So I only eat popcorn at the movies. The ultra-large cup. Which of course is half gone by the time the movie starts.
Hey now, I have Crohn’s disease and popcorn is like eating hundreds of tiny razorblades. I could live life a curmudgeon and despise those who enjoy popcorn, but I’m too lethargic from the Crohn’s to be bothered.
Known to cause cancer – or just known to cause cancer in California? ;)
Like, burned stuff. But otherwise? I’ve investigated this a few years ago; the only known thing is that is breaks hydrogen bonds in some antioxidants. So don’t microwave your berries, but otherwise it’s comparable to pan-heating.
It’s all soaked in glyphosate anyway, may as well nuke it.
Nuh uh. Cancer is caused by a witch’s curse.
My wellness consultant’s app told her so.
That’s why you need more crystals to protect you.
I also have a helmet rated to protect me from 7g radiation. Or maybe it is rated to 7g. Either way!
Now to invent a microwave with a popcorn setting that listens for the popcorn to stop popping, without sending everything to the internet.
You can just buy one :)
https://gizmodo.com/the-perfect-microwave-listens-to-popcorn-popping-so-it-1532655006
What most of us will really care about is the microwave’s AccuPop Cycle that automatically adapts the cooking time for a bag of popcorn by listening to how frequently the kernels are popping using a sound sensor. When the time between pops reaches a pre-determined duration, the microwave turns off so you’re left with a snack that’s not burnt to a crisp.
We mustn’t let this technology fall into Russian hands.
Holds popcorn in front of radar tube…
Excellent addition to mention ‘without sending everything to the internet’.
You have to specify such things for sure.
I was reading this hoping to be told about how to unlock a secret popcorn mode on my microwave oven. Disappointed that it’s just North American microwaves.
Press your popcorn button 3 times, note what it says in the display each time. Thank me later.
the first press will be the longest duration, while the third the shortest.
Yes, yes. And did you know those three settings are for different bag sizes? Because popcorn makers still inexplicably sell those tiny bags of popcorn, as it a full size bag isn’t already a single serving for one person.
I never use the popcorn button because I’m my experience the time is always too short, and it leaves too many unpopped kernels. I guess microwave manufacturers (at least, the ones who make the cheep microwaves I buy) took to heart the concerns about burnt popcorn, and decided to ensure that won’t happen by just undercooking every bag.
Is this the “popcorn” button a consumer-grade function? I have owned exactly two microwave ovens in my life, both commercial-grade: A Toshiba from 1987 that gave daily service until replaced in 2018, and a Panasonic since then. Neither had/have a “popcorn” button or function.
(Neither have that rotating platter nonsense either –one of the reasons I bought commercial-grade.)
The rotation is for uniform heating, as the microwaves have a wavelenght between 1 and 1000 mm and some position on the plate might be skipped from the interaction with the microwaves or get to much or to little.
Yes, and the really good (and I guess commercial) ones have a rotating antenna instead.
Exactly.
And six flat easy-to-wipe-clean interior surfaces.
What I’ve heard of used a “stirrer” reflector underneath the flat bed, rotating the antenna would be hard. Combined with inverter variable power it is much better than your standard $65 rotating plate models.
I’ve never personally once ever seen a “do not use the popcorn microwave button” notice. I’m interested in the podcast, but to my knowledge? I’ve never had popcorn burn with the button over 4 different models of microwave. These days I go full Mcguyver, with a huge bags of kernels, oil and a stainless steel pot with a lid. But when I’m in offices on ocassion even then the popcorn button works. Maybe I’m incredibly lucky, but it was always my assumption that the manufacturers program the button using the universal standard of knowing the standard size of a bag. Maybe its also because all the bagged popcorn I’ve ever had is by the same two major brands. I assume you are more likely to run into this issue if you’re getting odd sizes or brands of popcorn but even then I’d wonder, “Why would a brand of popcorn not make a bag that’s close to a standard established simply by what’s most common?”. As I’ve heard it said before, when you have a pattern or consistency, you create the standard.
Agreed, I’ve never seen it either. My microwave just uses a preset time which turns out to be almost exactly the correct amount – I’ve never had to stop it early because it had stopped popping.
US microwave sellers, convince me your programming VCR kind of microwave commandeering is what I have been missing since 1997.
Bought simple two-dials microwave (power/time) and never looked back. Nothing to break. Simple thing that works. Directions are on each package. Wattage whatever it was cheapest in 1997, probably underpowered 700, I am quite sure.
Make and sell me a microwave that will have both, ubbity-dubity bluetooth glowing screen happy face all whistles included microwave that will ALSO sport two mentioned dials, power/time, and sell me for under $100. I am listening for the offers from Ether.
Regardless, popcorn is not something we consume on regular basis, tough luck, actually our microwave gets used on average maybe ten times a week. We cook food on normal gas-powered stove, usual food, some starting from scratch, so microwave is mostly for heating cold coffee or slow defrosting frozen stuffs. Sell me the idea it can be used for something other than. I am listening.
I went for a basic digital one – it’s very difficult to set <1 minute times on the dial ones I’ve used.
But little value in the rest of it.
You don’t use a microwave like you’re programming a VCR, grandpa. It has a keypad. You use it like you’re dialing a phone.
Ah. A rotary dial. Brats these days, always complexifying excrement all over my lawn…
all directions on microwave food is for 1100 watt microwaves. if you want to figure out how long to cook something in a 700w microwave, then its (1100/700)*cookTimeInSeconds.
Stovetop people, you cannot burn it this way it is fool proof. Also bulk vs bag pricing
And in a pinch you’ll only be $4 USD into a 1lb (~.46 kilo?) bag with 100 microwaveable brown paper lunch bags. Take that Jiffy Pop.
Er, thats a one lb popcorn bage and 100 lunch bags.
You underestimate my foolishness, I can burn anything
I’ve changed my mind, we absolutely deserve whatever horrible dystopian hell we’re headed towards. Humans are too dumb to continue. Experiment failed, start over.
Say that when they all fail, not when some of them fail. Otherwise none of your experiments will ever succeed ;)
“In North America anyway”…
Both claims of the headline are false in the U.K…!
But an interesting article.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Limpr1L8Pss
Technology Connections covered this thing some time ago, in great detail.
Another mystery is why pre-packaged microwave popcorn pop well whereas any attempt to package it myself or use an appliance fails to pop well.
On microwave you can set timer something like “7:77”, then it automatically equals to “8:17”
i don’t trust it so i always monitor but i have used the popcorn button on a couple microwaves and it has worked fairly well. and its ‘timer’ display is inscrutable gibberish so i assume it must be doing something clever like counting pops.
the trouble is, i hardly ever eat microwave popcorn so i never remember if it worked last time i tried this brand so if i’m monitoring it anyways, it doesn’t really save me any effort
You shouldn’t make microwave popcorn at all. The bags are soaked in PFAS.
Popcorn made on the stove or with a popcorn machine tastes a lot better anyways.
Well, they WERE covered in PFAS. That’s now illegal (in the US at least). Now they’re just covered in other types of microplastics that we probably haven’t studied long enough to understand how they’re dangerous.
Technology connections youtube channel had a good video on the popcorn button.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Limpr1L8Pss
im willing to accept a 10% loss in my microwaved popcorn.
what really pisses me off are those jimmy dean breakfast sandwiches. the instructions say to defrost at 30% power and then cook them. of course i got a 700w microwave, so the instructions on practically everything are wrong. but then i realized 30% 1100w is very close to 50% at 700w. at full power its roughly time plus half time, overtime math (the actual conversion factor is 1100/700). one should not have to get the calculator out every time they want a breakfast sandwich.
the way power levels work is by changing the duty cycle of the magnetron, but the frequency is really low, like on the order of 10 seconds. i guess it takes a long time to toggle a magnetron on and off. im also offsetting the food so it stays clear of the axis of the turn table, because that can create a hot or cold spot. depending on the magnitude of the standing wave at that physical location. but if i have the choice of using the convection oven or the stove, im gonna do that.
future microwaves should just have a camera that lets you scan a qr code on the food package and based on the microwave’s config handle all the settings for you. scan, place, press start.
of course then it will spy on you and probibly require a cloud account and a smart phone.
Now scanning a qr code to set the time is a cool idea.
I remember when my company’s CEO banned microwave popcorn at our company HQ, the day after a bag burned up and stunk up the entire complex just as he was giving a tour to a General Motors big-wig.
Phased out for years now from popcorn oil (but not evapes) I’m surprised no one mentioned “popcorn lung”.
The Muppet Show has a Swedish Chef skit that shows what happens when you put popcorn in the microwave.
“Doot do doot-doot doo-doot-doo, Bork Bork Bork!”
And, in my experience, the manufacturers of the (sensor-less) microwaves never let you select bag weights that the food companies really sell.
But the first couple bags in a box are for experimentation, anyway.
Why do the Japanese have instant ramen cartons where you pull a ripcord on the bottom and a chemical heater heats it up for you, but we don’t? Because in the US you’d be able to sue for the damage it caused if you mistakenly took it as a suppository, and they don’t do that in Japan.