Any microwave ovens available with pop sensors?

My 8-10 year old Sharp microwave oven has died from a shorted HV capacitor. I'll probably fix it, if the part is still available.

If not, I'd like my next oven to "listen" to popcorn, and shut off after the popping rate slows to a threshold level. My current oven's popcorn mode always comes up about 40 seconds short.

Are there any current models with "ears"?

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You can't stand still in the kitchen for 3 minutes and listen with your own ears???

Most of the ovens I have seen that have a popcorn auto-setting do it by sensing the amount of moisture in the oven. It guarantees that the popcorn doesn't burn, but it (as you say) grossly underestimates the cooking time leaving lots of unpopped kernels.

We just bought a new 1200 watt Sharp and I have yet to find a power setting and time combination that does a good bag of popcorn. I think the wattage might simply be too high and the lower power levels do nothing more than cycle full power off and on at different intervals. Our older Panasonic 1000 watter did a perfect bag of corn at 2:35 with almost no unpopped kernels. On the new one I have to choose between many unpopped kernels or burnt corn. I point this out because even with me standing there listening to the popping I still can't get good results. That means an oven that did its own listening (if such a thing exists) might not do any better if the power level is not correct.

our panasonic inverter microwave 2 cubic foot has a great popcorn button. but no ears. plenty big enough and a nice reheat mode and keep warm mode. has function of the beep programmable to OFF which is just as important as finding a quiet dishwasher. NN-T964SF. sf means stainless front i guess. we bought 8/2004

see also review at:

Hmm, you may be right. Our two small Panasonic units in the office break room died, (they did perfect popcorn), They were replaced with big commercial grade units with higher power and no turntables. =20 The exhibit the same problem. If you wait for the last 30 kernels to pop, it'll burn. =20

I think the issue with these is that hot spots develop and start burning before all the kernels have popped. =20

And, no, I don't have the patience to stand in one spot for 3-4 minutes waiting for popcorn to finish. I'm usually doing something else in the meantime, and forget to listen. It shuts off early or late, leaving it incomplete or burnt. (Popcorn simply has no margin for error.)

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Hmm, you may be right. Our two small Panasonic units in the office break room died, (they did perfect popcorn), They were replaced with big commercial grade units with higher power and no turntables. The exhibit the same problem. If you wait for the last 30 kernels to pop, it'll burn.

I think the issue with these is that hot spots develop and start burning before all the kernels have popped.

And, no, I don't have the patience to stand in one spot for 3-4 minutes waiting for popcorn to finish. I'm usually doing something else in the meantime, and forget to listen. It shuts off early or late, leaving it incomplete or burnt. (Popcorn simply has no margin for error.)

If you pop the same type, it's usually easy enought to figure out the time to the best pop, and then set the timer to that for all your future popcorn cook times. Popcorn kernels have a specific moisture content (13% as I rcall) and if the weight and power are the same then there's no reason why the same time shouldn't give fairly repeatable results.

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I was going to say the same thing. Not to put down the OP, but how lazy have we become? What's next? A remote that will come to you when you call it???

Hey.....wait a minute...........

;-]

Here's something I want: A way to start my oven using my cell phone, so I can put dinner into a preheated oven the moment I walk in the door.

Most ovens have timers that will do that, but I guess YOU have to be on a "regular timer" for it to work (in other words, you have to come home at the same time)...

Unfortunately, "regular time" does not exist in my home. I have a teenage son. :-) His favorite saying: "Dad, how many times do I have to tell you? Things aren't happening until they're happening. I can't plan like you do".

That's the point I was trying to make. Same at my house. We have a sit-down meal with the entire family maybe once a month. Could be at 5:30, could be at 8:30...

This never ceases to amaze me: My son and his core posse are all high-achievers, especially in match & science. Even with their ability to juggle numbers in a way I can only dimly remember from my youth, they cannot figure out that you can't go to Laser Quest, go to swim practice, do 2 hours' worth of homework, fold your laundry, go to the library AND......give dad time to make the dinner you begged for (BBQ chicken).....all in one hour, with me as the chauffeur.

I think you can get such a thing, but I forgot where.

I can hear the cycling on my microwave, when it's set for less than full power.

BTW, this microwave is around 20 years old and still works. It came from Penney's when they sold things other than clothes.

Thanks, Mark. :-)

Came with a probe that you plug in? About as big as a 20" tv??

I had one! My brother has it now and it still works!

I used to work for a drug store in the early 80s (Treasury Drug) and we were a division of J C Penney. I got married while I was still working there. We got 20% discount on anything from Penny's. Needless to say, every appliance and piece of furniture I owned was from them.

I was in a Pennys just before Christmas and I think that was the first time I had been in one in about 15 years.....

We just got a new MW at Sears. It has a popcorn setting, and it leaves about a dozen kernels unpopped. Close enough for me.

I'm not sure of the model, but it's large and has a rounded inside.

"Dan Espen" wrote

There's an old joke out there somewhere which has a punchline of

"But how do it know???!!!"

;-]

Yes, I was going to say, I have no idea, but I guess I do. After popping a while, it beeps then it shows seconds remaining. (I think about 30 or 40 seconds.) So it must be reading the steam, not listening for pops.

It's more accurate than I am listening to pops. At least so far.

I don't eat popcorn much anymore, but I remember there were some brands that were better than others (when it came to most of the kernels popping or not).