My microwave (late GE model) for some reason did not shut off via the "popcorn" setting and totally burned a bag of microwave popcorn. The burned smell is overwhelming. The oven still seems to work OK. Any hints on getting the burned smell out? Is the oven likely damaged in any way?
thanks
the oven is not likely to be damaged .
Try wiping the inside with a little dishwashing soap and leave a dish of baking soda in it when not in use.
Check the popcorn setting , it may be too much time for the prepackaged bags.
Don't know about getting rid of the odor, but a rule-of-thumb I've heard is: when there is more than 1 second elapsed between individual kernels popping, it's time to stop the microwave. You can use this to test whether your oven's "popcorn" setting runs too long.
Mark
I don't know about the smell, but using the popcorn setting is ridiculous. Too many variables between brands & sizes. The popcorn instructions say to listen for a certain amount of time between kernels popping. How do you think the microwave oven does this? Little microphones? Detecting steam? Ha ha funny. Try reading the instructions on the box and staying near the microwave oven for the 2-3 minutes it takes out of your busy life.
Baking soda and water to wipe down the oven was my thought. Maybe even Vinegar to set in a cup over night or boil a couple table spoons a two cups of water.
I like to listen to the kernels pop; down the last few, before they burn. I tried our oven preset popcorn setting, but stick with my method.
-- Oren
"Well, it doesn't happen all the time, but when it happens, it happens constantly."
Works for me!
Too random. Without this information...
- Brand of popcorn
- size of bags
- variety of corn grown
- brand & model of microwave
....any advice is meaningless.
Here's what works for me to get rid of the smell. I put a thick (1/2 inch) slice of lemon on a plate and heat for 30 to 45 seconds. The lemon's oil boils and it seems to get rid of the popcorn smell.
Harry
"MJH" wrote:
Too funny. I discovered that you can actually set a bag of microwave popcorn on fire by cooking it too long. It helps, of course, when you open the door and the oxygen hits the smoldering bag. It took about a month for the smell to go out of the apartment, and it never did leave the microwave, so I used it outside at the barbecue area. The smoke was so dense you couldn't see anything above belt buckle high.
Here I go carrying a flaming bag of popcorn through the kitchen and out the back door, barely being able to see where I was going. The dog was going bonkers.
If you've never done it, try it. IIRC, the proper setting was 1:50, and I set it to 2:50, having momentary cerebral flatulence.
I remember the "whump!" sound when the air hit it, and it burst into flames.
Stinky stuff.
Steve
Three minutes in mine sets the bag on fire!
Steve
Except this: Listen to it, and when you don't hear a kernel pop within one second there at the end, hit STOP. Other than that, as you have stated, you have an equation with nine variables, thus infinite permutations.
Steve
I'm gonna try that next time I'm at someone else's house.
Do that, and you have no need for a popcorn setting.
I don't know about you, but microwave ovens have the most ambiguous settings of any appliance I can think of. Power levels. Defrost settings. A variety of popcorn settings.
How many times have you put something in there, and it came out uncooked, unheated, or burnt? For me, lots of times.
You have to taste it to see how hot it is. You have to cook it more.
Microwaves are just a guessing game to me. Settings don't mean jack.
Steve
Did it not shut off at all. I cook popcorn in a corporate produced bag for 4 minutes. Sometimes that's a bit too long, and sometimes it can go another 15 or 30 seconds, but rarely. Put something else in the oven that takes 5 minutes or more, and see how long the Popcorn Setting is.
To you or does it get into food that you cook in the microwave. If only the first, it will go away. I've burned popcorn in the microwave but haven't noticed any residual smell.
As long as there is something that can still be heated, including burned, in the mw, it's not going to hurt anything to run the thing.
I think, for example, if you put a drop of water in a glass and ran it for an hour, after the water was all vaporized, you'd see sparks, as if the thing were empty. I'm not sure there are sparks when it is empty but I slghtly remember that there were.
I wait until it is about 3 to 4 seconds.
Wow. I've tried calibrating mine according to the instructions on other foods, and it is usually right on the money, or sometimes 10 seconds slow. On 180 seconds that would be 18 seconds. Yet I usually go 3:45, and when I don't stop it until 4:00, I don't set any bags on fire.
I guess I should look in the back for the wattage rating. I'm schedul;ed to replace the counter in the next 3 months so maybe I'll remember to do that. Too lazy to move it now. :)
Wow. Moderately burnt popcorn is of course good in itself. I still also buy popcorn in a big bag, and use the same Jiffy-Pop popper we've used for about 45 to 50 years. It's a pot with a lid, and a crank with a handle on top, thick wire going through the middle from top to bottom, where the wire bends to horizontal, into a sweep that keeps the corn from staying in one place on the bottom. But if I ignor that, I can still burn the popcorn.
We also used to use a campfire burner over a gas stove, and burnt part of that, and over a campfire, where it is very hard to avoid burning.
But it's good. We're carbon-based, right? A little pure carbon should be good for us.
We have 3 microwaves in the house. They all pop popcorn differently. Never use the popcorn setting. Listen for the popping to almost stop is the only way.
I have had that. Cook it for minutes, and it comes out not nearly as hot as it is supposed to be, but not cold either. Hotter than room temp. What does that mean?
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