Popcorn in a microwave oven!

Well, maybe the Subject line got your attention. I just wanted to vent a little and warn others of this potential problem. My 2 year old Whirlpool microwave oven started producing a burning plastic type of smell. I didn't notice it at the time, but it was always when we did a bag of popcorn. The oven has a "popcorn" button on it, after all. Well, after a few weeks of sometimes smelling and sometimes not, the turntable stopped rotating. I removed the glass turntable and attempted to remove the plastic roller "spider" unit and it wouldn't come out. After doing some Google searches, others said it may not come up easily, so a little force in in order. I pried with a large screwdriver and it come out with not too much problem. However, hole in the bottom of the spider was definitely burned. So I proceeded to remove the motor. After more Googling, I found that Whirlpool put in a cover plate at the bottom of the oven which must be cut out with side cutters. Replacement was easy as you flip it 180 degrees, put the tabs in the slots and add a screw at the other end. Cute design! I removed the motor and its shaft end was also burned. The motor was rated at 30 volts AC, so I bench tested it with 30 volts AC and it rotated fine. I called my appliance parts guru and asked about the 2 parts, the motor and the spider. He said, "Ah making popcorn?" Together they were about $100. He said the bag transfers so much heat through the glass to the spider and shaft causing it to melt down and burn. Nice, Whirlpool, you put a popcorn button on a machine that will self destruct if you try to use it to make popcorn. I managed to moto-tool out the 1/2" diameter rotating plastic piece in the motor, making a 1/4" flatted shaft hole. I then fabricated a 1/4" flatted shaft from a piece of plastic and epoxied it in place. It was still able to grip the flatted hole in the spider. All is fixed and working now. When we do popcorn now, we put an old, I don't care if it breaks, plate under the bag. The middle of the plate becomes too hot to touch after just on bag. If this repair breaks, I'll probably get a 1/4" nylon screw and form the shaft from that. Or, I noticed on ebay, you can buy the exact oven for about $70 used .... basically, a boatload of parts for future fixes. BTW, my previous microwave oven, a built in GE, I think, never had this problem. It made 100s of bags of popcorn in its life and is probably still going strong in my previous house.

Also, Whirlpool WILL NOT SELL YOU THE PART due to "safety concerns". Thanks again Whirlpool for being a great company. I know there are many places on line where you can get the parts, albeit at a premium price. But I'm sure, if you had factory service replace the parts, they would cost the same or more.

Reply to
Art Todesco
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[snip looooong tale of woe]

There's a very simple solution: stop using your microwave to make popcorn, and get one of these instead:

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It will pay for itself rapidly with the money you'll save buying bulk popcorn instead of those stupid little microwave bags. And it does a waaaaaayyyyy better job of making popcorn, too.

Reply to
Doug Miller

It may be pushing the envelope to blame the maker for a design fault that stops the device only after two years' use. If you think safety is an issue, and the oven has an Underwriters' Laboratory sticker (was tested there), you could inquire whether they still have an interest.

Reply to
Don Phillipson

Don't eat popcorn, it's bad for you. Buttered small popcorn at the theater has about 3000 calories.

Reply to
LSMFT

Unless you always happen to enjoy that toxic chemical factory explosion smell from the fake butter an alternative is to just use one of these:

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Ours is probably 10 years old. It uses plain popcorn, doesn't heat up the glass and no oil is needed.

Reply to
George

But what about that great chemical factory explosion smell from the fake butter?

Reply to
George

No kidding. Is it true they don't teach grammar or other English skills in school anymore? At any rate, there is a reason why paragraps developed. I couldn't manage to read more than a couple lines of the OP. OP, for your own benefit, you should learn to use them. Google "topic sentence" paragraph and you'll probably get lots of info.

I didn't think they used butter, just yellow flavoring. Seriously. Maybe art theatres use butter, or in expensive neighborhoods, but gnereally I thought they didn't.

Reply to
mm

I've got you beat. Mine is 54 years old. I was iirc (I was only 10) a premium from a popcorn company, or at least a much reduced price with proofs of purchase. This was before Orville Redenbacher even sold popcorn, at least where we lived, but probalby everywhere. Either my mother or I have had my pot for 54 years now. It does need oil in the bottom. It's just a big pot with a lid that fits.

Yours is only 22 dollars, I'll admit, but I've thought about remaking my own if I ever ruin it. (I've dropped he lid and bent the edge, and when I bend it back, it's not quite as round as it was, but so far so good. The lid has a handle sort of like (| but sideways, where | is the top of the pot, with about a 4mm hole in the lid and the handle, and a metal rod going through both. Abvoe the lid, the rod turns sideways for 3 or 4 inches and then bends up to hold a loose fitting, rotating knob.

Inside the pot, it goes down the middle almost to the bottom, where it turns almost horizontal to go close to bottom of the pot and reach almost to the side of the pot, but an inch from the edge turns clockwise a little, I guess to scoop up unpopped corn from the outside and put it closer to the center.

I only go into this detail, because one could make one of these himself. Pots are easy to get (you need one with a handle so the wire rod won't flop around, but you could even rivet a handle on a regular lid. I do think my pot has vents on the side of the lid. I'll look if someone wants. The only slightly hard part would be getting rod the right diameter, but all it needs is to weak enough that you can bend it, and strong enough that it won't bend by itself. How hard is that. That the crank is on the top has never bothered me. A little steam probably comes out the hole around the rod, but I've never noticed. I do notice that after 54 years, and periods where I ate popcorn every day or two for months, the hole is a little bigger than it was. :)

Reply to
mm

Paper plate. Won't get hot. Won't transfer heat to the carousel. Cheap.

Reply to
Larry Fishel

It ain't butter. And popcorn minus the used motor oil and salt they pour over it is actually a fairly sin-free snack on most diets. Fills you up with mainly air.

Reply to
aemeijers

Absolute nonsense.

The problem there is the faux butter, not the popcorn. Popcorn is a very low-calorie food.

Reply to
Doug Miller

Yes, it will.

Yes, it will.

Reply to
Doug Miller

...and in the top 2-3 fiber foods. If you ever get uncomfortably constipated, start eating popcorn and drink lotsa water. You WILL move.

nb

Reply to
notbob

2990 in the butter.
Reply to
clare

I use a simple paper towel folded in half under the center section of pop corn bags to act as a thermal insulator... the carousel does still pick up little heat, but it's negligible. I do the same with frozen TV dinners, and other items that tend to transfer large heat loads to the carousel.

I think an inverted paper plate would work as well, or possibly a bit better. A foam or plastic plate would not be a good idea for pop corn use, and as always, carefully monitor all pop corn preparation in microwaves.

I use the pop corn 'sensor' setting on my microwave and have noticed that the paper towel insulator method very much decreases both the time for kernels to begin popping, and total popping time.

Erik

Reply to
Erik

I like using jiffy pop, the kind in the aluminum shaker. We find then near campsites, but very hard to find otherwise. A grocery near our campground sells them.

Popcorn is a difficult load for microwave. To small an area. Almost better to also put in a cup of water.

Greg

Reply to
zek

I use a double paper towel sheet...works like a charm. =3D=3D

Reply to
Roy

Get a hot air popper, use actual corn kernals, and add real butter and salt when it's finished. Much easier, faster, safer, lower in calories and MUCH higher in taste.

Reply to
tmclone

My microwave doesn't have that problem - it has no carousel - it has a rotating antennae instead. Old Quasar (about 25 years old) - the antennae disk had a problem (arc burn) within the first year under warranty, but the unit has been rock solid dependable ever since. oes an excellent job on popcorn when I do it - but my wife often manages to burn the popcorn.

Reply to
clare

That's why they have corn fed hogs I suppose.

Reply to
LSMFT

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