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❖ You can use any kind of cooking oil (corn, vegetable, peanut, olive, canola, sesame etc.) or any kind of solid shortening or lard
in the popper. No more than 2 tablespoons should be used for any batch of popcorn. Feel free to mix oils or shortenings. Butter
and margarine may be used. When cooked at high temperatures, like those in the microwave popper, butter and margarine both
tend to brown, imparting a different, but delicious flavor.
❖ You can preseason your corn by adding salt and other fine powdered seasonings to the oil prior to popping. Avoid the use, how-
ever, of cheese powders or powders made with granulated sugar or chocolate, as they tend to burn. They may be added to corn
after popping. See recipes on pages 5 through 7.
❖ If you want oil flavored popcorn, but don’t want the added fat or calories that oil gives you, either before or after popping, spray
popcorn with a no-stick cooking spray. This will give you a hint of oil flavor and will also allow salts and other seasonings to
stick to the popcorn better. For a hint of butter flavored popcorn, use the butter flavored sprays.
❖ If you like extra butter or margarine on your popcorn, you can add more after popping. Simply place a few
1
⁄
8
-inch pats of butter/
margarine on the popped corn, cover popper, and reinsert in the microwave oven for approximately 20 seconds. Butter/margarine
will melt and can then be mixed through.
❖ You can enjoy the taste of theater popcorn with less harmful fats by using a butter flavored oil, like Orville Redenbacher’s
®
Gourmet
®
Buttery Flavor
®
Popping Oil.
Questions and Answers
1. Sometimes I get a lot of unpopped kernels and scorched corn. Why?
A number of things may be causing this:
a. You may have forgotten to use the PowerBase
™
concentrator or PowerCup
®
concentrator. Quality of popped corn will
diminish if the PowerBase
™
concentrator or PowerCup
®
concentrator are not both used.
b. Your PowerCup
®
concentrator needs to be replaced.
c. You were not using the High setting on your microwave oven.
d. Your microwave oven may have areas where microwave energy is not evenly distributed. Next time you use the popper,
try positioning the popper in a different location inside the microwave oven.
e. Your microwave oven and the Presto
®
popper do not work together. Presto’s engineers tested a wide variety of mi-
crowave ovens in the design phase of the unit and did not find a microwave oven, in which the popper fit, which did
not perform superbly. It is possible, however, that an oven exists which does not work well with the popper. Presto
would be very interested if you have such an oven. Please write or call Presto if you believe this is the case.
2. How many unpopped kernels are considered normal for a batch of popped corn?
The number of unpopped kernels will vary depending on the quality and freshness of the corn used, the microwave oven
used, and the condition of the PowerCup
®
concentrator. If the instructions are followed correctly, as indicated on page
3, on the first use you will usually get anywhere from 1 unpopped kernel to 1 teaspoon unpopped kernels. Fresh corn
and premium corn will give you the best results. You should always get fewer unpopped kernels than microwave bagged
corn. If you consistently get a lot of unpopped kernels, review this Question and Answer section.
3. How many batches of popcorn should I be able to pop with each PowerCup
®
concentrator?
The number of uses will vary from microwave to microwave. When popping with oil, you should be able to make up to
12 batches with each concentrator. When popping without oil, you should be able to make up to 24 batches with each
concentrator.
4. After the initial use, the PowerCup
®
concentrator looks dark and discolored. Should I continue to use it?
Yes. The concentrator does discolor after use and will become more discolored the more you use it. The discoloration is
normal and does not affect popping.
5. What can I do to maximize the number of uses I get out of each PowerCup
®
concentrator when popping with oil?
After each use, wipe concentrator with a damp cloth to remove salt and oil residue. Do not soak concentrator in water or
use abrasives to clean it. Always remove concentrator from popping bowl before coating popcorn with toppings, such as
caramel sauce.
6. There is oil residue, salt, and other seasonings on the concentrator after I make salted or flavored popcorn. May I
wash the concentrator?
As water tends to cause the layers of the PowerCup
®
concentrator to separate, washing is not recommended. Between
batches, oil and salt residue can be easily removed by wiping the concentrator with a damp cloth. Prior to storage for later
uses or after making flavored popcorn, you may feel a more complete cleaning is needed. You may rinse the concentrator
under warm water and gently wipe away any food residue. Do not scrub or use abrasives. To remove excess moisture
from the concentrator, pat dry with a towel prior to storing in your popper.
Note: Do not attempt to dry the concentrator in the microwave. Drying in the microwave will damage both the concen
-
trator and popper.
4