Popcorn of the Future

As mentioned in this post, I consider myself a popcorn connoisseur.  I find it hard to pass up popcorn poppers in whatever form they may take.  I bought this Amana Radarange MWP-1 microwave popcorn popper at an estate sale in Lemay, Missouri last Saturday for $1.  It reminds me of an inverted Gemini space capsule.

As it turns out, this was the first microwave popcorn popper available and I believe it dates from the late '60's to early '70's.  This was, of course, prior to all of the bagged variety you can buy now.  You simply load 1/2 cup of popcorn into the cone shaped receiver which rests in a cup, no oil required (or allowed for that matter).  Set the microwave on high for 3 1/2 minutes.  According to the manual, the cup concentrates all of the microwaves into the bottom of the receiver where the kernels are sitting, allowing the popped kernels to rise above and not get burned.  The cup stays hot after popping, so it's possible there's some type of metal in there that attracts the waves and heats just the cup.

Like air-popped popcorn, it's pretty dry when done.  There were good number of unpopped kernels.  I might have extended the popping time better results.  Add plenty of butter and salt and it's pretty tasty.