Why does my popcorn burn, and why does the “popcorn” button leave so many kernels unpopped?
Anantheswaran says microwave popcorn pops differently because of such variable factors as brand of popcorn, brand of oven, quality of the kernels, quality of the bag, age of the product and whether the product is salted. Joy Daniel, senior manager of product development for Sharp Electronics Corp., explains that popcorn buttons differ in two ways. A “timed” popcorn button is designed to cook for a pre-set time based on the average cooking time for consumer popcorn brands. A “sensor” popcorn button will shut the oven off as soon as it senses a certain level of humidity indicating the popcorn is fully popped. “Microwave popcorn may have more unpopped kernels because the manufacturers are less concerned with popping all the kernels than with providing the indicated quantity,” Daniel says. “The manufacturers include more kernels to make sure the corn pops to a full bag every time.” • What is the best covering for food? Daniel says paper towels are best for breads, rolls and muffins. Wax pa
