1. How long does it take to cook a batch of popcorn? Once the kettle has heated, each batch should take approximately three to four minutes. Heat the kettle for seven to nine minutes before you are ready to pop. When it is ready, pour in the oil. Toss in a few kernels to test the "poppibility." When those pop, include the rest of the kernels. Shut your lid and let it go, until you hear the popping start to slow (three to four minutes). Dump the kettle and dig in.
2. What type of oil should I use to cook popcorn? Choosing the correct oil will be your biggest decision. Oil affects the taste and the nutritional value of your popcorn. Manufacturers love coconut oil because it burns the cleanest, and supposedly tastes the best. If you are health-conscious however, you may want to steer clear of coconut oil and try canola oil (canola oil has a lower fat and cholesterol content). Other oils frequently used are sunflower, peanut and soy. The best plan for choosing oil is to research the nutritional value, then trial and error each to determine which tastes best. The only oil to avoid is vegetable oil, because it cannot stand the heat of the kettle and tends to catch on fire.
3. What assembly is required? Only the cart needs assembled. The popper units are shipped completely assembled. If I don't purchase the cart, can I place my popper on a regular countertop? Yes. The hottest part of the popper is the kettle, and the kettle is always at the top of the machine. The base of the popper remains cool enough to set upon a countertop.
4. What's the best way to keep my popcorn machine clean? All Paragon poppers utilize tempered glass panels, stainless steel clean-out trays, and aluminum corner posts. These surfaces can be cleaned using standard window cleaner or soap and water. To keep your kettle as clean as possible, let it cool after each use then wipe it out with a damp cloth. Cleaning kits must be used when the kettle becomes black with carbonization. Never submerge a kettle in any type of liquid because its electrical components can short out. When making caramel corn (with Gold Medal's Glaze Pop), cover the clean-out tray with aluminum foil for easy cleaning.
5.What can I do if my popcorn comes out chewy? Actually, popcorn is made up of hard starch and a little bit of moisture. This moisture is locked inside the kernel. As the temperature rises the moisture turns to steam and pressure begins to build. This continues until the kernel cannot withstand the force any longer, and explodes into the goodness we know and love. Because popcorn kernels tend to lose moisture as they age the popping performance and quality of the popcorn can diminish. To ensure popcorn maintains the appropriate moisture level, never store pop corn kernels in a refrigerator or freezer. This can dry them out very quickly. Also do not store them in a moist basement or our a humid garage. The best place to keep your unpopped pop corn is on a pantry shelf (at room temperature, below 90°F) in a sealed container. You can typically expect popcorn to have a shelf life of about 18 months. Freshly popped corn quickly absorbs humidity from the air. As the popcorn absorbs moisture, it loses it's crispness and it can become chewy. If you run into this problem try popping with the metal serving door on your popper in it's open position to help vent the moisture. You can even keep the plexiglas door slightly open as Paragon recommends, but watch out for stray popcorn if you are daring enough to keep it all the way open! After the popcorn is done popping immediately open the plexiglas door and let the steam out. Depending on where you have placed your popper you may have more or less moisture in the air. A damp basement is less than ideal but you can get around this by trying to keep the popcorn warm but dry. A popcorn warmer is ideal for this and is sometimes included in the popper's design depending on the model you have purchased. Other factors that can play a part are an excess of oil used in the initial popping or too much popcorn added for your size kettle (use 4 oz. for a 4 ox kettle, 6 for 6 oz and so on). Try experimenting and above all have fun with the possibilities!
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