Presto PowerPop Instructions

The Presto Power Pop gives users the option of making oil- or air-popped popcorn in a microwave oven. This microwave popcorn popper is composed of only a handful of parts, making setup easy. In just a few minutes you can make your favorite style of hot, steaming popcorn in your home.

The Presto PowerPop comes in four parts — the PowerBase concentrator, the round, black plastic piece; the PowerCup concentrator, a smaller, circular piece; the popping bowl; and the bowl cover.

To assemble the unit, line up the tabs on the bottom of the popping bowl with the grooves on the PowerBase concentrator, and twist the bowl until it locks in place. Place the PowerCup concentrator in the popping bowl. The PowerCup concentrator should fit easily in the bottom of the bowl. Press down on it to make sure it sits tight.

The PowerPop allows you to make oil-popped corn, air-popped corn and butter-flavored popcorn. To make popcorn using oil, pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil into the PowerCup concentrator. Place 1/3 cup of popping corn into the oil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt for flavor if desired.

Air-popped corn can be made by pouring 1/3 cup of popping corn into the concentrator. Do not put salt on the corn as it will not stick. Butter-flavored popcorn can be made by pouring 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter-flavored oil into the concentrator. Place 1/3 cup of popping corn into the oil and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt for flavor.

Place the cover on top of the popping bowl, and put the bowl in the center of the microwave oven. Set the microwave at the highest power for five minutes. The cooking time for your microwave will vary depending on the brand and model. Stay by the microwave while the popcorn is popping.

If the popcorn gets to a point that you only hear one pop every two to three seconds, stop the microwave. If all of the popcorn isn't popped when done, add more time to the microwave on the next batch of popcorn. When the popcorn is finished popping, carefully take the PowerPop out of the microwave by using the popping bowl handles, lift the cover off of the bowl and serve. When removing the cover, tilt it away from you so that escaping steam will not burn your face.

After emptying the PowerPop of popped corn, allow the PowerCup concentrator to cool, and wipe the cooled concentrator with a damp cloth to remove any remaining oil and salt before popping an additional batch. If you're making multiple batches, each batch may take longer than the one before it to pop because microwaves lose efficiency as they get hotter. You may want to let your microwave cool for 10 minutes between each batch of popcorn you make.

A PowerPop bowl and cover are safe for the dishwasher, as long as you place them on the top rack. You can also handwash them in warm, soapy water, after which you rinse and dry it thoroughly. To clean the PowerCup, simply wipe it with a damp cloth after each use without scrubbing it with abrasives or soaking it in water.