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6/03/2013

How To Make Perfectly Popped Popcorn With The Perfect Pop App



Movies have long been one of our favorite family activities, but with four kids--the youngest being only six months old--heading out to the theater isn't just expensive, it is inconvenient.  Family movie night at home on the living room couch has become a weekly tradition for us.  And, let's be honest, there is no such thing as a family movie night without popcorn.  It is so important, in fact, that popcorn is the only food that I allow to be eaten on the couch.  Ever!

Even without a movie, popcorn is one of our favorite snacks.  My youngest daughter often requests it as a snack when she gets home from pre-school.  Forty minutes later, when my oldest daughter walks through the door, you can still smell the popcorn that we have already eaten, so in goes another bag.  The same process is repeated when my oldest son walks in the door from junior high.  Walking into a house that smells of freshly popped, yummy tasting popcorn is a great way to be greeted after a long day at school.  That is, of course, unless you accidentally burn it!

Burnt popcorn is the #1 complaint people have about microwave popcorn, so Pop Secret created a new app, Perfect Pop, to help make sure that every single bag of Pop Secret popcorn pops perfectly.

Say that five times fast!



The Perfect Pop app couldn't be easier to use!  You select your bag size, snack or regular, and after you start your microwave, you press the start button on the app.  The app actually listens to your popcorn popping and will tell you the exact moment to stop your microwave, so that your popcorn is perfectly popped.  No more burnt popcorn and no more half popped bags!   The app even has a fun spinning kernel you can watch to help pass the time.  The dancing kernel is a big hit with the kids.


You too can have a perfectly popped bag of Pop Secret popcorn by downloading Perfect Pop on the App Store*.  And, you can leave me a comment and share your worst popcorn burning story to be entered for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card!  I once burnt a bag of popcorn in the break room at work.  The entire bank smelled like burnt popcorn all day!

You can also find out more about all things Pop Secret by following them on their new @popsecret Twitter account!


Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the
following unique term in your tweet message: ""#SweepstakesEntry""; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post"
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 6/3 - 6/30.

*Apple, the Apple logo, and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Apple is not affiliated and does not endorse, sponsor or support this third party app and sweepstakes.
Be sure to visit the Pop Secret brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

153 comments:

Katie said...

What a clever app! I love it! I burnt popcorn once and was so bothered by the smell I opened the doors and windows for an hour. It was a freezing winter day in Virginia so the house turned into an icebox, but I just couldn't take it!

Mami2jcn said...

I remember burning popcorn when I was a kid. That was back before microwaves. I set off the smoke alarm in our apartment and I was in big trouble with my mom.

mami2jcn at gmail dot com

Mami2jcn said...

tweet:

https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/341897498589290498

mami2jcn at gmail dot com

Alyssa L said...

I also burnt my popcorn in the work microwave. I was frantically fanning around the smoke detector so that the smoke(!) wouldn't make the fire alarm go off!

Alyssa L said...

I tweeted! https://twitter.com/motobean84/status/341910359675895808

Darbie said...

When I was a teenager, there was a summer camp program I went to every year. It was held on a college campus, and we stayed in the dorms. One of my friends made microwave popcorn and left it in for waaay too long. The acrid smell was so bad that she decided to spray her perfume all over the room, and INSIDE the microwave. I reminded her - too late - that it was pretty flammable stuff. We were too afraid to use the microwave for a good while after that. And the burnt-popcorn-perfume odor mix was terrible.

HarleyC said...

I burnt a bag in the microwave once because I didn't set the timer, just hit Start!

Elena said...

I have never burned a bag of popcorn. The application looks cool

elena150980@yahoo.com

Elena said...

https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/341944610668564480

elena150980@yahoo.com

kellyr78 said...

I burnt our last bag of popcorn when my kids were looking forward to popcorn and a movie.

kellywcu8888ATgmailDOTcom

kellyr78 said...

tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydpa/status/341948070046617601

kellywcu8888ATgmailDOTcom

peg42 said...

While in college, I burned a bag in the microwave and it caught on fire. I had to quickly throw it into the sink and run water on it. What a horrible smell too.
Thanks so much.
rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com

peg42 said...

I tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/341954263762751488
Thanks
rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com

Unknown said...

Well, we've got an app for everything else, why not popcorn!! I hate the smell of burnt popcorn so I'm gonna get this for my husband who always forgets to watch the microwave.

MichelleB said...

I don't recall ever burning pocorn.Cute App!!

MichelleB said...

https://twitter.com/RascallFlatts/status/341969476830519297 michellebartley1 at gmaildotcom

Tamar said...

Oh wow, a whole bank. I haven't ever had more than a stinky kitchen for 2 days. I guess I didn't have it so bad then!
tamarsweeps-at-gmail-dot-com

Unknown said...

No major story for me with pop corn, just I have burnt my share of them in the microwave. The smell lingers for days, it seems, frustrating. I tend to cook it now on the stove top the “old fashioned” way.
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

2nd entry tweet - https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/341977408313892864
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

I burnt a couple bags in a row once.

Mysharona said...

Never burnt a bag.

annie said...

oh no, do fireballs in the microwave count as an entry, how can something pop and burst into flames in a closed environment at the same time? needless to say, they did can, and did, the stink was horrendous for days, and nothing melts faster than your sense of smell when corn incinerates in an oily mess. extra butter, m!y foot

Jessie W said...

My worst burned bag was when I was babysitting. Didn't know their microwave and turned the popcorn in to a charred lump! I'm surprised I didn't start a fire!

danw78704 said...

never burned, twitted this today, 04/06
http://www.twitter.com/myspotme

Kia89 said...

I've never burned a bag of popcorn.
austma7@aol.com

David said...

yes, i have burned a bag of popcorn..its the worse smell evr

tiffany lane
mckenziesmom1@hotmail.com

Stephanie said...

Yes I have burned popcorn but still maintain the microwave must be breaking down because it is at different times and some bits not popped and some burned! Kids say house stunk for hours. Lovely.
tvollowitz at aol dot com

Ashley said...

One of my co-workers put some popcorn in the microwave and set it on like 10 minutes (who knows why he decided to do this) and walked away. He forgot about the popcorn until everyone in the entire suite could smell fire. He ran back there and the entire microwave was black. We ended up having to get a new microwave and the office smelled like burnt popcorn for weeks.

navybaby1113 (at) gmail (dot) com

Tabathia B said...

Well, the bag was defective because it never expanded and the popcorn burned

tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

Tabathia B said...

tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/342087830815789056

tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

sydney85 said...

I had burnt a bag of popcorn in the microwave by setting the timer on 23 minutes instead of 2 minutes and 30 seconds. When I realized that the popcorn was burning I grabbed the bag out of the microwave and threw it in the sink and ran water over it. This was my last bag of popcorn! I am so careful now when I put the timer on the microwave.

bayctygrl said...

I never burned popcorn beyond the typical ruined burned bag...luckily no fires


hippopurplemonkey at yahoo dot com

karen608 said...

We have scorched a few bags of popcorn by getting distracted. That app looks so cute. Popcorn is the best snack ever at our house.

kjasus said...

i burn popcorn all the time at work. it must be the microwave! but my co workers hate me for it. :/

kjasus said...

tweet
https://twitter.com/raggammuffin/status/342233337458479105

rachel said...

I remember burning a few bags in college at the dorms. The rest of the hall was not too happy!!

kim h said...

Burned a bag of popcorn when I first started a job…it stunk up the office for hours

clc408 said...

I have never burnt a bag but I know people who have and the smell is truly horrible and doesn't go away for a long time!

clc408 said...

https://twitter.com/clc408/status/342316486255333376

Krista said...

I burned a bag in my dorm room at college. I set off the smoke alarms, and we had to evacuate.

PAIGE said...

I have never burned popcorn. I am a POP star!
elysesw@aol.com

Nicole said...

In elementary school, my neighbor and I tried to make some microwave popcorn and asked her little sister for directions... so the popcorn went in for TWENTY minutes! Her mom, who had just had knee surgery had to hobble down the stairs because she thought the house was on fire!

Barbara Montag said...

Oh yes I burned a bag of popcorn badly where I volunteer.
Yikes it was nasty for quite awhile!
Thank you.

barbara dot montyj at gmail dot com

Barbara Montag said...

I tweeted:
https://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/342445213001846785

HilLesha O'Nan said...

My last microwave wasn't so good, so I have had my fair share of burnt popcorn incidents. :)

HilLesha@gmail.com

StephanieC said...

i made my whole dorm floor smell with one! scg00387 at yahoo dot com

StephanieC said...

https://twitter.com/DesMoinesDealin/status/342472405949751296 scg00387 at yahoo dot com

sksweeps said...

Any burnt popcorn is horrible! I hate doing it at home because it's usually the last bag and I was really craving popcorn and all I end up with is the burnt smell! :(

sksweeps (at) earthlink (dot) net

Unknown said...

The most epic burned popcorn we ever had was when the kids made their first bag. They put the time on too long (no Popcorn button) and we had a house full of smoke! :)

Unknown said...

Tweeted - https://twitter.com/Enter_Now/status/342504515595010049

Carol F. said...

Oh man, why didn't I read this post last ngiht? We are showing our house this morning to a proscpective buyer. I made microwave popcorn last night only to burn it and leave that staunch lingering in the air. Then I tried simmering lemons on the stove to get rid of the burnt smell only to forget about it and have it charred leaving a worse smell and ruining a saucepan. This app would have saved me the grief!

Unknown said...

I have burned popcorn in the microwave before, but not in a memorable, epic fashion
stigay at comcast.net

SarainAkko said...

for me, one burnt kernel is the worst, it permeates the whole bag of otherwise decent popcorn... SUPER annoying. I always try to rescue that bag, but you can always taste that something that one burnt kernel. Neat app.

Mama.Mommy.Mom. said...

LOL! There is an App for everything! In my experience, any burnt popcorn incident is a bad one. I remember someone burning some at my office so badly once that I nearly vomited! Yuck!

susan1215 said...

I have burnt a few bags of popcorn and gosh did it stick up the house for a few hours.

s2s2 at comcast dot net

susan1215 said...

https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/343185010091769856

s2s2 at comcast dot net

mickeyfan said...

No I never have. lol Only because my husband is the microwaver of popcorn at our house! And he certainly has!

groovyonetoo said...

I used to work at a small police department, and one time the popcorn burned so badly that the inmates thought the building was on fire!

groovyonetoo said...

https://twitter.com/groovyonetoo/status/343871822502166532

Unknown said...

I’ve burnt 3 bags in a row once with a cheap brand of popcorn. I changed the timing on it, didn’t matter I just ended up throwing it all out. Ugh, nothing is nastier than the smell and taste of burnt popcorn! lol

JC said...

The worst time I ever burned popcorn was when I stayed at my then boyfriend's apartment many years ago, it set off the smoke alarm and all neighbors were freaked out. I sure would give this FREE app a try.

JC said...

-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/343934440671682560

brich2222 said...

once set the microwave to 35 minutes instead of 3.5 min. Kitchen got smokey fast

brich2222 said...

https://twitter.com/rrich2222/status/343961999690063872

The Fam said...

Burning popcorn IS the worst. It's humiliating!

The Fam said...

tweet!

https://twitter.com/channynn/status/344158625306124288

Unknown said...

https://twitter.com/hwinsomnia/status/344354966649065473

Tina said...

I have burned popcorn and the house smell really bad
merleandtina@yahoo.com

Tina said...

https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/344471920235905026
merleandtina@yahoo.com

SuzOH said...

This app sounds great. I always overcook the little snack sized bags of popcorn. The microwaves at work just seem to overdo it, even when I use the time on the package. No one likes the smell of burnt popcorn wafting through the office, and then I don't get my snack!

SuzOH said...

https://twitter.com/SuzOH/status/344573318701133824

Suburban Correspondent said...

I have memories that are over 2 decades old of the acrid odor of burned microwave popcorn emanating from the break room at work. Back then, we couldn't even have imagined the existence of an app like this!

jlafount said...

At times I was in another room and accidentally set the timer for way longer and only figured out the popcorn was fried when the entire house smelled of blackened corn

Unknown said...

I did the same thing: I once burnt a bag of popcorn in the lunch room at work. The entire floor smelled like burnt popcorn all day and everyone was so annoyed with me. . :( you'd better believe that that was the last time I made popcorn at work!! :)

Unknown said...

I have burnt popcorn in the microwave at work which set off the fire alarm in the hospital. Not fun.

Unknown said...

i LOVE popcorn that is NOT burnt!!!!

Unknown said...

i popped about 4 kernels the rest were unpopped and burnt jen gersch jtwark@mail.com

smilekisses said...

Burned a bag in the cafeteria many times at work. The people hated that so much. It would smell for days. There were no windows.

smilekisses said...

https://twitter.com/smilekisses/status/346559306751152128

SolDucky said...

I burned some at work once. It was awful! The smell lingered and bothered everyone.

Lisa said...

The popcorn sometimes burns but its never been a disaster. It is just usually a quarter of the bag ruined so I eat the pieces that are not burnt.

motioncitycutie(at)aol(dot)com

Denise S. said...

The popcorn button on my microwave goes too long and it always burns if I don't stand there the whole time, but I don't have the patience and sometimes forget its there.

Nicole Larsen said...

I burnt popcorn once, so badly that I burnt the inside of the microwave--for weeks no matter what I made in the microwave it stank like burnt popcorn. It was bad!

pittsy82@hotmail.com

Nicole Larsen said...

tweeted https://twitter.com/pittsy82/status/347086371829207040

pittsy82@hotmail.com

Annie said...

I've burnt popcorn too many times to even count!!

Annie said...

my first tweet!
https://twitter.com/annie_wilkins/status/347116193825579010

steph said...

We are not allowed to pop popcorn at work on my floor, I popped it in the lunch room and burnt it, I then brought it upstairs and was scared all day that someone would smell my burnt popcorn.

wizardewu said...

I left one of those popcorn-with-aluminum-pans on the range too long. Way too long.


eugeniewu [at] gmail-dot-com

Kaizen Fashion Project said...

I burnt it so badly it set off the fire alarms and the house smelled for a whole day afterwards!

heatheranne99 at gmail dot com

Kaizen Fashion Project said...

Tweet!
https://twitter.com/KaizenFashion/status/347237042192785409

heatheranne99 at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

My worst time was once when it actually caught fire

Betty C said...

Microwave popcorn is banned at work because too many people have burned it. I'm happy to say I wasn't one of them.

willitara [at] gmail [dot] com

Betty C said...

Tweet - https://twitter.com/willitara/status/348491307959861249

willitara [at] gmail [dot] com

cowboyswife said...

I hate the smell of burnt popcorn luckily I myself have not burnt popcorn

Kim (Randominities) said...

Microwave popping is nearly banned at my place of work b/c of people burning it by not paying attention. The worst story is how it set off the fire alarm and caused an evacuation of the building.

asketcher2@hotmail.com

Ashley T. said...

I stunk up the whole building at work when I burnt popcorn
ajoy1332 at yahoo dot com

Amy said...

My worst pop corn burning story? It happen in the work break room where there's no window. And the smell lasted for 2 days. OF course, everyone knew who did that after the first day. hahaha...

amy [at] utry [dot] it

Amy said...

tweeted:

https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/349645300140490752

amy [at] utry [dot] it

Kelly Massman said...

when we made cinnamon sugar popcorn--worse thing ever! Thanks for a chance to win, too! kmassman gmail

Mary P. said...

Yes, I've burned a bag of popcorn in the microwave--it set off the smoke detector, scared the cats and woke up the baby!

phall0106 at yahoo dot com

Karina said...

i've actually never burned popcorn, but my husband has. it takes forever to get the stink out of the house

karinaroselee at gmail dot com

Karina said...

https://twitter.com/karinaroselee/status/349998476723097603

karinaroselee at gmail dot com

Karla said...

My worst popcorn burning story was when I accidentally burnt a bag of popcorn in my college dorm and set off the fire alarm. Everyone had to evacuate the building! It was so embarrassing!

Email in Blogger profile

Karla said...

https://twitter.com/CarlyHobart/status/350168151280992258

Email in Blogger profile

one frugal lady said...

I burn popcorn in the microwave all the time! Problem is, you can't just pick out the burned ones... they all taste burned! YUCK!

LAMusing said...

I had friends over to watch a movie and burnt all 3 bags of popcorn! The house smelled awful and we were hungry.
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

ms-texas said...

i rarely burn popcorn - i just use the popcorn setting on my microwave and it turns out perfectly

debbiebellows (at) gmail (dot) com

ms-texas said...

i tweeted here:

https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/350426850356510720

debbiebellows (at) gmail (dot) com

esldiane@gmail.com said...

Ouch, making popcorn in a pan on the stove-some oil dripped onto the burner and presto flames!
Diane Baum
esldiane@gmail.com

Erica best said...

https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/350726982939578370

purple_lover_04 at msn dot com

tina reynolds said...

nothing that big but I have burnt more than my fair share

tina reynolds said...

https://twitter.com/eaglesforjack/status/350836239072628736

sparkedcat said...

I have to confess that I have never burnt a bag of popcorn.

angie lilly said...

well...the worst? I am the reason microwave popcorn got banned at my office and removed from all the vending machines. how's that? LOL
Angie
14earth at gmail dot com

angie lilly said...

I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/350960470208950275
Angie
14earth at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

I listen for when the popping slows down

Cassandra M said...

my oldest sone pressed 40 min instead of 4 and walked away

ky2here said...

It's a huge 50 way tie or something like that - old school method: pan with oil, kernels. Burned bottom of the pan, pan soaks in water for days. Steel wool removes almost all of the carnage. Do it again!

ky2here said...

https://twitter.com/ky2here1/status/351071080783425537

Unknown said...

i dont remember any details other than it sure smelled bad! pry.school.1@gmail.com

Ellie Wright said...

Worst time I burned popcorn was at some people's house where I was babysitting. The smell was terrible and I felt awful stinking up their house.

Ellie Wright said...

tweet
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/351111621994749952

Charity/CC said...

I burned it during my weekly date night at home.

ccboobooy at gmail dot com

Charity/CC said...

http://twitter.com/ccboobooy/status/351137221438488577

ccboobooy at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

I burned my boyfriends popcorn twice on our first movie rental date. He was very sweet about it & almost 20 years later, we are still popping!

Lauren Harmon said...

I don't have any epic burn stories but I have definitely burned wayyy to many bags for any one normal human. It's sad really. LOL.

Shawn said...

I have burn popcorn so bad that the smell did not leave our house for days.

shawn113(at)hotmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

I had a bunch of friends over to watch a movie and I burned everyones popcorn and had to make it all over again.

rounder9834 @yahoo.com

Unknown said...

https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/351372508374630400

rounder9834 @yahoo.com

Buddy Garrett said...

It happened more than once. It made the whole house smell like burned popcorn. The odor lingered for hours.

Anonymous said...

ive burnt popcorn before when my friends were over and it was really gross so i just threw it out
pokergrl8 at gmail.com

Anonymous said...

https://twitter.com/aes529/status/351379926861086721
pokergrl8 at gmail.com

Crystal F said...

I feel bad for ya. Nothing smells as bad as burnt popcorn. I don't have a bad story about popcorn. I have had my share of mishaps but I usually just make another bag. thank you!
crystalfaulkner2000 at yahoo dot com

cman said...

I opened up the windows and turned on the fans after throwing it outside in the trash.

IcyPinkLemonade said...

So you're THAT person (the one who burns popcorn and stinks up the office). I've been there too ;)

Whitney said...

I've burnt the popcorn at work before. It was embarrassing!

wlbellows at gmail dot com

Whitney said...

https://twitter.com/electricstar/status/351426051433447427

wlbellows at gmail dot com

pauline15 said...

I burned some microwave popcorn in the office one weekend and it set off the fire alarm!
pauline15_01(at)Hotmail(dot)com

pauline15 said...

tweet: https://twitter.com/pauline15/status/351429703397158912
pauline15_01(at)Hotmail(dot)com

Hildie said...

Seriously? That's brilliant! I love popcorn too and I usually stand in front of the microwave, ready to turn it off at the perfect moment. I know I'm going to get cancer from standing in front of my microwave so much!

Kenny Fensom said...

yep, gross!

Kenny Fensom said...

https://twitter.com/bittripfan/status/351460049035603968 - tweet

slehan said...

I've burned popcorn at work and the smell is horrible and lingers for days. I can't try the app because I don't have a smart phone.

Thanks for the contest.

slehan at juno dot com

slehan said...

https://twitter.com/slehan/status/351461287013781506

slehan at juno dot com

meredith m said...

I burned a bag and my apartment smelled for a few days

meredith m said...

tweeted https://twitter.com/mermont84/status/351464129481023488

richied.becky said...

I once burned a bag so bad for programming the microwave wrong that ther was a burn hole in the bag...UGH!!
classy_mommie@yahoo.com

richied.becky said...

tweet: https://twitter.com/cancer_free_me/status/351467206716035072
classy_mommie@yahoo.com

michedt said...

My foster daugher made some once and instead of throwing it out, she ate it! I didn't even know until I came home.
Michelle Tucker
michelletucker at baconnation dot net

michedt said...

https://twitter.com/michedt/status/351474818534739968
Michelle Tucker
michelletucker at baconnation dot net

Elizabeth said...

Mine is kind of boring but the worst would be the time that it completely stunk up the downstairs -- I am talking even the next morning I came down the stairs and still smelled it!

elizzzzzabeth at yahoo dot com

Elizabeth said...

I tweeted! https://twitter.com/Ladies_Lounge1/status/351486705364246529

elizzzzzabeth at yahoo dot com

Mari said...

I guess I'm weird, I like burnt popcorn. But I don't like it scorched. So the worst time was making it an old microwave at work, it was inedible. Yes, I'd try the app.

runningmatey at hotmail dot com