Ever since middle school, when I discovered that steamy, salty, fake-butter-infused bags of microwave popcorn made a great afternoon snack, I became addicted to popcorn. At this point in my life (several decades away from college, ahem), I'm fairly certain that my body is at least 73% popcorn.
Over the years, I moved away from those pre-packaged microwave popcorn bags and gradually studied every method imaginable for popping my own, from our Simply Recipes stovetop method to all kinds of gadgets countertops that promised perfect bowls of film. theater popcorn. All worked well (I stand by our stovetop method!), but I still felt like I was chasing an imaginary popcorn-popping Holy Grail.
I'm thrilled to say that I've now come full circle on my popcorn journey and am back to making microwave popcorn – no, not the prepackaged stuff! The best popcorn I have ever found is the W&P Microwave Silicone Popper.
What I look for in popcorn (and a popcorn popper)
My platonic ideal for popcorn is big, dry, crispy puffs. I want these grains to be completely popped and look like exploded cotton balls. No shy, undersized, barely-popped kernels in my bowl, please.
This partly depends on the type of popcorn kernels you buy, but a lot of it still depends on the popping method.
I don't particularly like popcorn popped in oil or butter; for me it gives a fluffier, smaller puff than I prefer. I've had better luck with air blast methods, particularly popping the kernels in a brown paper lunch bag in the microwave…although this method makes less popcorn than I do Wish, it sometimes leads to burnt popcorn or scorched bags, and results in lots of unpopped kernels.
Simply Recipes / Photo illustration by Wanda Abraham / Simply Recipes
Why I love the W&P Popper
This brings me to the discovery of the W&P Microwave Silicone Popper. I wanted something that was reusableit was at least eight cups of popcornand that did not require oil. I also didn't want another gadget taking up a lot of space in my cupboard or having to pull it out every time I craved my favorite snack.
The W&P Popper is all of those things.
The bowl doesn't look that big out of the box, so I was initially skeptical of its promised 9.3 cup capacity, but it didn't let me down! I generally like to pop between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup of kernels at one time, and with the W&P Popper, it's only towards the very end that the popped popcorn starts to push out of the lid from the bowl. At this point, there are only a few unpopped kernels left, so I'm never afraid of making a blizzard of popcorn in my microwave.
And that's another thing: all the other methods and gadgets I've tried tend to leave a fair number of kernels unpopped. But not the W&P Popper! There are certainly a few hiccups at the bottom of the bowl, but overall, this popper has an enviable completion rate.
The popcorn is also exactly how I like it. The individual pieces are fully burst, extremely light and extremely crispy. I pour it into a big bowl with my favorite toppings and I'm ready to sit down and watch a movie.
Last but not least, this silicone kit cleans easily and folds down to the size of a small Tupperware for easy storage. Since I don't use oil, I usually get by with a quick rinse to remove any popcorn debris between uses, then give it a deep clean in the dishwasher once a week.
Simply Recipes / Photo Illustrations by Wanda Abraham / Amazon
My few quibbles with this popper
The W&P Popper is almost perfect, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention a few downsides. For one thing, the silicone material is quite soft, which can make fitting the lid on top, removing the bowl from the microwave, and pouring (or eating) the popper a little difficult.
Second, the silicone material of the bowl gets very hot in the microwave. I use oven mitts to remove it and also to pour, but I would not recommend young children handling the popper without supervision..
If you want to add toppings, you need to pour the popcorn into a separate bowl. This isn't a deal breaker for me, but I'm mentioning it in case it is a deal breaker for you!
My perfect bowl of popcorn
I'll conclude this love note to the W&P Popper with how I make my perfect bowl of popcorn. My favorite toppings are coconut oil (I use spray), fine sea salt, and either nutritional yeast if I'm in a salty mood, or this maple butter seasoning from The Spice House if I'm in a sweet mood.
I pour about a third of the popcorn from the popper into a larger bowl, spray it with coconut oil, and sprinkle it with salt and seasonings. Then I apply another third and repeat, finishing with the last coat. This gives me the perfect ratio of toppings to popcorn in every bite without having to worry about mixing or drizzling it.
BUY IT NOW: W&P Silicone Microwave Popper
