Two years ago I tasted my first batch of Whirley-Pop popcorn. Crisp, airy, fresh, natural–delicious. My life changed in profound ways that day. It’s hard to look back on what life was like when my only popcorn option was the buttery, artificially-flavored and salt-saturated “popcorn product” birthed out of a microwavable bag. It should have made sense to me a long time ago. Why should I expect a prepackaged handful of kernels coated in artificial butter and zapped by high frequency radio waves to produce a quality product?
I try not to beat myself up over the countless microwaved bags of popcorn I ate before my introduction (i.e., conversion) to Whirley Pop. Microwavable popcorn is convenient…and it doesn’t taste terrible. I guess, in a sense, my rocky popcorn past is comparable to my friends who are committed Cubs’ fans. They’ve never tasted the joy of being a Phillies fan so why should I expect them to understand how completely inferior their fanhood truly is? Allow yourself to savor this kernel of truth: Once you taste a fresh-made batch of stovetop popcorn, you will never, ever go back.
Reasons we love our Whirley Pop enough to spend the time to blog about it…it is:
- Delicious & healthy. To reiterate, this is the best popcorn you’ll eat. Your mouth and your digestive system will thank you.
- Inexpensive. Trust me, in the long run, it will save you money. The upfront popper costs (~$20-25) are satiated by the money you save by buying kernels in bulk. It essentially pays for itself.
- Customizable. Like kettle corn? No problem. Think popcorn’s better with cheddar? Done. Stressed because you need a show-stopping party mix? Let your Whirley Pop help.
- Fun for kids. We do this with our neighbor kids all the time. They love spinning the popper. Imagine having that “Christmas morning joy” every time you bust out the Whirley Pop.
- Hip. We’ve found people that see our Whirley Pop genuinely like us more. We often hear comments like, “Oh wow — you’re a Whirley Pop couple?” and, “You two really seem to be ‘living the dream.'” It’s true. We are.
(Chris)
————————————
For those that don’t know how it works, it’s a very simple process:
- Turn your stovetop burner on high.
- Add 1/2 cup popcorn kernels (yellow or white) and 1 Tbsp oil to your Whirley Pop.
- Put your Whirley Pop on the hot coils and spin till the popping subsides.
- Pour the hot, delicious morsels into a bowl of your choice and enjoy.
- Wipe out the Whirley Pop with a paper towel.
- Just like that…you’re done. Done making popcorn…and done with that microwavable stuff.
Funny post – until you went low-brow and mocked the Cubs. Your big move was picking up Roy Halladay and are big move was doing anything to get rid of Milton Bradley – and you still feel the need to mock us? Can’t you just bask in your current success without knocking us even further down the morale pole.
There was a time when I liked you Chris Horst – the light of that is quickly fading.
However, Amy and I are also ardent supporters of the Whirley Pop … Apparently the Whirley Pop makes strange bedfellows.
Next time we’re out in Denver – we’ll bring ours along and we’ll “double Whiley Pop” it … that would be a night of truly legendary proportions.
You two crack me up. I may or may not put that on my Christmas list. You both can make anything exciting. And if its as enjoyable and refreshing as being a Phillies fan, James and I need to have one. 🙂 Looking forward to seeing you guys soon.
Sorry for the Cubs comment. I could think of no better analogy…I mean, it got the point across, right?
I’ve never even fathomed how much coolness would be in the room if we were “double WP’ing it” — sounds incredible.
You’re still allowed to put things on Christmas lists on December 20?
See you soon!
Two thoughts on the W.P. (which really is as wonderful as you say – the quality of the popped corn [large, crunchy, airy, etc] is sublime):
– We actually break step two into two steps. 2.a includes adding the oil and one or two kernels. Once those little fellas pop, we know the oil is at popping temp and the rest of the kernels are added in (2.b) . I was talked into this approach as a way to speed things up a bit…I have no idea if it actually does so. Perhaps this can be tested at a double WPing event.
– At the 2.a step noted above, ensure that you stir/spin like normal. Not doing so will create super-hot oil that will ignite in a fantastic fireball when the lid of the WP is opened.
I just wanted to come back to this post to say that Kerrie and I are now a WP couple, and it is thanks to you (Chris & Alli).
Ha. So glad that you guys are experiencing the good life, Ben.