How to Hack Microwave Popcorn by jblanke


I was watching a movie while eating some popcorn one day and I thought to my self, why cant they manage to put enough butter in this popcorn? Then I thought I could just melt some butter and pour it over the top, but then I would just end up with some soggy kernels. It didn't take long for me to realize that I would get an even distribution of butter, and no soggy kernels, if the popcorn was popped with the butter, just like it already does inside a bag of microwave popcorn.

So I pulled out a tupperware bowl, a bag of microwave popcorn, and a stick of butter. I quickly tore open the bag of popcorn and dumped it into the bowl along with a lump of the butter. I snapped on the lid, leaving a small portion unsnapped so that steam could escape, and punched in 4 minutes on the timer. As the end of four minutes neared, I began to worry as I have only heard a few pops, no where near as many as there should have been. So I removed the bowl from my microwave and set it on the counter. Just then, I realized that the bottom of the bowl had melted away and poured liquid butter all over my counter. Needless to say, that was a complete and udder failure. On the bright side, the few kernels that did pop tasted delicious.

But all is not lost, I had had another idea. Why not just slip in some extra butter into the bag itself? That is exactly what I did, and I'm proud to say it worked perfectly.

The following are the steps I took to hack into a bag of bland microwave popcorn and make it into delicious super buttered popcorn.


You will need:

1 Bag of your favorite microwave popcorn.
1 Roll Masking tape
1 Knife (butter knife will work fine)
   Butter
   Favorite Popcorn Seasoning

 
Remove these adsRemove these ads by Signing Up

Step 1: Cut open bag

1227100435a.jpg
1227100436.jpg
1227100437.jpg

First you need to open up the bag of popcorn from its plastic packaging, and lay it out flat.

Then you need to cut a flap with your knife (butter knife will work because the paper is somewhat brittle). Start at the middle along the seam of the bag and cut towards the edge, stopping a half inch before you reach it. Then cut a similar line 2 or 3 inches apart from the first. Connect the ends of each cut at the ends nearest the edge. You should end up with a flap like shown in the pictures.

CaseyCase says: Dec 28, 2010. 10:20 AM
Mmmm! Cooked tape flavor!
siamonsez says: Oct 30, 2011. 9:38 PM
That's just what I was thinking, yummy tape glue.
jblanke (author) says: Nov 2, 2011. 9:02 PM
You would think so, but the tape itself doesn't get hot, and is on the top of the bag, on the outside. It is very unlikely that any significant amount will make it into your popcorn.
Browncoat says: Dec 28, 2010. 9:40 AM
Instead of cutting a hole in the middle of the bag, why not just cut open the top of the bag & tape it back up? Seems like it would be a bit easier with the taping.
jblanke (author) says: Feb 23, 2011. 12:44 AM
While going through the top may very well work, I found it easier to just go straight through the side directly into the "cooking chamber". The bag is folded in an X shape which makes re-closing difficult. You also would have to make sure that you leave a hole for steam to escape, and that the tape doesn't peel off of this high stress location. The said X shape is show in the picture below.
1229100050.jpg
Paracord Ninja says: Feb 22, 2011. 1:45 PM
That is a very cheap and good way to make popcorn
jhines0042 says: Dec 29, 2010. 7:09 AM
Nice idea. Here is a way to save money while also adding (or removing) butter or other seasonings. http://www.instructables.com/id/Microwave-Popcorn%3A-Home-made,-cheap-and-easy/
NatNoBrains says: Dec 29, 2010. 1:02 AM
Nice idea!
tocsik says: Dec 27, 2010. 6:18 PM
I just tried this out and it worked like a charm. Next time I'll add even more butter.
Pro

Get More Out of Instructables

Already have an Account?

close

PDF Downloads
As a Pro member, you will gain access to download any Instructable in the PDF format. You also have the ability to customize your PDF download.

Upgrade to Pro today!