Review: Tasty brand microwave popcorn popper

Ok, so I am a sucker for gadgets. Gadgets for the toolbox, for the kitchen, for the car. Weird junk that you see on TV infomercials. If it looks clever and useful and timesaving, I'll at least consider purchasing it.

Wandering around the housewares department of Walmart the other day and I spotted the Tasty brand microwave Popcorn Popper.  You may recognize Tasty as the social media company that floods your Facebook feed with easy and delicious looking "tasty" recipes. You know, the ones where they do all of their cooking on a hotplate? Apparently they have some branded cooking products out now.

Anyway, we eat a lot of popcorn at my house. Usually microwaved popcorn bags. Have you heard about the potential for absorbing nasty chemicals called PFAS, that can be found in food packaging? That is one reason I'm trying to avoid microwaved popcorn bags. And also because I think making "homemade" popcorn simply tastes better.  For under $9 at Walmart (slightly more on Amazon), I figured the Tasty brand Popcorn Popper was worth a try.

The pun-filled directions are pretty straight forward:

The coffee pot shaped bowl comes with a silicone lid that doubles as the popcorn measuring cup and the butter melter.  I put the corn in the popper, plopped a couple little slabs of butter in the lid/measuring cup/melter top and put it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Carefully listening for the popping to slow, I let it go a few seconds too long and experienced a few burnt kernels on the first run.  The next batch I made for the kid turned out perfectly.

This little popcorn popper thing really works well. It's easy enough for kids and cleaning is simple. Just toss it in the dishwasher. This kitchen gadget is one that I anticipate using frequently and I give it five out of five stars.