6/24/08 | Pop Weaver Popcorn
[ Currently Eating: Cheese and Crackers ]
Trips to Big Lots inevitably end badly for your friendly neighborhood Cheap Eats Editor. I usually tend to come home with tons of tins - little fishies packed in tomato sauce, strangely potted meat and smoked oysters galore. But I also cave in to other snackies that are a little “healthier” like this 4 pack of Pop Weaver Popcorn.
I’d never heard of Pop Weaver Popcorn before, even though according to their website they are “a leading national brand of microwave popcorn in the United States and is distributed to more than 90 countries worldwide.” The box actually says “more people around the world eat more Pop Weaver popcorn than any other kind.”
I guess maybe it’s more popular in other countries than the U.S. Either that, or in the microwave popcorn scheme of things, I’ve been living in a cave in Antarctica for several years. Which also isn’t too far of a stretch.
I got the standard butter version, but they have other “flavors” like Extra Butter, Light Butter, Kettle Corn and Natural. No cheese or caramel flavors. There’s 4 standard size packs in one box, so it comes out to about a quarter each. In general, I like popcorn and think it’s a great snack for Cheap Eaters - but I’m constantly seduced by the flashier and unhealthier Doritos and Cheetos products of the world. So maybe there’s something to it then when Pop Weaver says that the reason their microwave popcorn can be so cheap is that they spend a whole lot less on advertising, packaging and even ink on the bags.
The box looks rather plain - their logo is the smallest thing on the box. The largest thing on it is the words “4 Bags”. A big sticker also proclaims “NO DIACETYL FLAVORINGS” which I suppose is a good thing? I haven’t been keeping up with that stuff, but I’m guessing Diacetyl is something bad. I was wondering if it’s the same concern as with the Teflon in non-stick cookware, or something different.
Incidentally, why is it that every box of microwave popcorn seems to be associated with a friendly old geezer with glasses?
Sure, I know you can buy your own corn kernels and pop them yourself on the stove for cheaper. But I don’t know, I just like popping it in a bag in the microwave once in awhile. My brain cells and neurons, already taxed to their limit by trying to decide whether or not $2 is a good price for Low Salt Spam, are loathe to take on yet more decisions. (She can’t take much more captain!)
As for the popcorn itself, I have to say at a quarter for a bag it’s very good. I followed the directions and went by the PPS metric (number of Pops Per Second) instead of a flat cooking time. I think microwave popcorn must have one of the greatest ranges of cooking times I’ve ever seen for food. It’s 2-5 minutes. That’s a huge difference, so it’s definitely best to listen for popping. My corn timed out at about 3.5 minutes.
The popped kernels weren’t extraordinarily large, but they were about average sized for cheap microwave popcorn. They definitely weren’t the fluffy gourmet kind, or the kettle corn sized kernels. Still, they tasted pretty good. The amount of salt and “butter flavoring” was a little on the light side, which was fine by me. You can always slather on more butter later.
I was surprised that most of the kernels actually popped. There were only about 4-5 unpopped which is something I constantly have problems with in microwave popcorn. (I know some people actually like the unpopped kernels but I have a hard time eating them.) So on that front, Pop Weaver did really well.
Pricewise they were excellent - I’m not complaining at a quarter for one package. Tastewise, they were satisfactory. But chances are if you eat this, you’re probably not going to care as you sit spellbound munching away in front of the TV while watching re-runs of Quantum Leap. Oh, boy!
Price:$1 for 4 Pack Box
Found At:Big Lots
Cheap Eats Score: 7/10
June 24th, 2008 at 11:08 am
I purchase Pop Weaver all the time at our local Wal-Mart. The Light Butter flavor is very nice and you can’t beat the price.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
You can pop loose corn kernels in a bag in the microwave, too! I usually use an empty bag of flour and put a 1/3 cup of kernels in. There could be some concern over the safety of microwaving a bag that wasn’t made for that purpose. But I don’t see how it could be that much worse than a microwave bag. Plus you can use your own butter and other flavorings.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I´m curious about what diacetyl is, bt it must be what makes that certain brands (that I won´t name) leaves that weird sort of aftertaste (more of a weird feeling than aftertaste)
June 24th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Diacetyl flavorings…Has been linked to lung cancer . Most popcorn producers have stopped using this butter flavoring . You can enter the words in Google for more imformation . Workers lawsuits will follow ! Yes Popsweaver is a big seller in most of the US .
June 24th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
As Kirk mentioned, you can do it yourself for more than half the price of any packaged product and enjoy a superior result.
I use a paper bag, a tsp of oil and 1/4 cup of popping corn. I season with whatever moves me…just lately it’s lime, sage and garlic.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:25 am
Got a hint for everyone who doesn’t have a microwave but does have a stove. Open the bag of microwave popcorn up, shake everything out into a pot. Put the lid on the pot and pop the popcorn as you normally would on a stovetop. Works every time.
June 25th, 2008 at 9:33 am
adam - Im going to try the light butter version next time if they have it
kirk, anita - I’m interested in trying out the paper bag method. Is there any restriction on the type of bag (just a brown paper sandwich bag?) and do you need to put anything underneath it at all?
gs, j champ - I guess I should be looking out for the Diacetyl stuff from now on…
captainfirst - that’s another interesting idea, I might try that one out too. Do you just use any old pot for it, and do you have to watch out for it burning (just shake the pot every so often?)
June 25th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
As far as I know, there are no restrictions on the type of bag that can be used. I use an empty bag of flour and I’ve never used any oil. The only thing I’ve noticed with a few other bags is that the thinner bags tend to pop the popcorn a little faster. A brown paper sandwich bag would work but would probably hold less popped popcorn.
And like I said before, I can’t vouch for the safety of using this method because I’ve heard a few bad things on the internet about microwaving paper bags. The printing inks used or chemicals used in creation of the paper could be a problem. But again, I’m using a food grade bag and only having popcorn once or twice a month so I don’t see how it can be much worse than a microwave bag.
June 25th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
And I forgot to mention that I just put the bag straight in the microwave in the traditional microwave bag position
I don’t put it on top of anything other than the the revolving glass dish that’s a part of my microwave.
June 27th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Just for your info, Pop weaver is a very common brand in itself, available at Walmart, but the parent company also makes Orville Redenbacher (was big in the news when they switched both weaver and orville’s stuff to stop using Diacityl)
The 4-for-$1 is NOT a good deal. Walmart sells the same popcorn for $2.50 for 15, thats almost 1/2 the cost.
June 27th, 2008 at 10:39 am
kirk - thanks for the tips..
yumm - wow, I didnt know they were the same company. i would try walmart, but i hate them like the plague. There isn’t one close to me, and the nearest one is very bad, the workers there are very rude, etc… it’s not worth the price savings (or gas) to even go there.
June 28th, 2008 at 11:42 am
I am a Big Lots JUNKIE and I always come home with random food from there I don’t really need. Currently I am in love with some Orville Redenbacher popcorn ‘cakes’ that I picked up there. I also love popcorn and my Big Lots has been stocked to the ceiling with it lately.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
we just use two glass bowls and make a dome and put dry popcorn in it an microwave for three minutes. I understand about walmart theres not one near me either I have to go the valley to the nearest one and it looks like its always under construction
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:24 am
Geez, how dare you call yourself a true cheap eater if you avoid Walmart
no, luckily i have 2 super walmarts fairly close to me, so i can pick and choose which i decide on. I don’t have a Big Lots, or Pamida (i think thats simmilar) so its either the big department stores or the dozen dollar stores we have.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:51 pm
This is the only brand of popcorn I purchase. It does come in those 4 packs but you can pick up a 16c like at Target or Wal-Mart. I usually get the extra butter kind. Pop Weaver is popular, at least here in Texas.
July 17th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I also get mine at walmart, 15 bags for $2.77
I had never heard of them but couldn’t ignore the low price. It’s the only popcorn I buy now.
DIACETYL was a flavoring of some sort that was proven to cause cancer to those that worked around it.
Pop weaver is the largest maker of popcorn, but not because of microwave popcorn sales. Most of their sales are to stadiums and movie houses.
September 11th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Why does it seem like WalMart is the only place (cheap) to buy the ($2.57)15pk of Pop Weaver’s Light Butter popcorn???(I hate having to shop there due to their sub-standard treatment of their hourly employees.) I can find no other market which carries this product at a reasonable price. I’d order it directly from “Pop” if I could! Who needs that (fat cat)middle man anyway?