Rome Industries Popcorn Popper

[Sford13]

Ok this is a question about popcorn popping over a campfire. I have one of the Rome Popcorn Poppers. Figure their pie irons are top notch I would give the popper a try. Well first and only time I have used it was with mixed results. So does anyone else out there use a popcorn popper? And if so what tips or tricks can you share on getting a good batch of popcorn. Looking forward to your replies.

[renodesertfox]

There isn't anything wrong with your popper. In fact anyone can pop any amount of popcorn in any size pan over a fire that supplies an even amount of heat to all sides of the popper evenly.. The problem is the campfire, itself. Campfires are built or made out of wood, commonly soft wood, such as pine. This campfire under normal conditions looks nice and can be romantic to some, but as an even heating source it is not. There are some that say that you have to place the popper in the coals but the directions tells us not too. Take for an example, cooking marshmellows in a row, on a stick. The first one melts too quickly and the second or third one in the row has even begun to roast. It's just plain stupid to cook marshmellows in the coals. Therein lies the problem, un-even heat. Over a single burner, or multi-burner propane stove, the popper will work fine because the propane camping stove delivers constant even heat over the entire surface of popper or closed lid pan. If your campfire is comprised of hard wood, that would be better but hard wood is harder to light and costs alot more coin and it's flame too will not cook anything evenly. Our houses either have electric, gas, or propane cooking elements and they cook evenly. A roasted rabbit on a spit or stuffed pig will cook too over an open fire but now we are talking about hours and hours of cooking time, not simple old popcorn.

[Sford13]

While I would agree with your comments of cooking over a flame and even heat being hard to keep. I think that a bed of hot coals are ideal. And actually I think that you have solved my problem for me. Which I did not figure it was the equipment but something I was doing. I think that the trick would be to get a bed of hot coals and cook over them to the point of touching them. Really believe that with the correct technique a great batch of popcorn is just around the corner.

[renodesertfox]

I'm very interested in your results! Good luck! Hope you don't get too many ash particles on your corn. I really do love that super sweet corn that grows in your area. Can't find that here in the desert! We have to drive 300 miles to central Utah or 500 miles to central California before one finds super sweet corn. Never got a chance to pop that kind of corn, does it taste sweet?

[Sford13]

I doubt that ash particles in the popcorn would be an issue since the coals would not be ash yet and you would be holding the pan just above them so would not be stirring them up any.

Yeah July is a great time around here with sweet corn. Sweet corn is a type of dent corn. It really does not pop due to a little different make up than pop corn. I think it has to do with starch and moisture but can't remember off the top of my head. If you would dry out sweet corn and try to pop it you would probably end up with something more like corn nuts than pop corn.

That being said one year I found some microwave popcorn at Wal-Mart made by ACT II that was sweet corn flavored. Not sure what they used to flavor it but boy was that good stuff. Of course I liked it so they stopped carrying it.