That does seem like it would work, good thinking. I'll have to remember it if I ever make popcorn. Yuck.

The trick is to find a large bodied funnel and the connection with the barrel must be small enough to keep popped kernels from going down it.

My first attempt wasn't perfect, but successful enough to be worth the effort.

I was gifted a self-stirring oil popper. It is simply awesome! Less oil than stove-top and, best of all, *no* unpopped kernels. They don't all necessarily go poof! into big whites, but they all crack.

Tastes better than air-popped. Easier than stove-top. Healthier than microwaved (chemical stew, that!). And it makes frozen hash browns & tater tots oooh so nicely. :-)

I love the self-stirring oil popper, but I just make homemade microwave popcorn: popcorn, salt & oil in a brown paper bag folded over and popped in the 'wave. It does leave a lot unpopped (especially when you don't measure) but there is *nothing* to clean up.

What about the bag? Don't you discard it? Or reuse it?

Huh. So I go to make popcorn today and discover the non-stick coating in the popper no longer sticks to the popper.

It worries me. The product is made in China and was a no-nameish sort of thing. Plus it doesn't seem to have a thermostat: leave it plugged in long enough and it'd probably glow red and melt.

Which means it's too hot for teflon to be safe. And while this coating isn't teflon, who knows what kind of nasty shit it is, and how poisonous it is?

I'm also not enamoured of the plastic lid. Hot oil on plastic = phthylate ingestion, I'm sure. Hopefully the couple seconds the popcorn is in contact with it before I dump it all out into a glass bowl is good enough.

Probably shouldn't be eating popcorn anyway. It's food fit for pigs, not humans. And I hate the idea of supporting the corn industry.

I throw the bag out. The homemade microwave popcorn makes trash, but it doesn't leave a pot to clean. Am I missing something, mischief?

FFF---I defintely misunderstood you! I love the whirly pop which is definitely not self-stirring!