"microwave popcorn" news and stories

Apparently, this is different than National Popcorn Poppin' Month, which was back in October. That month you had to pop the corn yourself. Today I guess you just have to eat it.

Popcorn.org has a bunch of recipes and popcorn facts, while Kraft has a recipe for Chocolate Popcorn Trail Mix. Simply Recipes tells you how to make what they call Perfect Popcorn. If you want to make popcorn in your microwave (but don't want to just throw in a bag of microwave popcorn), All Recipes shows you how. If you don't feel like making popcorn, you can read about the history of Jiffy Pop.

And don't forget the Honey Popcorn Balls Marissa told you a few months ago.

October is National Popcorn Poppin' Month, the time of year we celebrate...um...the popping of popcorn.

But I wonder how many people actually pop their own corn at home nowadays. I think a lot of people have gotten used to microwaving a bag of popcorn at home for a snack or at the office. It's quick, it's already in a handy bag, etc. But one of my favorite memories of childhood is getting Jiffy Pop at the store and making it on the stove with mom or my sister. I wonder if kids today (and by kids I mean ones under 12) even know what Jiffy Pop is, even though it's stil sold.

So, your assignment today: if you want to pop some popcorn, go buy some Jiffy Pop. I'm curious to see if it's still as good as I remember.

The hell?

Seattle is thinking about banning microwave popcorn. The Justice Center has had to be evacuated eight times in the past three years because of burnt popcorn in the microwave making the smoke alarms go off. That means over 400 employees have to be evacuated each time. It is also happening in the city's Municipal Tower.

This isn't a joke: read the memo. If the problem continues, they're going to ban it in downtown buildings.

• For many families, Christmas Eve means the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
• Some people don't drink alcohol with their meals.
• A quick guide to the many cookbooks released in 2006.
• How to pick the best knives for your kitchen needs.
• The history of Vanilla Caramels.
• Make some mac 'n cheese, but with a twist.
• The Globe taste tests several light microwave popcorn brands.
• This week's recipes: Onion Jam on Toast; Potato Gratin; Hazelnut Macaroon Domes; Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Sticks; and the Lavender Splash.

Last week the Teamsters and the United Food and Commercial Workers called for the U.S. government to act to protect workers from exposure to a flavoring agent that has been linked to lung disease. Diacetyl is used as a flavoring in microwave popcorn. Hence the name of the debilitating disease that has left some former food factory workers seeking lung transplants.

A group of doctors joined the two unions in their petition to the U.S. Department of Labor to issue an emergency order to reduce factory exposure to diacetyl. The groups are calling for an emergency order from OSHA since it could take years to develop a standard for exposure.

Later this year the EPA plans to publish a study on whether microwaving popcorn at home releases the chemical. The agency says the study is not designed to measure health risks, but rather whether diacetyl and other chemicals are released.

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