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my grandfather ALWAYS burnt the popcorn and i stayed with him most days in the summer when i was little. we'd eat it and watch Tom and Jerry... so now the smell of burnt popcorn is a happy memory :) im also partial to the half popped kernels... so i guess im on both sides?

I stop popping mine early on purpose because I think the unpopped kernels are wildly delicious...

Unpopped. Burnt popcorn permeates the whole batch, and makes it inedible to me. And then there's that smeeeelllll....

Please always err on the side of UNPOPPED. I am a dorm mother and I can't how many times I have had to meet the fireman at the dorm door and say, "Microwave popcorn". And when you live in a dorm they send EVERY truck! Plus it smells like hell for days.

I err on the side of Unpopped, and I love the half popped kernels!

Unpopped doesn't stink NEARLY as much as burnt. I'm not that cheap that I won't sacrifice 10 or 15 kernels in the interest of not having to deal with that stench for a day.

err on the side of unpopped. its easier to discard kernels than smell burnt popcorn.

Unpopped. Carbon is so gross.

I wait until it's 2 seconds between pops and turn off the microwave. It's gotten to the point where I will try to err on the unpopped side of the equation. I've smelled so much burnt popcorn at every office I've worked in that I don't want that at home.

Hello? Airpopper! Then you control the butter.

I like my popcorn made on the stove, with just the slightest hint of "burniness". The smell of microwave popcorn makes me gag, and it is even worse when burned.

Slightly unpopped. Once you hear the popping kernels start to diminish popping (if you don't hear a pop for 2 seconds then remove the bag) and you're good to go. My kids then will top with grated cheese or extra butter and sea salt.
Gotta say though, pan popped on the stove rules.

unpopped!!!

I pop kernels on the stove--it's delicious and healthier and you can control your own salt/flavor :)

Unpopped. The smell of burnt kernels overpowers the properly popped ones, ruins the experience.

That's microwaved at the moment. Want to get a popper again, as non-microwave tastes better (I always end up adding more butter -- REAL butter -- post-pop anyway) but I suck at doing it on the stove.

I have been making popcorn ever since I could reach the microwave. I always have cooked it a bit longer because it tastes better that way. I err on the side of burnt but I have never burned popcorn. Its got to be hard because there is a lot of leeway in the microwave. I would understand burning, say, a jiffy pop but a microwave bag? Thats just poor judgment

I err on the side of not eating popcorn.

With Jiffy Pop, there was always a mix of burned, perfect, and unpopped kernels. And microwave popcorn is foul. Like some of the posters, I was in a common living scenario (a camp counselor) and smelled so much burnt carcinogenic microwave popcorn it killed my taste for the stuff.

I also live in the UK, and it's quite difficult to even find popcorn. Also, when you do find it (usually at the cinema) you have to choose between salty and sweet. And no butter.

We have a bizarre petrol station near us that stocks American food...that's the only place I can get proper buttered popcorn, as well as Duncan Hines brownie mix and pop-tarts.

Also, unpopped over burned every time. With extra salt and butter, please.

We had a popcorn maker when I was growing up. It was basically a large pan with a big plastic dome. On top of the done was a small compartment with a lid. You'd put oil in the pan, let it heat up, then add your kernels and put the dome on. In the compartment bit, you'd put butter and let the heat melt it all over the popcorn. Delicious. Also probably a fire risk.

I'd rather have unpopped than burnt, although I'll still eat the bag of popcorn if its contents are slightly charred. I hate waste. I do have an air popper and I find that I get the most consistently well popped and not burnt kernels from that, but oil popped on the stove is my favorite, flavorwise.

UNPOPPED: when I was a freshman in high school, my grandfather took a bad fall, and my parents went to the hospital to check on him. I was put in charge of my younger brother and sister (then 10 and 7). To win points as an awesome babysitter, I told them I'd make popcorn on the stove (I had just learned how to do this). I don't know what happened, but the smoke alarm, which was connected to a new security alarm system, went off. The company called the house and said they could only disable the alarm with a security code, which I did not have, and my dad was not answering his phone in the hospital. The wailing SIREN alarm started going off, and the fire department sent the fire marshall and multiple trucks and ambulances. They insisted on inspecting the entire house, at which point my parents happened to arrive back home. Horrible, mortifying, sad, embarassing experience!

Actually, I didn't make popcorn for almost 10 years because of this incident. While I now make stove-top popcorn quite often, I always err on the side of unpopped... even the slightest bit of smoke sends me into panic mode!

Unpopped!

I am a popcorn freak, brought up in a popcorn household. I still own my very first personal popper that my mom bought for me at a garage sale when I was going off to college. It is awesome and still does an excellent job of neither burning nor leaving too many unpopped kernels. However, I always know when to turn it off by the familiar slowed popping rate and avoid the dreaded burnt pieces on the bottom. Ick.

the MICROWAVE? On a Foodie Blog? Please use the stove and pop popcorn the old fashioned way -- Then it is PERFECT every time. With only a very little practice -- and Orville Redenbacher this problem is nonexistent.

As far as a diet technique, burnt popcorn works every time. The smell kills my appetite for hours.

Give me kettle corn any day.

Burned!!! The best is when the burned, charred sections stick together. If done right they actually turn a little chewy =)

Stovetop popcorn is far superior and not too much trouble to make.
Totally worth it.

Sorry GMF = Genetically Modified Food