Routine cleaning a Whirley popcorn popper shouldn’t be too hard, however, it may get a little tricky especially if you have burnt kernels stuck on your pot. If you are asking yourself how you should clean it, you are in the right place.
In this post, we’ll teach you how to clean your Whirley popcorn popper, show you how to season it, and share a few tips on how to defeat tougher stains like burnt popcorn.
First things first though, here are the tools you’ll need to Effectively Clean A Whirley Popcorn Popper;
- Paper Cloth
- Soapy Water
- Rinsing Water
- Wooden Scraper
The scraper will remove the stuck popcorn off the sides or bottom of the pot. A wooden scraper is mostly preferred as it does not scratch the pot hence the pot lasts longer.
How to Clean a Whirley Popcorn Popper
Routine Cleaning a Whirley popper is easy especially if no popcorn is burnt as you’ll only need to wipe the inside of the pot using a paper towel.
If you want to thoroughly clean the popper though, here are the steps that you should take;
1. Remove the lid from the popper
- This is how you do it:
- Pull up the big tab in the front of the lid
- The handle-side clip then releases the lid from the pot hence you can easily remove the lid.
2. Hand wash the popper using warm soapy water.
Soaking the pot in warm water helps in removing burn marks. A good dishwashing soap should be more than sufficient though there is no harm in using standard soap.
3. Rinse the pot using clean water and dry it using a towel
A paper towel or a soft/non-abrasive sponge could do the trick
4. Put back the lid on.
Putting back the lid is so simple, you should:
- Put the handle-side clip on first
- Push down the clip on the opposite side to hold the clip in place
- While you are still holding the pot, give the lid a slight counter clockwise turn so that the clip on the right side holds the right side flap firmly.
How to Season your Whirley Popcorn Popper
Seasoning the Whirley popcorn popper is very easy and you only have to do very once in a while.
Follow these steps to season your Whirley Pop popper:
- Put a tablespoon of vegetable oil at the bottom of the pot, oiling the bottom prevents the popcorn from sticking, making cleaning easier.
- Put the Whirley popper on a burner or stove eye and turn the heat up to around 70% ( maximum)
- Once the oil is heated up, tilt and roll the Whirley pop to distribute the oil at the bottom of the pop to the entire bottom surface and sides of the pop.
- After the oil is well heated, turn off the Whirley pop and leave it to cool for about 15-20 minutes.
- Once the oil has cooled down, wipe off the excess oil using a paper towel.
The Whirley Pop is now seasoned and you can start popping right away.
How often should you clean your Popcorn popper?
Well, it depends on the ingredients you use to make your popcorn.
Wabash valley suggests that if you make sugar corn or gourmet recipes, you should clean your popper after every use with warm soapy water.
For the more traditional recipes, you can just wipe the popper with a paper towel.
Of course, it all depends on your preferences and judgment, if you feel the ingredients you used will need to be washed off quickly, then you should go ahead and give your popper a proper wash after using it.
Remember to also season your popper every once in a while.
Can you put a Whirley pop in the dishwasher??
No, according to the manufacturer, Whirley pop poppers are not dishwasher safe.
The pot itself can be dishwater is safe, however, putting the lid in the dishwater is not. The dishwasher causes the wooden parts of the rid to crack which might permanently damage it.
Thankfully though, you do not really have to wash the Whirley popper in a dishwasher at all, as it’s already pretty easy to give them a clean.
You can use a paper towel and wipe it on the inside or, alternatively, you can hand-wash it using warm soapy water and rinse it thoroughly.
How to Clean Burnt Whirley Pop
A burnt Whirley pop is a little harder to clean even when using soapy water because the burnt stains may not be removed effectively.
The first step in cleaning a burnt Whirley popper is to remove the burnt popcorns from the pot. Do this using a wooden scrapper as they are less abrasive and hence won’t damage the pot as you scrab.
Similarly, do not be tempted to use a metal scraper as it’ll damage the stainless steel or aluminum of the pot consequently shortening its lifespan.
If you have tried using Soapy water and the burnt marks are not fading, you can use a dishwasher tablet to remove the burnt marks.
Follow these steps:
- Scrub off the stain using the dishwasher tablet
- Dampen and leave the tablet to work overnight.
- Rinse the pot thoroughly the next day, the stain will be no more.
How to Remove Burnt Popcorn From Stainless Steel Pan
You can remove burnt popcorn from a steel pan using items like lemon, vinegar, or baking soda.
While you might have a few ‘no-nonsense chemicals’ in mind, cleaning cookware with harsh chemicals is generally not recommended as these may not be completely cleaned off the surface of the pot and could be ingested the next you use the pot.
To avoid this, it is safer for you to use food-safe methods to remove burnt popcorn. These include:
1. Boiling lemon in the burnt pot
The acidity of lemon loosens up the burnt food particles and lifts off the burnt mark from the pot.
2. Using a mixture of white vinegar and baking soda
The two products fizzle up when they react and the reaction clears up any burnt residues from the surface of the pan.
Follow these steps to clean your pan using this method:
- Heat a cup of vinegar on the burnt pan
- Remove the pan from the heat source and add a tablespoon of baking soda.
- Allow the two products to react for about an hour, then clean the pan using a non-abrasive scrubber.
Things to avoid when cleaning your Whiley Pop Popcorn Popper
- Never put your popper in the dishwasher
- Do not insert in it in the microwave
- Similarly, do not put your popper in the oven
- Avoid using harsh abbrasive chemicals when cleaning
- Do not leave your popper on the stove unattended
- Avoid using abrasive sponges or steel wool to clean your popper
Can you use olive oil in a Whirley Pop?
You can but it’s not recommended. Olive oil has a much lower smoke point than let’s say vegetable oil and so it will smoke and burn quicker than you might expect.
Conclusion
Making popcorns is a great way to enjoy a healthy snack at home or outdoors, however, if you’re like me and you’re still not great at it, you might burn a few kernels while at it.
Removing burnt kernels from your popper isn’t the easiest or most fun thing you can do after enjoying a quart or two of popcorn, however, with the right tools, it might require much less effort.