After I accidentally bought a case of Megapop packets which didn't include the oil packs, I ordered a 16 oz plastic tub of popcorn oil. The problem I am having is that scooping the sludge out is very difficult and will become even worse when it gets down to the bottom and the sides. Right now I am using a hard plastic scoop but it's like digging into a candle! What does everyone else use?

If you are using coconut oil, it begins to melt/soften at 76 degrees. You could warm up your scoop prior to dipping or store the oil in a warmer place.

I use the gallon jugs of coconut oil that are realllllly deep. I am nearing the bottom of my jug now. I just use a long wooden spoon. Don't think for a second that you will not get any of it on you. You will! As soon as it hits your skin it turns into a runny mess.

Thanks for the response. My popper and supplies are in our basement and especially during air conditioning weather, I don't think it'll go above 76 degrees so I'll have to deal. May I ask how you measure your oil with the wooden spoon? Do you just guestimate?
Incidentally, spent a lot of good times in West Virginia near Martinsburg, specifically the Woods Resort near Hedgesville. :)

If you are doing this often you might want to think about doing this in a batch. Warm up the oil until it's a little bit soft then using your pre-measured oil scoop but the amount in a zip lock bag, then put those in a cool place.

When it's time to oil the machine just grab a bag and turn inside out into the hopper. No Fuss no Muss.

Another thought is to warm the oil till it melts then pour into ice cub trays, cool the trays, pop a chunk into a zip lock and store.

Biggie has some good suggestions. For me, I just eye ball it. It hasn't failed me yet.

If you haven't been to the Martinsburg area in the past few years, you may be surprised how populated it is becoming.

I use a metal Pamper Chef scooper that my wife let me have. It's like an ice cream scooper in that it has the little lever that allows you to release the scoop, but it's smaller. Like HeyNow, I'm eyeballing it, but a scooper full is about the right size compared to the scooper my popper came with.

Thanks to all for the helpful suggestions. I like the Pampered Chef scoop idea the best as it involves less work! I'll try to find one or something similar on-line! ;)

I use bulk oil and have always used an ice cream scooper with the release button. It is fast and easy to control the amount of solid oil that you pick up. No spills etc. Packs are too slow when you are popping corn for a kids carnival or other function.

..Doyle

I picked up an ice cream scoop from GFS. They have them in the correct sizes. I picked one up that has a 2 oz. scoop which is perfect for my 6 oz. machine. Other sizes are available.

Question on the ice cream scoopers....How long are they? Will they reach the lower third of the jug without putting your whole hand in the jug?

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is GFS?

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is GFS?

Gordon Food Service

Question on the ice cream scoopers....How long are they? Will they reach the lower third of the jug without putting your whole hand in the jug?

Randy - Mine is plenty long enough to dig into my jar of Coconut Oil but the jar is only about a half gallon in size.

If I can remember, I'll snap some photos of the scooper and the Coco-Oil Jar tonight when I'm down working on my bar (which I also need to photograph).

My oil comes in a bucket not a jug so there is no problem scooping it. Smart and Final stores in California carry coconut oil, as well as MegaPop and Flavacol.

..Doyle

Thanks Irmo. The only thing I had around the house that was long enough was one of my wooden spoons. I am trying to avoid getting my hand down in the jug. When you get the oil on your hands, it will slide off onto the floor before you can wipe it off.

(I can't believe I am spending this much time on scooping coconut oil) :)

A 2 oz. ice cream scoop seems to be the way to go. Don't have Gordon Food Service in my neck of the woods (Philadelphia), but certainly a 2 oz. scoop won't be hard to find.

Okay, here's my pampered chef (I'm thinking it's a melon) scooper:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pc58f91af0d8cefb394fcdbb3a6528f40/e8a2ac9b.jpg

I put in the tub of Cocoa Oil as a basis of comparison for size. I'll easily be able to get to the bottom of this tub.

^^^^ Exactly the same system I am using. Works great. Get LouAna at Superwalmart. Use about two melon scoops per 4 oz machine. Got the one people talk about that is at Cosco/Sams Club.

Happy popping!

Real Theater Popcorn Oil Scoop (http://www.ht-express.com/catalog/catalog_detail.asp?CID=100&CI=345&PI=22696)

Keith

I picked up a melon/cookie dough scoop like the ones shown above at my local kitchen-stuff store. Packaging states it is 1 teaspoon capacity.

If your popcorn popper wants 2 tablespoons of oil, use 6 tsp scoops. There are 3 teaspoons in each tablespoon.

Scoops may vary in size. I'm just suggesting that they are rated for capacity, and with a little measuring math you can be very accurate when measuring oil for your poppers. http://www.cooking-solutions.com/conversions.html

Oil and Popcorn measure (http://www.ht-accessories.com/PopcornOil-Measuring-Kit_p_12-50.html)

I have only used the megapop popcorn portion packs with the oil,salt,corn premeasured and ready to cut and go.

Is there a consensus that using separate ingredients, (oil/salt/corn) in bulk and measuring for each batch, better, or more tasty? :confused:

I just was using as convenience, but if it is better to use bulk ingredients, I'd be willing to try it out. I have a Theater-Pop 4oz paragon machine. Is there a benefit to using "raw" ingredients? :)

^^^^ Exactly the same system I am using. Works great. Get LouAna at Superwalmart. Use about two melon scoops per 4 oz machine. Got the one people talk about that is at Cosco/Sams Club.


Funny, I have the same machine and I get by with only one scoop per batch. I just eyeballed it compared to the scooper that came with my popper so that it's roughly the same. You might want to try it and see if that works for you, would save some of your Cocoa Oil.

Whether the popcorn is more tasty is a matter of personal preference. I think it boils down to the amount of Flavacol you like in your popcorn. For me the MegaPop packs have too much flavacol so I have always used bulk and add my own. A lot of people choosing to use different oils are doing that because they do not want to use Coconut oil. For flavor, it is hard to beat coconut oil. Even with MegaPop packs, you can choose to limit the amount of Flavacol going into the popper. My popper gets used at a lot of functions so bulk is a less expensive and easy way to go.

..Doyle