Technology ConnectionsI made a video on the popcorn button controversy
https://youtu.be/Limpr1L8Pss
https://youtu.be/Limpr1L8Pss
YouTube
Koutsie 
@TechConnectify hell yes, masto actually delivering more consistent notifications than youtube...
ThaneVim@k
What's up with that, anyways? I haven't gotten a single yt notification in days, had to remind myself to check subscriptions on my lunch break
@TechConnectify
What's up with that, anyways? I haven't gotten a single yt notification in days, had to remind myself to check subscriptions on my lunch break
@TechConnectify
Linh Pham@TechConnectify Appropriate music for the video, me thinks 😂
Popcorn
cog@TechConnectify Finally. Someone acknowledges this issue!
Geoff 🏴@TechConnectify That's a perfectly polished script in places, probably peak performance.
chris 
@TechConnectify Question: is it required that you own a microwave to be able to try this? Or can I find a popcorn button somewhere on my whirley pop?
gamerdonkey 
@TechConnectify oh this should be good *gets the popcorn*
Lukas HvG@TechConnectify I'd really value your insight on air fryers!
@LukasHvG They're just rebranded convection ovens with a different form factor and more air movement.
It's basically just a tornado of hot air... but that's what a convection oven does.
They still have some benefits (quicker to preheat, higher air velocity, basket form-factor) but if you already have a convection oven, you should try using that feature before convincing yourself to get another small kitchen appliance.
If I make a video, though, I'll do some actual testing.
@TechConnectify in fact I don't own any oven (apart from the microwave). It broke down ~3 years ago. Not a big baker tho.
I've been eyeballing with an air fryer as a possibility to prepare potatoes, vegetables etc. Cheaper than an actual oven, but the "another appliance collecting dust" problem is real indeed.
Thanks for the reply! 👋
(If I store the air fryer in the broken oven...? 🤔)
@LukasHvG Wirecutter or somebody just did a test that I'd really look into in your situation:
There are plenty of large toaster ovens that also air fry these days. Whether they air fry as well as a true air fryer depends on the model (and there are some other compromises too) but personally I'd go that route as you can have a conventional oven as well when you need it in the same space.
Lumi AkimovaThis post was (not?) sponsored by TooManySmallKitchenAppliances.com :)
Coffee Percolators: An Explanation and Roast
giantweevil@LukasHvG @TechConnectify air fryers are just the impingement oven of the proletariat.
unsponsor@TechConnectify love the alliteration
Ellie (migrated for summer)
Zeraph@TechConnectify Huh, apparently you're on here. That's convenient to find out!
Time to enjoy some more No-effort November.
Ivan Jarmoluk@TechConnectify have you tried that convection oven option? My new microwave has it but I'm terrified.
@ivan I tested it once but I don't really have a need for it - plus, it took a surprisingly long time to preheat. It may come in handy at some point (plus it's probably a better convection oven than the actual convection oven it sits above - the fan only runs periodically on that one) but it's definitely not in regular use for me.
Tai xzo@ivan @TechConnectify I have one and it works great. I’ve used it to heat things up, bake bread, etc. The one thing I’ve found is that while conventional advice is “set the temperature on a convection oven 15° lower”, I get the best results by just setting the temperature given in the recipes; I don’t know whether the oven thermostat is intentionally calibrated a bit off to compensate for that or whether it just doesn’t do as much convection as a dedicated convection oven.
HardlyWorgen@TechConnectify I tried the popcorn button a couple times. It either stopped too soon or ran too long and smoked up the kitchen.
Robots can be gay deal with it@TechConnectify since you were so kind as to improve my can opening life in the past, I want to return the favor by making your popcorn experience better.
I got this thing on a whim while buying kitchen stuff at a discount store. If you're like me and prefer less salty, more air popped popcorn but still like butter... This thing is pretty neat!
Chancerubbage@TechConnectify I find either way it’s two minutes. I just put the microwave packaged popcorn in for two minutes, suffer the consequences of a few unpoped duds.
The issue with popcorn buttons seems to be they go on too long what ever sensor or lie they use, and you get scorched popcorn.
penguin42@TechConnectify Microwaves with microphones listening....that's probably not on people's paranoia list yet :-) Our UK Samsung microwave does not have a popcorn button; it has a dough proof/yoghurt button. No, I've never used that, and yes, it's sad.
lime!@TechConnectify i probably already left this comment under the last microwave video but the inconsistencies between different ovens and insistence on touch-based controls is why i will never buy a microwave oven with controls other than just a timer knob and effect knob. that's already more features than i use most of the time anyway.
@lime I don't love the touch-based controls, but I appreciate and use plenty of extra features because they work very well.
If you don't, cool.
@TechConnectify yeah i'm not judging anyone who uses them, but it to me it's just extra stuff that can break...
one "feature" that riles me up every time is when the only way to set the time is to press a button to add 30 seconds. i'm not a fan of the keypad approach either, but i can live with it. just having a single button makes me very annoyed though.
one "feature" that riles me up every time is when the only way to set the time is to press a button to add 30 seconds. i'm not a fan of the keypad approach either, but i can live with it. just having a single button makes me very annoyed though.
@lime I have never encountered such a microwave. Seen plenty of
+30 seconds buttons but they've always been in addition to the keypad.
The most irritating UI to me was GE machines from the early aughts. Buttons 1 through 6 would start the microwave in a single push for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 minutes. If you wanted to enter a time, you HAD to press "time cook" first otherwise it would just start.
@lime ...buuut I've also heard people say the +30 seconds button is the only button they ever use.
Brains. They're all so different!
synthBirba@TechConnectify @lime Well, sometimes is more easy to learn the right time for the same thing made every single day in the same way 
@TechConnectify i think they're most common in offices, that's the only places i've encountered them. they usually only have a "start" button and an "open" button.
i actually ran into one of those immediate start things this summer while visiting family in north america, made me even more confused than the cavalcade of buttons already had...
you know what kitchen appliance i *don't* mind being a bit smart is an induction cooktop with a "boil water" mode. handy, and intriguing to figure out.
billatq@TechConnectify @lime My Toshiba microwave has the same annoying design, but its timed popcorn button works great for me, so it’s a wash.
mnemonicoverload@TechConnectify @lime My "new" (bought within the past couple of years) off-brand "Master Chef" microwave uses that interface. It definitely took some getting used to after decades of just being able to enter whatever time I wanted without pressing any extra buttons. That said, after an adjustment period it is actually pretty convenient. Assuming of course you're already the type of person who uses the mode buttons extensively. Probably way more annoying if you're the type who likes to set the power level manually instead of using the "defrost" button, etc.
Nick@TechConnectify @lime how about touch controls with blue LEDs 🤬
Robotistry@lime @TechConnectify I use the "melt" button all the time. It has different settings for melting butter and chocolate, and the butter never boils over and the chocolate never burns, and I can walk away without checking it every five seconds or stirring constantly.
@robotistry @lime heh, funnily enough, I just discovered that my microwave has a specific setting for softening cream cheese!
Needed to do that for a recipe, found the "Soften/Melt" button, arrowed over to cream cheese. It asked for the size in ounces and it worked perfectly!
@TechConnectify @robotistry honestly what this whole exchange has taught me is that cooking itself is pretty different between the us and europe.
@lime @robotistry I mean, that's why my videos on kitchen appliances are so... triggering, I suppose.
Lots of "we would *never* do that here!" and my general response would be... why not?
I get the sense that the European mindset generally views microwave ovens as some sort of cheating. To some degree you get that here too, but nobody's snobby about it. Or few, anyway.
There are some things it's not great at, there are plenty of things it excels at! But you gotta try to find out
@TechConnectify @robotistry yeah that seems about right, it sort of slotted into the niche here that warming cabinets (?) at worksites used to occupy and it's never left. i've never seen a microwave used for anything other than popcorn and leftovers, and it's honestly never been on my mind to try it when my pots and pans are *right there*.
i wonder if this is another consequence of the 110/220V thing? the speed advantage of a microwave is much smaller when a regular stove is on three-phase.
@lime @robotistry nah, it's not a 120/240 thing. Our cooktops are just as powerful as yours; they're on a 240V, 40 or 50A 240 circuit (depending on the age of the home mostly) so use more current rather than phases.
*but*
Our microwaves generally have 1000W cooking power *at a minimum* and 1200W is becoming common. Only the cheapest, smallest dorm room micros are 700W. And I keep hearing that 700W is common across the pond.
So our microwaves are indeed faster, but our stoves aren't slower.
@TechConnectify @robotistry our stoves generally run at 400V. they use a special plug and everything: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perilex
edit:
oh yeah the current. that should be about the same then. hm.
@TechConnectify @robotistry actually now that I think about it the situation may be reversed; i've definitely seen 1200W microwaves in stores but i've never seen someone own one, possibly because of the aforementioned cheating thing.
also the "it makes your food radioactive" myth is unfortunately still alive and well in some circles.
Lexi@TechConnectify @lime @robotistry I work for an Asian tech company’s US office and they have 2 700W micros. That keeps the power draw below 1500W when two people are heating up their lunches!
HawkWolf (H. A. Kirsch)@TechConnectify cool story bro time - at my college job 20 years ago, someone from the department next door came into our break room to use the microwave, which they were allowed to do. they put a hot pocket in the microwave, and then pressed the “frozen food" button. This set a time of EIGHTEEN MINUTES.
It also resulted in a combusted hot pocket. (no one was harmed, not even the microwave, but the smell was atrocious and the smoke triggered the building smoke evacuation system.)
PAIGE! 🍁@TechConnectify sweet. This is exactly what I needed while sick in bed today!
zeriben@TechConnectify today i found out my microwave had "the fancy kind sensors that dont ask for the weight of your popcorn bag" after eight years of having it and i could not be more grateful, thank you.
Eric Malves 
Time to watch and learn way more about a topic than I ever thought existed. If you haven’t watched Technology Connections, you are missing out on some of the best explanations of obscure things. It’s an addiction once you start.
nytpu the wyvern@EricMalves @TechConnectify I really dislike coffee and yet I've watched all his videos on various kinds of coffee makers lol
@nytpu @TechConnectify I can’t stand the taste of coffee, but I NEVER miss a TechConnect video. He’s so good at making it easy to understand and fun to watch.
Yksteldus@EricMalves @nytpu @TechConnectify I've never been interested in photography, yet I watched all the film development ones lol
gigabecquerel@TechConnectify any my microwave doesn't even have any buttons, it's just a dial for power and a dial for time
Nixie