Grimefighter 101: Keeping Your Kettle Clean
Because I am a huge popcorn geek, I spend a lot of time looking at popcorn
machines I come across at movie houses or events I attend. The varieties
of kettle-style machines on the market are vast and diverse. Though, I
often notice how absolutely filthy some of these machines become! In fact,
I was at a high school sporting event recently where I opted to pass on the
popcorn, simply because the exterior of the kettle in the machine was so
very grimy. Yuck! Yep, the "black grime" is the number one sullying
characteristic that owners of kettle-style machines have to deal with. And,
I have the answer on how to beat the grimy kettle blues! I will also share
with you how to help keep this problem at bay. For awhile anyway.
A responsible machine owner should know why this problem occurs.
Generally, the primary oil used to pop the kernels in most kettle style
machines is coconut oil. When a kettle pops, small droplets of the coconut
oil splash or drizzle on the exterior of the kettle. When the kettle cools
down, the residue of the coconut oil becomes securely adhered to the
exterior of the kettle. Most of the time, machine owners will clean the
inside of the kettle vigorously, but perform only a tertiary job cleaning
the exterior. (This is why the interior of the kettles stay so much
cleaner.) When the machine is re-heated to make more popcorn, the once
dried-on coconut oil quickly turns black, and becomes extremely difficult to
remove.
To combat this icky scourge, you have to get your machine sparkly-clean
first. The best way to do this is with a kettle cleaning kit.
These kits contain a carbon cleaner that will dissolve the built-up carbon
residue. It does take some time, however. If possible, remove the kettle
from your machine and place it in a well-ventilated area. Then, you
liberally coat the kettle with the carbon cleaner, and let it sit on the
kettle overnight. Eventually, the carbon will separate from the kettle
easily enough to simply wipe it away. It is always best to avoid any
scraping or scrubbing on a kettle if at all possible, especially the
interior. Though, it may be absolutely necessary to get the toughest spots
cleaned.
The good news is, the prevention of this built--up carbon residue is pretty
easy to achieve! When you are finished popping kernels for the day, it is
time to act. While the kettle is still a little warm (Don't burn
yourself!) give the interior and exterior of your kettle a thorough wipe
with a warm and moist cloth. This will help to remove quite a bit of any
coconut oil that has spilled on the sides of the kettle. It will also help
to get all the coconut residue and debris from the inside of the popcorn machine too!
It pays to be vigilant with this, because once you start to get build up, it
only grows. This will not completely solve the buildup problem, but it
will certainly keep it under control much longer.
