Tuesday, December 18, 2012 11:17:01 PM
When I went to college, we were only allowed to have a popcorn popper. Back then they were just round-bottomed kettles with a heating coil underneath. If you were good, though, you could cook damned near anything in one of them.
Of course, anything that could be boiled -- soup, spaghetti, Rammen, hotdogs, etc. -- was easy. Bacon and eggs was a a bit more challenging, but not too tough.
Baking, though, became an art. You had to have a round rack that was just a bit smaller than the popper so it would sit above the bottom, and you had to have a baking pan that not only would fit, but you also had to be able to get it out. I remember one kid baked an apple pie, and another made a 3-layer chocolate cake.
Most were taller than this and round on the bottom, but you get the idea.