I use the popcorn butter.

I spent the extra money for the sensor cook, so damn right I use that popcorn button

There are many buttons on my microwave. I have paid no attention to any of them but I know hitting the one at the bottom-right makes numbers go up by 30s per boop, while food go warm.

My microwave popcorn recipe is:

1. Put in
2. Boop liberally so you know it’s over 5 mins, probably 4–5 days
3. When popcorn pops average about one every 3s, start counting to five
4. If you reach five, serve

Works great! Just make sure is a sensor microwave

My microwave’s popcorn button works perfect 100% of the time so far

My wife prefers the popcorn button and I prefer to mash +30secs. You have to hit the popcorn button three times to get the right setting, but then they’re both cooking for two minutes.

She gets there in four presses and it takes me five, but +30s is right next to Start so I’m not sure one is better than the other. I guess she’s causing less wear on the button

Don’t buy a microwave with just a dial. My last one had an actual keypad of buttons, I could just press 2 + Start and it was wonderful. Nowadays I have to scroll over hells creation to get the right setting, or change the clock, and it’s awful

I try it to see if it works. Most of the time it’s too long but sometimes there’s that perfect microwave that has the steam sensor and it pops with no kernels.

Yes, because my microwave uses a sensor for it.

If it was just a guesstimated time like some cheap microwaves, I wouldn’t.

I use an air popper

Unfortunately my fiancée does not like pocorn

Not all popcorn buttons are alike. Per Alec at Technology Connections, some microwaves merely engage a timer and in those microwaves following the instructions on the bag are probably better,. Others have a sensor that looks for the poof of steam that comes from the bag opening its vent. Based on how long it takes for that poof of steam to occur it can deduce the size of the bag and thus how much longer to cook for. On these microwaves I use the popcorn button.

My LG microwave suffered a major malfunction and broke the magnetron. I replace it but the humidity sensor apparently broke also so my popcorn button and with other features dependant on that sensor don’t work.

Just another example of the enshitification of consumer products. Now I have to cook my popcorn like a savage. I don’t know how many bags of popcorn I ruined because my attention span is shorter than the 1-2 seconds between pops.

I’ve never had a microwave where the popcorn button doesn’t burn it, so no.

Yes, but I never let it run for the full amount of time. I have to stand there and listen for when the kernels stop popping, otherwise it will burn.

The microwave that came with my house

This is probably the reason why your popcorn button actually works. If your home already has a built-in microwave, it’s likely a higher quality one than what you could pick up from the hardware store. Most consumer-grade microwaves, regardless of the brand or model, are all identical, as they all use components sourced from one single manufacturer that makes one single version of them. The only thing that’s different is the plastic shell they put it all in and the logo they slap on the front, but the important things like the magnetron and control boards are all the exact same hardware.

But the microwaves that are usually built-into the home? Those are the good ones. Those are the ones where the builder spent some good money, because it was included in the design spec to begin with. Care went into the selection of that microwave. That microwave is more likely to have the moisture sensors needed to actually have functioning popcorn, reheat, and defrost settings that do more than just assume an appropriate time/power setting.

Having a proper microwave is a totally different experience. I had one at an old apartment of mine that was amazing. It had a button that just said “Reheat”, and required zero other inputs from me. I could put my food in, regardless of what kind of food it is or what quantity I was making, and press the Reheat button once, and it would bring it to the perfect temperature, hot all the way through. I wish I could’ve taken it with me when I moved out.