This is hubby again. @FLSandytoes: I use a Kuchenpot that's just over 2.5L. It's a German brand, but it's nothing fancy and I think we got it at TJ Maxx. I use 1/2 cup of popcorn and the popped volume fills it perfectly. I cook it on a Miele induction cooktop at "7" until I hear 2 seconds between pops. I do not have anything under the pot between it and the cooktop. There is paint on our cooktop to mark the element locations, and it does not show any signs of wear after ~3 years of popping alongside regular cooking (which, at 1-2 hot meals a day probably adds up to a lot more moving around than popcorn). I usually do the shaking twice: once at the very beginning, and then once a minute or so into the cycle, but before any pops have started. The purpose of the first shakes are to evenly spread the kernels so they're all exposed to the oil. I'm not really sure if the second set of shakes is necessary, but they give a very pleasing sound of sizzling in the oil, and in theory they help turn the kernels so all sides of them are exposed to the hot oil. One other thing to mention is that I usually take off the lid when it gets about 3/4 full. I do this because the pot almost exactly fits the volume of popped corn I'm cooking, and the lid gets wet with moisture during cooking. If the popcorn pushes up against the lid, the top kernels can get soggy. Once the pot is 3/4 full, there is enough weight to keep almost all the newly popping kernels from popping out of the pot. I would never be able to do this with gas or electric, because a kernel or two still occasionally pops over, and I'd be too worried about the kernel catching fire. With the induction, I've never been worried as the only hot parts are the bottom of the pot and the area directly underneath it on the cooktop, neither of which is accessible to an occasional flying kernel.

I want to do my living/dining room ceilings but am afraid of asbestos. Seems like a lot of people just go ahead and scrape it - do you wear a mask? I looked at the usual little masks and they all say "Do NOT use if asbestos is present". The right kind to use has those two thingies on the sides and costs $40. I got an estimate from a contractor and he wanted a whopping $600 and he wasn't going to use any asbestos precautions anyway. Am I being too cautious??

Lots of contractors did poor jobs of taping and sanding ceilings if they knew they were going to spray them. You may want to consider touching up the mudding job to hide the seams and imperfections better before you start painting. I've even seen some where they didn't even prime before spraying. Flat paint will hide imperfections much better. It's the light reflecting off the uneven surface that shows everything, so the glossier the paint, the more that will show. Your mother may have what is considered a spatter sprayed ceiling. It is basically the same thing but without any "popcorn" added. When sprayed on lightly it looks like what you describe your mother has. After the spatter spray is dry, you paint over that with your choice of paint. Spraying is often the best way to get a nice uniform look. BTW - I like sprayed ceilings, but my husband uses fine particles and we prepare the ceiling good enough to paint first. I also like glitter! Cathy

Bump :)