I shopped around quite a bit for a popcorn popper. I was tired of microwave stuff, and don't like the results from a hot-air popper.
There are several like this, with a motorized stirring rod and a cooking surface, but either they get poor reviews for reliability (Cuisinart), or were too expensive, difficult to maintain, scratched the Teflon cooking surface, etc.
This model is very similar to the West Bend Stir Crazy, but has two heat settings (nuts or popcorn) and - most importantly - a much thicker stirring rod. With the more basic Stir Crazy, the rod is thin and easily flexed (think coat-hanger) and diverted by the weight of the popcorn itself, causing it to be pressed into the Teflon surface while rotating, thus scratching the Teflon. This model has a MUCH thicker stirring rod (I took a few pictures and added them above to demonstrate) that never makes contact with the surface.
The popper pretty much performs like it's supposed to. I was curious to see if the lid stayed in place while popping a full batch, because is simply sits on top and is only held in place by the weight of the cover. It does in deed stay put.
It doesn't seem to matter what brand of popping corn you use. Name brand or generic seem to perform the same - very well. I have never used the butter well, because I don't like how you wind up with a few soggy bits of corn rather than all of it having a consistent flavor and texture. I've experimented some and found that simply adding several pats of butter to the oil and corn does a great job of giving you a nice mild butter flavor. I thought maybe the butter would burn, but that did not happen. I also reduced the oil by 1/2T Spoon, but don't recommend reducing the oil much more than that, since the distributed hot oil is what promotes the rapid kernel popping. I also added salt directly to the oil and popping corn at the beginning of the process, which worked well enough, but was more difficult to clean in the end. I'm also worried that it might over time scratch the Teflon surface, so I don't plan to do that again.
The bowl is moderate thickness, and appears fairly sturdy. It is not flexible, so I imagine a hard drop might crack it. Because it is a hard clear plastic, it is susceptible to scratching if you use any kind of abrasive to clean it. I'm not sure why you would, considering it only takes a bit of soap and hot water to clean popcorn/oil/butter residue, but whatever.
Finally, it comes with a few recipes in the manual. We've tried a couple and they turned out well. One of them was Scotcheroo Popcorn - which is a sort of gooey sweet treat that includes chocolate and butterscotch chips.
All together we are really, really happy with this popper. I recommend it without hesitation.
UPDATE: UPDADE: I often wonder about these reviews. 99% of the good reviews are written in the first few days of ownership. This tell you nothing of the longevity of the product. So, I am back after a year to tell you that I still love this popper. It still does a great job, and has had absolutely no issues.
3 suggestions for improvements: (1) the power cord is too short - should be twice as long; (2) would be nice to have a cover for the clear plastic bowl in which the popping is done, to temporarily store the popped popcorn; (3) the top of the retaining nut, which holds the stir rod to the heating base, should be convex, not concave. The concave top of this part catches unpopped kernels, preventing them from falling back onto the heating base, and preventing them from popping.
The time required for popping, and the instructions for the amounts of popcorn & oil to use are very accurate. The unit is easy to clean & maintain.
OK.. I could not wait to get this popper. I checked the reviews..and decided that this was the one. Amazon got it here super fast...and that was a Plus (+)
First batch I did...was a 4 Quart, and did the butter in the tower thing, and followed the instructions to a "T".
Flipped the batch over after unplugging the machine, and in doing so, Half the batch spilled when I was startled from my thumbs being burned (not seriously) as I started to flip. No Big Deal, and I was able to quickly salvage the popped corn that didn't fall on the floor. Ha Ha Ha
My husband cooled and cleaned the machine and did a batch by using 2 of the microwave buttered pop C. Just broke it up a bit after cutting open the bag..and I'm saying to myself,"Why not just micro pop it?" Well there is a good answer.
Everytime we Microwave pop, IT "BURNS". Hubby will not eat it.
NOW! With the WB Krazy Popper....the Popcorn came out beautifully popped, and white, and not a bit burned.
Also...on all the popping, there were only few unpopped kernels. Great in my books.
As for the Lid sliding off, and the little thumb burn from the handle where the screw mount is installed.....Dear Hubby just picked up two of those Binder Clips from the office supply....The big super ones, I guess 2" (inch) size, and now I just clip one on each handle to clip the Bowl and keep it in place so it doesn't fall off when inverting the machine and the corn. Also By not having to worry about the bowl slipping while inverting, I have better control over getting burned.
I know I should use common sense while working with hot items and such, but a little extra engineering from the manufacturer on the handle design would help a lot. But I know that will never happen, so the 49 cents fix finally lets me give this machine 5 stars. Or at least 4 stars to West Bend and 1 star to my husband!
So...if you buy this one....I recommend it. ps: Buy some binder clips too. I believe Amazon would sell them too!/? - Great Cookware - Popcorn - Healthy Eating - Small Appliances - Popcorn Maker - Popper'
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