19 out of 19 people found this review helpful.
Great alternative to microwaved popcorn
Date of Review: Apr 23, 2004
The Bottom Line: If you've been wanting to eat healthier, and don't mind bland popcorn, get this popper.
I am a college student, and one day I had a hankering for some popcorn. The problem, I also like to eat as healthfully as possible, so i try to avoid heavily buttered and salted popcorn. There are some low fat low salt microwaved popcorn brands out there, but all those Chemicals can't be good for you. My solution, buy a hot air popcorn popper.
What it does well.
I have used this popper almost every day for the past few months and could not be happier with the results.
To start off, it's fast and easy. Just put up to half a cup of popcorn in the chamber, put a 3 to 4 qt. bowl below the opening (use a smaller bowl at your own risk, just remember that popcorn expands 15-20 times when popped), and plug it in. In 3 or 4 minutes, all of the popcorn will have popped and be in the bowl,then just unplug the machine.
It cleans up very easily. I have already gone through about 5 lbs. of popcorn in this thing and have never had to do more than just dump out any un-popped kernels. The machine gets slightly dusty from popcorn specks, but since no oil or salt ever goes into the chamber, there is really no mess to clean up.
Probably the most important thing for me, besides it being healthy, is that it is incredibly inexpensive. I can buy a 4 lb. bag of popcorn for under $2. that's approximately 60 servings of popcorn at under 4 cents a serving. Just try to get that kind of value from any microwaved popcorn.
What it doesn't do well.
I couldn't be happier with it, but there are a few things that aren't perfect on this thing.
First, almost all of the kernels pop when the full 1/2 C. of popcorn is put in the chamber, but the less popcorn you try to make, the more kernels get shot out before they pop. This isn't a very big problem. If you are making a small amount of popcorn you can just prop the machine at a slight angle (on a book or something) until the popcorn starts to pop.
This machine can make a mess, I guess, if you are careless. I personally have not lost more than a kernel or two to the floor in all my uses of the machine, but if you don't line up the bowl, use a bowl that's too small, or forget the bowl all together you will have quite a pile of popcorn to clean up.
Air-popped popcorn isn't for everyone. I personally like the taste, but it is kinda bland. So I'd recommend trying someone else's hot-air popped popcorn before buying one yourself.
Conclusion.
This is a fast, cheap, and as far as I can tell, durable popcorn popper. It pops almost every kernel inside the chamber. I would give it a 5, but it has a tendency to shoot some un-popped kernels out, and that can get annoying. If you're trying to eat healthier, and don't mind a bland popcorn, then buy this popper. For $20, you won't be disappointed
