Taller than the competition, so it works better

I bought this popper after returning a "Kitchen Gourmet," and the Presto is much better. I knew there was something wrong with the "Kitchen Gourmet" because I had an air popper years ago and it worked well, like this Presto. I believe the difference results from the height of the popping chamber: 6" on the Presto, compared to only 4" on the "Kitchen Gourmet." With Presto's taller chamber, more kernels stay in until they pop.

With the Presto, after filling the included dispenser cup with popcorn and then pouring that into the chamber, more than 95% of kernels pop, ejecting fewer than 20 kernels unpopped. (This is using Deerfield Farms popcorn, $0.80/#.) In contrast, the Kitchen Gourmet popped less than 70%, and made a huge mess of the kitchen because unpopped kernels flew out and sometimes popped in the bowl, scattering popcorn everywhere. The Presto costs around $10 more, but pays for itself compared to cheap & sloppy poppers or to microwave popcorn.

Prior to buying the Presto online, I also looked at Target and Rite Aid, and their poppers had 4" popping chambers. They looked very similar to the Kitchen Gourmet, so I suspect they might have the same performance and might even be manufactured by the same OEM. That would be consistent with other epinions, which describe the Target machine as similar to what I experienced with Kitchen Gourmet.

I found the Presto on Amazon, where it's now on sale for $17 and eligible for free shipping, which is a great bargain.

I have tried many ways of making popcorn, and air popping is my favorite. First, you don't need oil to pop, so once the bowl is full of popcorn you can add whatever you want: butter, margarine, olive oil, anything. (If you want to add salt, it helps to add something else first for the salt to stick to.) Other methods require oil or constant attention, or both.

Plain popcorn is a bit dull, maybe like styrofoam chips, but it's a reasonably healthy snack because it's filling and has comparatively few calories and no fat or sodium. Adding olive oil or fresh butter adds calories, but is probably much healthier than microwave popcorn for example. (I'm not sure how microwave popcorn can include butter and yet survive at room temperature.) After air popping, I like to add olive oil and then salt.

Some reviewers say they don't like the taste of air-popped popcorn. They would probably like it if they added oil or butter after popping. The popcorn itself is basically the same either way, what gives it taste is what you put on it.

One caveat: be sure to use the measured amount of popcorn, no more and no less. The measuring cup on top is easy to use, and the instructions are easy to follow. If you use too much, it might overheat and the popcorn might get burnt. (The popper has an internal thermostat and should shut off safely.) If you use less, the percentage of kernels popped can diminish significantly - although still not as bad as the 4" popper I tried previously.

On the whole, I'm very glad to have returned the Kitchen Gourmet and spent the extra $ on the Presto. If I could improve the Presto, I would add a covered accessory bowl to attach to the chute, with a screen and tray at the bottom to remove unpopped kernels. They could even add a start button with auto-off for automatic operation. Those features are unlikely though, since the direction of the market is towards cheaper designs and hoping customers won't know the difference. Meanwhile, I'm just glad that Presto still makes a 6" popping chamber because it works so much better than the 4" competition.