The Best Popcorn Maker I've Ever Used. Prefer it to microwave bags.

My family has been using a West Bend Stir Crazy for about 19 or 20 years. We are popcorn fanatics. We first discovered this popcorn maker based on a top review by Consumer Reports many years ago. We have been totally satisfied. Many of our friends to whom we have served popcorn from this maker have since bought one as well.

Even though we make popcorn about 4 to 5 times per week, we have only bought 2 units in 19 years. As you can see, they are made to last.

When our second one cratered a few weeks ago, we were desperate so we bought a Sunbeam model that uses a similar method of popping corn (we had a difficult time finding the West Bend version in local stores). We were less than satisfied with the Sunbeam. We kept thinking we were getting bad popcorn because only half of the kernels would pop. After trying several brands of popcorn and noticing that the popcorn was not popping efficiently, we went out to our garage and pulled our old West Bend out of the box of garage sale items and tried it with the “bad” popcorn. It overflowed the dome.

Needless to say, we are ordering our third West Bend Stir Crazy. Only this time we are ordering the 8 qt. version. Yes, we eat that much popcorn.

Some have asked if this is a hot air popper - absolutely not. It uses oil and because of the unique stirring mechanism, it heats the kernels evenly which is part of the secret of all of the kernels popping. As a matter of fact, I popped 6 quarts tonight and after finishing off the last few bites I noticed only 5 unpopped kernels. Too bad for those of you who like the “grannies”. Test that with any other popper or microwave bag.

We also discovered that we could use very little oil and save on calories but still have the great taste that you can't get with hot air (just my opinion).

Anyway, after reading the only other review and the comments, I just had to add my rave review of this family standard. As a matter of fact, my daughter is getting married in a month and this is one thing that she wants for a wedding/shower gift.

I hope this helps. I just don't think you should make a decision based on a review that complains because of price or that it pops too much popcorn. After all, all you have to do is put fewer kernels in it.

Absolutely recommended!

After receiving some good suggestions from others I have revised some of the above and would also like to add a few other comments about the use of the West Bend Stir Crazy:

Because the surface is Teflon, it is very easy to wipe off with a paper towel. There is really no need to wash it every time.

I like the fact that you can use different flavored oils in the maker. We have used butter flavored oil and even Jalapeno flavored oil (we make it ourselves) for popcorn with a bite.

We put 3/4 cups of popcorn in the unit and add 1 tablespoon of oil (even though the book that comes with the Stir Crazy recommends 3 tablespoons of oil). We save on calories that way. Just plug the unit in and wait less time than it takes to make an equivalent amount in the microwave with bags. In about 4 or 5 minutes you will have 6 quarts of popped corn. After it is done which is easy to see and hear, you simply flip the maker upside down and the dome becomes your bowl. We don’t actually use the dome for the bowl as we have a special bowl we have used for many years.

The unit does get hot only on the cooking surface but no one in our family has ever been burned by it. We just use the same common sense we use with a pan on the stove.

After all these years I still love to watch the kernels pop through the clear dome. My kids loved it growing up and am looking forward to showing my grandkids this “wonder”.

Michael