West Bend Stir Crazy Hot Oil Popcorn Popper, Popcorn Maker Machine with Large Serving Bowl Lid and Stirring Rod Perfect for Movie Night Snack Time or Parties, 6-Quart, Red

In 2010 I purchased a used hot air popcorn popper for $2.00 bucks at a thrift store. It was probably from the 1980's and it worked faithfully until a couple months ago. But it finally died, so I went on Amazon to search for the same style popper, the kind you put the bowl under with a vented hood that shoots it toward the bowl, ideally. But man, the reviews made me feel so discouraged. I ignored the reviews that said they shoot popcorn all over the place because I already knew that to be an issue with my old one, and to be honest, it really wasn't a big deal for me (just a few strays here and there that my dog grabbed up). But what DID concern me was all the reviews saying the tops were melting, and pictures of them with melted tops. And different brands too, not just one. I read dozens of reviews and even when I begrudgingly increased the price range, they still had lousy reviews about melting tops. So I started looking at other options...Enter this style of popper. I compared a bunch of brands for these types since I've never used this kind of popper. Eventually I resorted to watching Youtube videos (I take my popcorn very seriously, LOL) and was finally sold on this style, brand and model after watching a guy demonstrate and test several types of poppers. I am extremely pleased with it and have ZERO complaints! First and foremost: It pops ALL the kernels, literally EVERY SINGLE KERNEL! It doesn't get more impressive than that. The very first use I got nervous and shut it off a few seconds too soon and had about 10 or so kernels left, but once I realized I can wait until it all stops without it burning, I haven't had a single unpopped piece since! Because the bar constantly moves it around, you can listen and make sure it's completely stopped without it burning.I don't use the included top/bowl to eat it from, I dump it into my own bowl of choice instead, it's just my preference. My own bowl is a little wider so I can toss it around with oil and salt that way. It was hard to visualize the amount of popcorn described in the description, but I was pleased to discover it pops exactly the amount I have always popped, which is a BIG family-sized bowl full (which I eat all myself because I'm single and that's how I roll).As far as oil, I'm not used to using oil since my old popper was just a dry air popper. What I would always do is drizzle the oil and salt after popping it. So I initially used olive oil (which is what I drizzle on it anyway) but then decided to experiment with coconut oil because it has a higher smoke point and the healthy properties of coconut oil can withstand the heat of the unit. That was even better, it's fantastic with coconut oil and tastes more like theater popcorn. I still drizzle olive oil and salt on it afterward however, because the coconut oil serves the purpose of coating the kernels, but it doesn't really give it the buttery feel after it's popped. But that's fine with me because I'm so pleased with how well it works that I'm willing to use oil with the kernels now. It all comes out fluffy and perfect, NO BURNED pieces ever, so far.You can put the unit inside the bowl to store it, but I prefer to keep the bowl on top to keep dust out. The cord easily wraps around underneath the bottom, which is something that annoyed me about my old popper, which had no way to store the cord. I also like having an off/on switch too, as opposed to just yanking the cord out of the wall while it's running like many of the upright air poppers will have you do.It takes a couple of minutes for the kernels to heat up but then it pops incredibly fast and the whole batch is done in the blink of an eye, it's pretty wild. I wondered if it would be awkward to lift and flip the unit to dump it in the bowl but it's not, it's lightweight and easy.ONE IMPORTANT THING: I almost didn't buy this because even this style of popper has some pictures of the top piece melted. This surprised me until I watched the videos on this page and did a few face-palms. Watch them for yourself and you'll see they leave the red piece on the lid while it's popping. I couldn't believe how any videos show people doing this. The vents in the clear bowl/lid are there so that it VENTS while popping! The smaller red lid is included to put on AFTER you shut it off. It's simply to keep small pieces from falling out once you flip it over. Keep it off while it's popping, of course it's going to melt if you keep blocking the vent holes, good grief! Makes me wonder what people were doing with the other kinds of air poppers to make those ones melt, maybe covering them with sweaters?? But I'm content to never know.When reading reviews, keep in mind that a lot of people have only ever used microwave popcorn. Some of the reviews about flavor and whatnot make me think these people are simply used to microwave junk and so it's probably no reflection on this popper. That, and people blocking the vents with the red lid and then complaining that it smells like plastic. Sigh.Like I said, I have no complaints whatsoever and am glad I decided to try this type of popper. Easy, perfect results and kinda fun to use.

This thing cost be an extra $7.00. My wife had been complaining that the microwave popcorn smelled like chemicals and she didn't like the taste. There were also a lot of un-popped popcorn unless you burned the rest. So after reading reviews I decided to buy the stir crazy. Like some have said, I put the corn and oil and it did not pop. I waited, waited, and waited. Nothing. Almost 10 minutes - nothing. So I dumped the corn and oil out and started all over again. I measured the oil and popcorn (1/3 cup corn to 2 tablespoons oil). I realized I did not put enough oil in the first time and used a teaspoon. This time it started popping (more like exploding) and was done in about 4 minutes. There was only one uncooked kernel. The popcorn was fantastic. We made another batch. We have used this machine about 40 times so far. It does make some strange noises sometime, but the machine works fine. I suggest not putting more than 1/3 cup of corn in the machine so the stirring device does not have to work too hard. 1/3 cup of popcorn makes plenty for two people. I also started using sunflower oil and it tastes great. No more nasty preservatives, just plain corn and sunflower oil. So where did the extra $7.00 come from? After the second batch my wife went and got a brand new $7.00 pack of microwave popcorn and threw it in the garbage saying " I am not eating that horrible stuff again". She's right. Compared to popping in this machine, even the most expensive microwave popcorn tastes like chemicals, salt, grease, and is horrible.My experience - Use more oil and it pops even better. I now use 2 1/2 tablespoons of oil.Super easy cleanup.No complaints or problems at all.We love it.It cooks super fast and tastes great.Based on the price of gourmet popcorn and the oil as compared to high end microwave popcorn packs, the machine has already paid for itself and then some.IMPORTANT USAGE TIP: After making a LOT of popcorn in this machine, I have found that the amount of oil is critical. If you do not put enough oil in the machine, it will strain and make a grinding or rubber on rubber squeaking noise as the stirring device strains to slide the popcorn around and it will not pop all of the corn. Lack of proper amount of oil will also result in a lot of kernels that will get stuck in your teeth.In my experience, the proper mix is 1/3 cup of popcorn (I use the cheap store brand in the plastic bag with great results but I keep it in an airtight container) and the proper amount of oil is 3 (Three) TABLESPOONS of oil. I think the instructions say 2 but that is not really enough. I use the butter flavored oil and it tastes great and 3 tablespoons of oil still does not leave your popcorn greasy and pops almost every single popcorn. Best popcorn I have ever tasted. Now if you want REALLY great popcorn, use coconut oil but that is too expensive for me.