An air popcorn maker is a fairly simple machine, but you need to be aware of a few features, before you make your purchase. One of the first things you must consider is the company behind your hot air corn popper.
When you start comparing companies, you need to keep in mind these items. Do they have a warranty policy which you can expect to work? Some companies products are manufactured overseas, and the warranty requires you ship it overseas for replacement. We all know what this means, we are going to throw it in the trash and go buy a new one. A high quality unit like the Orville Redennbacher air corn popper from Presto includes a two year warranty, and is supported by one of the world’s most respected companies, with warranty locations around the world.
You also need to evaluate the customer reviews on the air popcorn maker. Some companies, and their air popcorn machine consistently receive very low marks. There are constant complaints about failures. Amazingly, the Presto hot air popcorn maker not only is one of the lowest prices, but consistently gets the highest reviews. Where many products have complaints on the hot air corn popper only lasting for a few months, you will find many people talking about using their Presto machines for over ten years. There are other high quality units on the market, but few with the price to quality level.
Make sure to look for an air popcorn maker which has all the features you want. You want to make sure it has a measuring cup for the popcorn, so you do not overfill the popcorn maker. If you like buttered popcorn, make sure it includes a way to melt your butter. There is no reason to need to use the microwave, or stove to melt you butter. You might as well keep the clean-up to a minimum.
Your air popcorn maker should also be very good at keeping unpopped kernels to a minimum. A good quality air popcorn machine will usually only have 2 or 3 unpopped kernels left behind.
One thing you should avoid in the your hunt for an air popcorn machine is the “decorative” touch. You can find many fancy, nostalgic looking hot air popcorn makers, but you will usually discover they have two major problems. They are usually much more expensive, with much lower quality. You will commonly discover their warranty is shorter, and their reported failure rates much higher. The other complaint you commonly find is the taste of the popcorn is not as high. These machines are designed to be pretty, not efficient.
Sticking to a high quality manufacturer for your air pop maker will be your best choice. You will have better tasting popcorn, with an air popcorn machine which lasts for years. You can expect easier clean-up, and an much more enjoyable experience when you stick with a quality company. Check out the warranties, price, and reviews, and you will most likely end up with a quality air popcorn maker from Presto.
What makes the West Bend Stir Crazy Popcorn Maker so unique? Check out these great features which make it truly unique:
1. The Stir Crazy Popcorn Maker reduces the number of unpopped kernels by constantly stirring the popcorn during the entire popping cycle. No more standing at the stove shaking a pan, or picking up a traditional electric popper and shaking it.
2. The only way to make an even more low-calorie popcorn is with a hot air corn popper. The problem with the air popcorn machine, you often end up with dry, tasteless popcorn. With the Stir Crazy Popcorn maker you use only one tablespoon of oil. You add very few calories from the oil, keeping your popcorn very healthy.
3. The non-stick surface makes sure you have no problems with popcorn sticking to the bottom of the pan. This non-stick surface is one of the reasons you can use so little oil. Clean-up stays fast and easy, usually just requiring a quick wipe with a damp cloth. Since the top cover is also your serving bowl, you reduce your amount of clean-up even further.
4. If you love buttered popcorn, but hate melting it separately and pouring it over the popcorn, then West Bend has solved your problem. The Stir Crazy Popcorn Maker includes a built-in buttering cup, with melts and drips the butter over the popcorn during the popping process.
5. When you use a premium popcorn, like Orville Redennbacher, you expect almost every kernel to be popped. With the Stir Crazy Popcorn Maker you can even use store brands of popcorn and expect very few unpopped kernels. You can save money on your selections of popcorn, and still have great popcorn every time.
6. You control the flavor of your popcorn. There are two things most people find annoying with Microwave popcorn. First, the number of unpopped kernels left in the bag. Microwave popping is very inefficient. The second item, you lose control of the seasoning level of your popcorn. You can adjust the flavor by adding more butter, or more salt, but the entire reason you purchased a microwave popcorn was for the ease of use. With the Stir Crazy Popcorn Maker you have better tasting popcorn. You control the amount of butter and salt. You will have less unpopped kernels. Plus, you save money over using microwave popcorn. The Stir Crazy finished a batch of popcorn almost as quickly as the microwave, but the quality is far superior.
When it comes to choosing a popcorn maker, you need to make sure to consider all the factors. You want convenience, low cost, great tasting popcorn, and easy clean-up. While no popcorn maker is perfect, the West Bend Stir Crazy Popcorn Maker approaches it. You have great tasting popcorn, with few unpopped kernels, and the clean-up is fast and easy. It is one popcorn maker you will love using for many years. Think of all the money you will have saved over those years by buying lower cost popcorn, while still enjoying better taste than either microwave popcorn, or a air popcorn maker can ever produce. You will love your Stir Crazy.
You have decided to get a popcorn maker to have great tasting, low-calorie popcorn. Now the decision needs to come down to whether a microwave popcorn maker is the right choice for you. For the best low-calorie popcorn, you really have two options, a microwave popcorn maker, or a hot air popcorn machine. Here’s a comparison of the two methods.
For sake of comparison, we will look at the options from Presto. They have both a microwave popcorn maker, and an air popcorn maker both approved by Orville Redennbacher.
With the microwave popcorn maker, you have have the option to either use oil, or to pop with no oil. With the hot air corn popper you only have the option of popping without oil. If you want a low-calorie treat, the no oil option is the best way to go. Since both units can pop without oil, there is no winner on this count.
The Orville Redennbacher Microwave Popcorn maker is specially designed to focus the microwaves power to the popping tray, to make sure you get the fewest amount of unpopped kernels possible. While this keeps the amount of unpopped kernels to a minimum, it is no match of the the air popcorn maker, which normally pops every kernel, or in the worst case leaves only a couple kernels unpopped. The winner on this step is the air popcorn machine, but not by a big amount.
The microwave popcorn maker produces one bowl of popcorn, and does it very quickly at about 3 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave. While this may be impressive, the air popcorn maker produces 18 cups of popcorn, or two full bowls, in only 2 1/2 minutes. This is one case where the air popcorn maker wins easily.
What about price of using the popcorn machine? The microwave popcorn maker uses the power of your microwave, while the air popcorn maker uses it’s own heating unit and air blower. From an electrical standpoint it is almost an equal use of power. We need to take a look at one more item about power usage. Do you like butter on your popcorn? If you need to melt the butter in the microwave after popping, then the power usage goes higher for the microwave method. The hot air corn popper allows you to melt the butter at the same time you pop the corn.
The bigger difference in cost comes in the cups used in the microwave popcorn maker. You use this disposable cup in the bottom of the bowl to help focus the microwave energy. This adds to the cost of each bowl of popcorn. The air popcorn machine has no other consumables.
The cost of the two units is only a few dollars different. The microwave popcorn maker is lower cost to start off with, but will quickly make up the difference in price with the consumable cups.
If you want the best long term option, the air popcorn maker wins over the microwave popcorn maker in almost every step. Whichever method you choose, you can have great tasting popcorn, and much easier clean-up than popping on your stove top.
Almost everyone loves popcorn. The smell of freshly popping popcorn spreads throughout the house, making your mouth water, almost demanding you grab a handful. Microwave popcorn can be OK, but it is often saturated in fat. When you are trying to cut down the calories, a Presto Popcorn Maker can give you all the flavor, while avoiding the grease.
What makes the Presto Popcorn Maker different? Instead of using oils and butters while popping, it uses hot air. The hot air rapidly blows across the kernels, heating them to the point of popping. There is a secondary added benefit to using the hot air method, also. While most commonly microwave popcorn is filled with un-popped kernels, the air popped corn usually only has a few un-popped kernels. You get the most popcorn for your investment.
The other way many people pop their popcorn is on the stove top. Again, this requires oil, and creates a big mess. This is one reason microwave popcorn became so popular, speed and cleanliness. Both of these methods fall very short of the performance of a Presto Popcorn Maker. Imagine being able to have 18 cups of freshly popped popcorn in around 3 minutes. It is faster than the microwave, and only requires a quick rinse of the upper plastic shell to have it cleaned up and ready for the next use. When you pop corn on the stove top, you end up with a grease splattered pot, that requires major cleaning.
Most people love butter, or butter flavoring on their popcorn. If you are addicted to buttered popcorn, the Presto Popcorn Maker gives you an easy solution. On the top of the air popcorn maker is a small cup which is both used for measuring popcorn, and for melting butter to put on your freshly popped popcorn. You put your margarine, butter, or butter substitute in the small cup, and when the popcorn is done popping, it is melted and ready to pour of the popcorn.
An air popcorn maker, especially the Presto Popcorn Maker, does make one major issue. With the air blowing, it spreads the smell of the popcorn rapidly through the house, dorm, office, or apartment building. You will suddenly have plenty of people lining up wanting to grab handfuls of your fresh popcorn. Luckily, the cost of making popcorn is much lower than microwave popcorn. As the line of people grows, you can just pop another batch. With the high speed, you will have more ready in just a couple minutes.
You may become addicted to healthy, fresh popcorn with your air popcorn maker. Don’t worry, your Presto Popcorn Maker is very durable, and includes a two year warranty. Most of the popcorn makers last long past the warranty period, making hundreds and hundreds of batches of great popcorn.
The greatest advantage to the Presto Popcorn Maker might be for your health. If creates a low fat, low calorie treat in just a few moments. With all the great taste of fresh popcorn, you can end your snack cravings in a moment. If you love fresh popcorn, an air popcorn maker is the best way to have great popcorn, every time.
Do you love the look and feel of older years? Just because you want an old fashioned popcorn maker, does not mean you must settle for old ways of making popcorn. You can have the vintage look of an old theater, or store popcorn maker, while having the modern functions of a hot air corn popper. Of course, if you really want to stay with entire retro feel, you can get a full-blown popcorn cart, which pops corn the old fashioned way in a metal pot, with oil.
If you have a big entertainment area, and love to invite guests over, you may wish to consider one of the popcorn carts. You can put the cart in the corner, and pop up a huge batch of popcorn to fill up the big glass cage. You can complete the nostalgia by using the old style red and white popcorn boxes to deliver popcorn to your guests. You can continue popping up batches of popcorn during the party to keep that great smell circulating in the house. With the stainless steel kettle, you can rapidly cook 2 quarts of popcorn. With the self stirring rod in the kettle, you do not need to stay right beside it while the corn is popped. These carts are 4 feet tall, and do require a fair amount of space.
When you don’t have this much space, and would prefer a healthier version of popcorn, you can use a vintage looking hot air corn popper. They will produce a low-calorie treat, while still satisfying your retro design ideas. Just throw in a cup of Orville Redennbacher popcorn, and you will quickly have a batch of popcorn ready to eat. These are much faster popping than the traditional oil poppers, being able to pop a full batch in about 3 minutes.
You also have less worry about someone biting down on unpopped kernels, and breaking a tooth. The old fashioned popcorn maker, which uses the technology of a hot air corn popper will pop almost every kernel. It is rare to have more then two or three unpopped kernels in the entire batch. Many of the hot air popper equipped popcorn machines are also much smaller.
Which style of vintage popper is for you? It will depend greatly on the way you like your popcorn popped. If you like the traditional flavor and style of an oil popper, stick with an old fashioned popper with a steel kettle, stir rod, and which uses oil. The popcorn will be higher in fat, but is sure to be very flavorful. If your diet, or choice is to have a lighter, fluffier, low-calorie popcorn, then the retro style hot air corn popper will fit your needs. You will have a great tasting, low fat snack, while still have the look of nostalgia in your home. Either way, you get to enjoy great popcorn, with a great looking style. Everyone will take notice of your conversation piece, and enjoy in the great tasting popcorn.
