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.

The first time I used this popcorn maker, I was disappointed. The corn tasted stale. However, the second time was better - same brand kernels - and the third and ongoing times were great. So, give it a second chance before returning it. I now love it. It's so much easier than making popcorn on the stove and easier clean up. I still melt the butter on the stove though. Using the top holes didn't work well for me.

Memories of childhood popcorn. Not the movie popcorn, makes you thirsty to buy more expensive drinks. Not the “air-pop”, which tastes like a cousin of a rice-cake. Closest commercial offering was Jiffy-Pop; which was fun to watch and one the rare occurrence that it “worked out just right, about 25% of the time”, the amount was “not enough to share”. This appliance produces oil popped corn, simple good and comforting. The basic food dish dresses up nicely with seasoning of choice. As a dream of spending more time with my grandchildren, I often “plan activities” which we can share. Popcorn fits this feature in my life. This in from my “How-to Notecard”: 1) pour seeds into blue lid (1/2 cup). Empty cup into center of fry pan, near the stir stick center. 2) use the 1 Tsp measurement spoon (from coffee supplies), pour two spoonfuls of peanut oil over the seeds. 3) make sure the black disk is attached to the clear bowl, then place the clear bowl over the popping surface. 4) plug the unit in, turn the switch on, sound of steam noted in about one minute, clear bowl clouded by steam in about 2 minutes, at 3 minutes first kernel starts to pop, at 4 minutes peak popping, which stops before 5 minutes. (Turn off when popping stops for 10 sec.) 5) turn switch off, flip the whole unit upside down, with black disk on the table. Remove the upside and hot heating pan, carefully set aside. 6) clear bowl now full of hot popcorn, add salt seasoning (Lawry’s), stir with serving tongs, eat from bowl Summary: 2 servings of high quality tasty popcorn. Made in good tasting reproducible manner in short period of time. I buy “store brand” loose kernel yellow popping corn. First splurge is the more expensive peanut oil which is recommended for its “nutty” flavor addition. Second splurge is this cooking unit, and the features for which you are paying. Key Feature1: 1700W. Lots of power, means fast popping / performance. (Insta-pot attempts at pop-corn have been plus-minus at best) Key Feature2: no burning. Not sure if this the due to the stir rod in the pan or some temperature sensor. Have not tried to purposefully scorch a batch, but seems “doable” by preteen grandchildren on their own or when grandpa wants to provide quick snack. Key Feature3: size. My above batch using 1/2 cup corn, will fill the clear bowl by 2/3. Full batch is 3/4 cup corn for full bowl (3 Tsp oil), feeds three people but leads to more spillage and dog consumption. Key Feature4: Magic of reversing motion. Early in the cooking process, the spinning stir bar will smooth the seeds in the pop-plate. When waves of seeds become walls, the stir bar will reverse motion direction. This rotating motion of heating oil and steaming seeds is fun to watch before the bowl clouds over. Uncertainty 1: black removable disk. Its presence seems required for steam escape while preserving bowl function. The ability to place pads of butter for flavoring is described. Quick side note about butter which is only 80% oil. When the other 20% leaves (water), the protein browns and quickly scorches (don’t pop corn with butter as the cooking oil). We have not added the feature into our “pop-corn recipe”, as it seems to add complexity and potential “smoke issues”. Uncertainty 2: price to value. Personal decision, in SWFL, any opened bag of chips goes stale quickly due to the moisture. Costs of convenience food like chips and pop have doubled in the last 5 years. This oil popper is on my “grandpa’s must-have list”, and recommend to any interested party. I had this $50 product in my save for later shopping cart for months and bought at a discount during prime days. I’m glad I saved the money. The full endorsement but only 4/5 rating is due to the box opening feeling of light-weight, simple design, how come it costs so much? There seem to be cheaper versions listed on Amazon with different features, I’m happy with this choice and how the product works for me.

We love our popcorn maker!!! I don’t know what it is but freshly popped popcorn is far superior to bagged! I had been looking for an easy one to use that worked well and could store away easily and this checks all those boxes. There’s literally one button/switch so you can’t really mess it up!!! It’s also not humongous or heavy so it’s easily stored away and taken out when in use. It is also pretty easy to clean. I really love the ability to flip it over and use the top as a bowl. It can be a bit loud but that’s the popcorns fault. I’ve found that we’re able to make popcorn in this with pretty low oil and it doesn’t stick or burn which is a health win also! I highly recommend this for making a nice batch of popcorn at home!

Best popper period, now if they could make them last longer it would be nice. We are on our third unit, they last about two years. We pop 2 or 3 times a week. 160-170 grams of kernels is maximum load in this popper. The machine gets really hot so be careful when you flip it over. I burnt my finger once but it was no fault of the popper, I was not careful, I am very careful now 🤪

I have been making popcorn for over 40 years. I started off in college using a big 10 gallon pot on a gass stove. Cheap snacks for frat parties. I would make 30+ gallons. Then years later I started using the “Whirly Pop”. This is a hand crank popcorn maker from Wabash farms. Probably the best popcorn maker ever on the market. Its hand cranked, so it takes a little more effort and it's a little more difficult to clean. Lots of nooks and crannies. So when I first saw the stir-crazy back in 2018, I thought that it might be a great alternative. Let me preface this discussion by saying that I love popcorn. And I make popcorn about four nights per week. So I will admit up front that I give these devices very heavy usage. I have purchased six of these over the past four years. So why am I complaining now? Maybe because I was hoping that the next popper would be better. (wasn't it Einstein who said insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result?) So most of these poppers lasted for me about six months, A COUPLE ONLY A FEW WEEKS. One actually lasted about 18 months. The last one I purchased in January 2022 lasted about three weeks. I returned it to Amazon and they replaced it. The replacement also failed. So although I did not plan to purchase any more, I wanted to see if West Bend would stand by the 1 yesr product warranty and replace it. After all, (1) it failed in only a few weeks and (2) I had documents showing I have purchased six since 2018. And each also failed. OK, so what do I mean it failed? I mean that about halfway through the popping cycle , the non-stick coated heating pan did not maintain a high enough temperature to cook the rest of the popcorn. It's like the heat turns off. Or at least the temperature is lowered to the point where the kernels will no longer pop. So instead of getting a full batch of fluffy popcorn, you get half a batch of dense popcorn and half a batch of uncooked kernels. Talking with customer service was like jumping through hoops. After four emails, they asked me if I would take a video showing how I cook popcorn. Also wanted know about the oil, popcorn, etc. . I had already told them in great detail how I made the popcorn. Orville redenbacher popcorn, safflower oil, etcetera etcetera. So a couple of weeks later I actually made a video, and sent them the link to the video on my Google Drive. About two weeks later I got a response: "I hope you are doing well and I'm sorry for the delayed response. I already forwarded the video that you've sent to my product specialist and was reviewed. I was being informed that you need to let the popper continue to pop until there is a few second delay between pops. At that time the popcorn will be done." Ahh! Been there, done that. If the popper is left on, the remaining kernels will not pop and the corn that pops just sits there. And overcooks into a tough mess. So in my opinion, West Bend is a company that really does not stand buy their product, does not believe their customer saying that the product has a defect. Or consider that I have purchased 6 of these and all failed. (My bad!) I jumped through hoops and created a video showing the problem, but it was rejected. I guess they so make so many popcorn poppers that what is one or two complaints? And who knows, maybe I'm simply using it too often. In any case, if you're only making a batch a week or a batch a month, this is probably great for you. But if you make a ton of popcorn like me, and want a product that lasts for years, then don't buy it.

First off, this machine makes wonderful, delicious popcorn, and most importantly, I'm rarely even left with a single kernal, at most, of uncooked corn. But the entire reason I'm writing this review is to help out with the biggest gripes and frustrations I see people giving this machine negative reviews for. These "percieved" problems are just that, the reviewers perception. When in reality, those are actually how the machine is supposed to work! There's 2 main one's I see, so I want to address those! But I also want to tell you how to make popcorn that blows away movie theater popcorn. It's beyond good and it's beyond addicting (sorry!). 1.) The Stirring Rod. So many users are screaming that the stirring rod doesn't actually stir all the corn, constantly. Guys and Gals, it's NOT suppposed to! The stirring rod is simply there to flatten all the corn initally dumped in and give it the best chance of being near the heat upon the initial heating up process (even heat spreading). Only after kernals start popping does the stirring rod catch those popped kernals which then catches the rest of unpopped kernals below them and start to put the whole uncooked kernals in motion! By this point, since kernals are already popping, this simply helps with FINAL heat required to make the kernal go POP! So it's SUPPOSED to work that way! Do not tweak the stirring rod and allow it to scrape around the kernals when the machine is running. If anything, raise it a bit higher for less interference! 2.) Uncooked Popcorn If you are getting large batches of uncooked popcorn, it's because you aren't using enough oil. These types of machines rely almost entirely on boiling the popcorn in oil to cook. You are not getting around that for this type of machine. There are pictures posted here of a before and after popcorn batch (where 1/2 didn't pop) and a very negative review posted here. Check out the 1st picture, there was barely enough oil to even partially coat the kernals let alone have any standing oil! You can't do that with this machine. You know it's right when the entire base of the machine (where your kernals are sitting) is a bath of your cooking oil. If you are cooking the maxiumum amount of popcorn, that amounts to a good 1/4 of a CUP of oil. You won't get away with much less with a machine like this unless you don't want kernals to pop. Hint: look at premade single serving oil / seasoning / popcorn packs for use in carnival machines. You see the ratio? It's a lot of oil! I understand wanting to be healthy and using less, but you aren't doing it with this type of machine (why it's soooo delicious!). 3.) How do I make the BEST tasting, and healthiest popcorn ever in the world? EASY! First off, start using coconut oil (you'll see the orange stuff already sold here that has been converted, molecularly, into a coconut oil that has butter flavor). Believe it or not, that's still straight up coconut oil, nothing added. It's one of the few oils that is actually good for you! 2ndly, you can throw in some clarified butter into the mix if you want full blown butter flavor too. And finally, throw salt (test yourself to how much you want) right into the oil as the popcorn is preparing. So to recap, the large majority is coconut oil (the orange stuff), with a 1/3 of the oil clarified butter (ghee) and your amount of salt for flavor. That's it. And you will never even want to put movie theater butter (flavoring) on top of it, the flavor is out of this world! Just remember, in this machine, oil is your friend. If you aren't cooking 99.99% of your kernals, you aren't using enough oil! Hope this helps! Happy yummy popcorn :)

Love this popcorn popper. Easy to use! Highly recommend! I recommend using white popcorn. It's the best.. it's on Amazon.

Ürün herşeyi ile harika, malzemesi kaliteli ve çok şık görünüyor ama sipariş verirken 110V olduğu bilgisini atlamışım, kutuyu görünce eşim burada kullanamayacağımızı söyledi. Çok çok üzülerek iade ettim. Umarım en kısa sürede 220V içinde üretilir ve satılır 🙏🏻😊

ネタが半分も弾けないまま焦げて終了。 こんなマシンに１万円以上もだすのは無駄です。 それから販売する方も、自分たちで使ってみてから販売してください。 いかにダメかわかります。

The popcorn popper works fine. I'm now in India and I have a voltage step-down device for using this machine: If you have a different voltage than in the USA (120) as in India (240), be sure to use a voltage regulator or the popper will die an instant death. If there is a power-cut (happens in India all the time), just wait and it will begin when power returns. Oh, the popcorn? It's great. I've used it a few times and really enjoy it.

Produto excelente....top \o/ =D

Works excellent. Barely any un-popped corn left. The same popcorn was coming out small and tough out of the air popcorn maker that I replace with this one. Big and fluffy and delicious. Only thing not working out is the cap for the bowl part. It refuses to stay attached for storage, pops off immediately every time. I can live without the cap. Right now I am super pleased, I hope this machine lasts and performs this good for many years.