Presto 114316 04820 PopLite Hot Air Corn Popper
|
List Price: Our Price: $17.75 You Save: $12.24 (41%) Availability: Usually ships in 4-5 business days Buy Used: from $12.99 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
|---|
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Presto 114316 04820 PopLite Hot Air Corn Popper
Customer Review: OK, wish it had an on/off switch
Summary: 4 Stars
I came to Amazon looking for a better popper then this one, which I already owned. I loved being able to make low calorie, no salt, no fat, no garbage additive popcorn with just kernals and air - unlike the microwave popcorn I usually buy. However, I was hoping to find an improved model without this ones negatives. After reading tons of reviews, I guess I am keeping this one as the best of a mediocre lot.
Main drawback - no one/off switch. The only way to turn the unit on or off is to put the plug in or out of the outlet. Years of being told never to pull a "live" plug except in an emergency, and this high watt machine is designed for you to do just that! Years ago we had a similar air popper and it had a nice switch that made it much more convenient and safer.
Another drawback is the very thin polycarbonate plastic top. It sits loosely in a track on top of the machine, and is constantly bouncing off during handling.
Like others, I found that when the air gets hot the popper spits out a large quantity of unpopped kernels. Like others, I found that tilting the machine back until there is sufficient popped corn to hold these down does away with most of that problem. As soon as there are enough popped corns, you need to put the machine back down in order to prevent burning and so you can rotate the bowl to catch the popcorn. That does mean that at the end it spits out some unpopped corn, which my husband seems to find with his bare feet to much complaint. However, with this technique I do get a nice size bowl of tasty popped corns, even with the cheaper brand of corn.
Why the high mark with these complaints? Well, at least it works. In addition to checking the reviews here, I did purchase another unit that looked more compact and stable - and didn't even pop 90% of the corn! I returned it and am keeping this one.
I wish the manufacturers would realize there is a good market for these machines, even though they think everyone just wants to nuke a bag of corn and chemicals. Between "natural", "healthy", and "environmental", somebody should be able to do well marketing better quality machines. (Hopefully higher quality and not just higher price, anyway).
Customer Review: ~PRESTO~ Yummy popcorn!
Summary: 5 Stars
love, Love, LOVE this popper. It arrived UPS, I unwrapped it, washed it, and made a bowl of popcorn right off the bat. How can you go wrong for a little over 20 bucks? For those who enjoy butter on their corn, there is a "bowl" on top where butter can be melted as the popcorn pops. It doesn't take up much counter space, is easily cleaned, and makes fantastic low fat snacks. The only cons I have, personally, are 1) the length of the power cord. I have low hanging cabinets that surround the majority of my kitchen. I don't want to pop underneath them and the only area I have that is cabinet-free is unable to be used to pop because the cord doesn't reach - it is VERY short. Fortunately, I was able to work around that. 2) The instructions tell you that a kernel or two may "shoot out" of the machine prior to the actual popping, and to have a bowl ready. In actuality, MANY kernels fly out and some hit the bowl and ricochet! I don't let my little girl near the machine when I'm using it. Just be aware of that and it's not really a problem. Overall, it's been great having it. *PERFECT POPCORN RECIPE* Use the proper amount of measured kernels (1/2 cup or the equivalent of the top "bowl" full) and pop. Keep ready a container of Pam Non-Stick Cooking Spray (or a generic alternative), Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb No Salt Seasoning, and NoSalt Salt substitute. As your corn is popped and filling your container, spray with Pam and sprinkle with the Mrs. Dash. Do this as often as you like with as much as you want. When finished popping, top with the NoSalt. It is actually a WONDERFUL seasoned corn snack and since the Mrs. Dash, NoSalt, and Pam have no calories, fat, or Sodium, it's very good for you, as well. The only calories are from the kernels. Another tip is to try Wisconsonmade Gourmet Popcorn Kernels (you can get them here on Amazon). They have many different varieties and each has punch. Now, if you were raised on microwave popcorn like I was, it DOES take some getting used to using an air-popper. But, if you try the Mrs. Dash, NoSalt, etc. to "spice up" your popcorn, it makes the transition easier. And it really IS so much healthier for you and your family. Enjoy!Customer Review: Never Soggy. No Mess. In Half the Time of Microwave Popcorn.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using a 30-year-old Presto PopCornNow hot air popper that's been in my family since the 1970s. It still makes great popcorn but tends to overheat these days. I thought I should buy a new one before it bursts into flames. I was surprised to find that the most popular hot air popper on the market is still a Presto and almost identical to my old model. I shouldn't have been, since the Presto has always made fast, easy, fluffy popcorn. The PopLite is slightly smaller and lighter than the PopCornNow but essentially the same. Where the old model had a removable chute, this one has a removable butter warmer. There is still no on/off switch. Plug it in to turn it on.
To make popcorn, place 1/2 cup kernels in the popper base. The butter warmer is a convenient measure. Place a bowl that is at least 4 quarts in volume underneath the chute. I use a large mixing bowl. Make sure the butter warmer is in place atop the cover. In theory, the butter warmer will melt softened butter while your corn is popping. Plug it in. The kernels take 1- 1 1/2 minutes to heat up before they start popping. They only take about 30 seconds to pop and fill your bowl with light, fluffy popcorn. Unplug. The whole procedure takes only 2-2 1/2 minutes, half the time of microwave popcorn and no health concerns over the teflon-coated bags. It tastes a lot better than microwave popcorn too.
One-half cup kernels makes about 4 quarts of popcorn, and it comes out fast, so make sure your bowl is big enough. I'm never left with more than a dozen unpopped kernels between the popping chamber and the bowl, usually half that. The plastic cover softens from heat while the machine is running. Leave it on the base until it has cooled to avoid warping. Wash the cover and butter warmer with soap and water, but never allow water inside the popping chamber. You can just dump debris out of it. An air popper is ideal if you can't eat oils. I like salt and butter, but I love air poppers because the popcorn is always light and fluffy, never soggy. The PopLite is the fastest, easiest way to make the best popcorn.
Customer Review: Perfect for the Dorm!
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this Presto PopLite Hot Air Corn Popper because I couldn't stand eating microwave popcorn with all the preservatives it has and really missed the fresh "natural" stove-popped popcorn that I made with my family all the time at home. Obviously I can't make stove-popped popcorn in my college dorm, so I was looking for a different option. First, I saw that the microwaveable corn popper bowls such as the Nordic Ware 60120 Microwaver Popcorn Popper 12 Cup seemed pretty effective for a lot of people, but after reading one person's review saying that the bowl popper didn't work for their low-wattage (700W) microwave, I was pretty wary to try it in my own 700W microwave. As a result, it seemed that a hot air corn popper was the cheap and effective solution, and I bought this one, which was actually cheaper than the list price because I got it from Amazon Warehouse ;).
So far, it's been working absolutely wonderfully! It was a bit larger than I thought it would be, but that doesn't really matter because I didn't really know what to expect, anyway haha. But I'm so excited to have fresh popcorn in my room and in such short time, too! It doesn't take the popper long to heat up and pop the corn and leaves only about five or six kernels in the bowl. I would have to agree with other reviewers, though, that it would be very nice to have an on/off switch on the popper as I have to reach down to my power strip to plug and unplug it, but it's still great regardless! I really have to restrain myself to keep from making a batch a day :P, and I try to keep the popcorn healthy to eat by sprinkling it only with oil or very little butter and then adding salt. Also, it's pretty portable and compact so that I only have to take off the lid and put it in a box under my bed when I'm not using it.
Overall, I really love this popper because it's quick, effective, and it pops fresh natural popcorn in my dorm room that reminds me of my home that's a state away :).
Customer Review: part of my recipe for perfect popcorn
Summary: 5 Stars
As others have mentioned, set level, too many unpopped kernals tend to be blown out before popping begins or during very early popping and sometimes near the end. I raise the front end with a 1/2-3/4 " jar lid and keep it that way throught the popping. This mostly solves this problem and also keeps popped corn from bouncing too far. But, I still want to further minimize the problem of crunching down on a hard piece of unpopped or only half-popped corn. Thus, I fashioned a piece of 1/2 grid fencing(gotten at a local hardware store) with my tin snips, using an appropriate -sized paper/plastic/aluminum plate as a taped-on template, into a circular sieve that sets about an inch from the bottom of a bucket I use to catch the corn. When popping is finished, I bounce the corn maybe 5-10X to get any hard small stuff in the mass of corn to fall to the bottom. I end up with maybe 5% of the corn volume below the screen, mostly OK broken parts of larger grains. At 75c/lb(Walmart), I can afford that loss to save my teeth! Then. I transfer handfuls(don't pour) above the screen to another container. The screen is easily removed to dump the rejects. I still chew carefully in case this technique doesn't always work perfectly.
Now, my heart disease-reversing diet doesn't allow for any significant oil or fat other than what is already naturally in my food. Also,I try to keep my salt intake around the optimal level, which is easy to calculate if it comes only from one or two sources. Thus, instead of using spray-on oils and salt, I add ketchup and/or mustard(about 5 tbs.) to add moisture and flavor to an otherwise very dry tasteless product. After stirring this in well, powdered spices will now stick to the corn, if desired. The resulting product can be eaten with spoon(as I prefer) or hand, if you don't mind a slightly messy hand. Yes, the ketchup contains about 200mg sodium/ tbs which, with 5 tbs, is only half my daily allotment. Mustard has less sodium, if that is a concern, but is also less moist than ketchup.