Presto 114316 04820 PopLite Hot Air Corn Popper
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Presto 114316 04820 PopLite Hot Air Corn Popper
Customer Review: Great Product
Summary: 5 Stars
A little background on my airpop popcorn popper past: I was raised on air popped popcorn, with a little melted butter ( or butter spray) and salt, its the perfect snack. My mother had an old, dingy looking popper, but it always delivered, so I assumed all poppers performed this way. However, when I moved into my own apt, I was forced to purchase my own popper, I found one at Target, and it was just ok, but I would have to tilt it back to keep all the kernels from flying out of the popper before they were popped. However, that popper stopped working a few months ago and one night during a popcorn craving I ran up to Walgreen's and purchased a Home Remedy popper for $10. What a mistake! The thing would either spurt all the kernels out unpopped or it would get the popped popcorn stuck inside it and it would literally catch on fire!
Finally, after listening to my complaining about the horrible popper for months my partner get me the Poplite for Christmas. It has been wonderful. Without any tilting or careful watching it consistently delivers. When it is done popping only a few unpopped kernels are at the bottom of the bowl. This is so refreshing after having 2 poppers that left half the kernels unpopped in the bowl. I absolutely love this machine. It does exactly what it is suppose to do without a bunch of fuss, hassle, popcorn flying all over my kitchen, or fires to put out.
The only draw back to this machine is it doesn't have an on/off switch on the side. So when it needs to be turned off ( right before the last kernels are about to pop) you have to remember to unplug it. I still gave it 5 stars though because this minor inconvenience is far out weighed by the superior performance of the popcorn popper. I would highly recommend this product for any looking for a great hot air corn popper.
Customer Review: Replacing my old WearEver Popcorn Pumper
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading a number of reviews giving this product a poor recommendation, I was ambivalent about ordering one. I was a proud owner of a WearEver Popcorn Pumper that had been with me since my High School days in 1980 until a month ago when I dropped it on the kitchen floor. I attempted repair, but the ceramic o-ring was broken and that was that. That model is no longer made. The kids loved it and I won't go into why hot air popping is the best way to make popcorn as other reviewers have.
1. I would say that the number of un-popped kernels that come flying out are fewer than the old machine and yield is in the high 90s%. Like with the old one, I hold a spatula in front of the chute to help prevent kernels from coming out and to control the rate of popped corn leaving the chute so it doesn't fly onto the counter and floor.
2. I find it no big deal that the plastic measuring cup that sits atop the maker doubles as a butter melter. There's a fill line inside the popping chamber that you can use instead if you want multiple batches and don't want to wash in between. The WearEver's butter melter was made of aluminum with dubious health effects if corroded like mine was. Maybe plastic isn't much better.
3. If you spread a thin layer of butter in the cup and leave it in place for a while after the popper is off, it should all melt.
4. The Presto PopLite is a lot quieter.
5. On the con side, the Presto is lighter than the old WearEver and seems less sturdily built. I'm sure it won't last 30 years like the old one did and others have reported issues with reliability. But for $22 and free shipping I think it's a great deal anyway.
I give the Presto PopLite my endorsement, but I do miss the old one mainly for nostalgic reasons.
Customer Review: Don't give up on air poppers
Summary: 2 Stars
I already had an air popper and remembered liking air-popped corn. Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to find it for many years so I bought this one. I was very disappointed with the popcorn - it was very tough and I assumed it was the corn, not the popper. I bought another brand of corn (yellow, both times) and had the same results. I didn't even want to use the popper.
Well, a few days ago, I found my original popper, a West Bend Poppery II and tried the 2 poppers in a side-by-side comparison (preheating the popper before adding corn). There was NO contest. The West Bend was as good as I remembered, the Presto was too tough to enjoy. Also, the West Bend was quieter and didn't smell as bad (though that may be due to the number of times it's been used). I will say that the West Bend sent out more un-popped kernels but there still fewer wasted kernels since I actually ate the West Bend ones (our dogs ate the Presto ones).
I suspect the difference is in the popping chamber design - and perhaps the heat level. So here are my suggestions as to what to look for (if my hypothesis is correct):
--Presto (not so good): Blows straight up in a deeper chamber. Once several kernels have popped, they pile-up in the popping chamber instead of blowing out. I think this acts as a blanket holding in the heat to pop almost every last kernel - but they get over-cooked and tough.
--West Bend (I like a lot): Air enters along sides in a spiral pattern. As the kernels pop, they get thrown out (with some un-popped kernels). But they come out fluffy (not just size but texture, too) and VERY edible. I even think it was much more flavorful (but I may have been blinded by the toughness of the other stuff).
Customer Review: Fun and easy way to make your popcorns. No power switch?
Summary: 3 Stars
My kids are having a blast watching this machine spew out popcorns. It's so fun and easy. The machine works by blowing hot air. In fact you do not have to put anything on the machine except the kernels. Putting butter or salt will clog or destroy the machine. Included is a measuring cup that doubles as a buttter melter. Don't lose the measuring cup because you will need that to cover the top or the popcorn will shoot all over the place. Also, it is required to get the chamber achieve high enough temperature to pop the kernels. As a butter melter, I prefer the microwave as the cup will not melt the butter completely especially if your butter is refrigerated. Also, it is difficult to clean the cup with all the grease from the butter.
It is not true that you will have much less unpopped kernels compared to a mirowave popcorn. The first few blasts will push out unpopped kernels that you will end up with as much unpopped kernels.
With nothing on it, you will get the healthiest popcorn ever; and at the same time, you will also get the blandest and the most tasteless popcorn ever. Anyway, you will have complete control of how much salt and butter you put later later on.
It won't give you that magnificent popcorn smell (or the hated burnt popcorn smell) that you get when cooking it on a microwave. But at least you feel a bit safer if you are apprehensive of the never ending discussions about the safety of nuking your food.
The weirdest thing about this machine is the absence of an on and off switch. Be ready to experience some sparks when plugging and unplugging to the outlet. There should definitely a switch built in into this machine.
Customer Review: a great, inexpensive popcorn popper
Summary: 5 Stars
I mistakenly thought my old Popcorn Popper air popper was malfunctioning, so I bought this one. It turns out that with an air popper you should not store popcorn in the fridge, as I had in Mason jars, it can dry out too much to pop well, at which point you have to rehydrate the popcorn.
I gave my old Popcorn Popper to a friend after buying this one online. This unit pops the popcorn well, with very few popcorn kernels left that do not pop - as did my old unit. The unit is more stable than my old one, as the rubber feet help the unit not walk nearly as much as the old unit. On the negative side, a few loose kernels will fly about the room at times - what I do is as the popcorn is nearly finished, I remove the full bowl of popcorn and place a large empty bowl in its place, that way the few kernels that continue to pop I can retrieve from the bowl. I also throw any unpopped kernels back through the chute to give them a 2nd chance to pop - particularly at the begging of the popcorn cycle when a few may not have gotten hot enough to pop.
I do wish there was a way to heat the butter a bit more without having to run the machine longer - I am experimenting with placing the butter cup over the pilot light area of my gas stove (if I am not using it) to melt the butter a bit before I place the butter cup on the machine.
I do wish I could buy products like this made in America however, as my old Popcorn Pumper was - I could not find an American made popcorn popper that was not like a large commercial unit