Presto Orville Redenbacher's Fountain Hot Air Popper Popcorn, 20 Cups, Red

The media could not be loaded. I'd like to give this one star because I I've had nothing but problems with the last two Presto popcorn makers I bought and I just threw them both in the trash today because I just gave up. They were spitting out so many unpopped kernels and one time the lid actually exploded off the top of one and popcorn and butter went everywhere and it was a disaster. I was even on the phone with customer support and they were useless.So I was looking for a different hot air popper. They all looked pretty awful. I think there are two or three models all made by the same company in China and very little difference between them.But this is actually very clever in the way it works.You must read the instructions, you just must. But it popped the corn as expected and I thought the little screens on the popper would filter out all the unpopped kernels, but it doesn't really work that way.First you have to take the vent cover off the clear popping bowl. Pour in your popcorn and plug it in. Depending on how it pops you may have to shake it once or twice according to the instructions. That's no big deal. After it's done popping you put the cover back on to the popping bowl. After it finishes popping, you put the cover back on top, you flip it over then you shake it up and down and then side to side and then you remove the top cover which is now at the bottom the bowl and filled with all the unpopped kernel But they're all contained within the top cover because the unpopped kernels get filtered through the vent on top of the bowl. So you can either just eat the popcorn out of the popping bowl because the kernels fall into the cover which is beneath the popcorn or take the cover off and dump the kernels, a lot of them into the trash and poured the popcorn into another bowl orr probably better yet just leave it on. I had one or two unpopped kernels. That's a miracle. If I would have let it pop just a little bit longer I probably would have had less. But that's not an issue because they all go into the bowl cover which you simply remove and toss the kernels into the trash. Or if you're not going to add butter or any other toppings you'd probably could just leave it on because it wouldn't affect the popcorn in the bowl and actually as you eat the popcorn more kernels if any are left would fall into the bottom cover. It's quite an ingenious design.I'm rambling on a bit and it's really hard to leave a review on a cell phone but this does work really well. It's extremely ingenious the way it's designed.And I would definitely recommend using Oroville Redenbacher popcorn however, because of this design you could probably use any brand. On the other Presto machines which just did not work you had to use Orville Redenbacher just to come close to get it half decent which it never really was.Read the instructions, by high quality popcorn and I think you'll be happy with this. I'm just excited I have a working hot air popper.What a confusing review.Well this is an update it was a confusing review but this is the best hot air pop I've ever had and I don't even get one unpopped kernel now. That's it.

The speed is amazing. The kernels all pop. The kids love watching it. It is easy to clean and easy to run. I have tried other poppers and they have burned the popcorn. This is why I love the fact that I turn it off myself when the popcorn stops popping. The second I do not hear any more popping, I unplug it. I saw there were some complaints that it does not automatically shut off, but I find that is a plus. There literally is not one popcorn kernel left and not one burnt piece of popcorn when you unplug it the moment you do not hear any more popping. I timed it and it pops in 60 to 90 seconds. I think I know what I am giving out for Christmas this year.

One of the better air-popper popcorn machines. Easy to use, clean, and functions well. The size is a tad larger than most air-popper machines, but it OK if you have the space. If you plan to add butter, use a separate bowl so that the popping bowl lasts longer over time.

I have been a longtime muncher of popcorn when watching movies. Years ago, I got tired of the mess and cleanup required when popping kernels in a pan over the stove, or using a 'stir crazy' type hot oil popper, and switched to microwave popcorn. But that product is rather pricey if you eat a lot of it, the boxes take up considerable space in the pantry, and worst of all the calorie count is quite high due to the oils and flavorings used in the microwave bag.My doctor recommended a commercial product that was simply air-popped corn packaged in small bags, at a considerable cost. I did this for a little while, and thought that I had weaned myself from the oily kinds of popped corn, and might want to give air popping at home another look. The last time I had tried 'hot air' popping, back in the late 70s as I recall, the results tended to be less than satisfactory with lots of kernel chaff and debris, and un-popped kernals, mixed in with the popped corn.Many good reviews convinced me to try this Presto brand model 04868 hot air "fountain" popper, cross-branded with Orville Redenbacher.The popper consists of two parts: The hot air base, which includes a blower, a heating element, and what is actually a cover for an upside down popcorn bowl, and the other part is the popcorn bowl itself. The hot air base has a short power cord, since it is intended to be placed and used on a kitchen counter near an outlet.As I see it, the advantages of this model are:- integral popcorn bowl- clever hinged lids for the hot air base that open progressively during popping to prevent unpopped kernels from escaping into the popcorn bowl area- the popcorn bowl incorporates a screen/sieve at the bottom, with a snap-off lid....the lid is off during popping to allow hot air, steam and chaff to escape, and to allow kernel chaff and unpopped kernels to escape into the trash after popping, and then the lid snaps back on so that you can use the bowl for serving the popcornThe popper requires a warm-up period of about two minutes before pouring the raw kernels into the hot air base. Then you lift one of the hinged screen plates to pour in 1/2 cup (or less) of popcorn kernels. Presto does not endorse one brand or type of popcorn, but suggests that yellow corn will yield better than white corn. I use the Orville Redenbacher 'original' kernels.Inside the hot air stream from the blower, the kernels constantly circulate in the popping chamber. Once they start to pop, the hinged screens deflect them back into the popping chamber. Once a 'head' of popped kernels has formed at the top of the popping chamber, they force open two of the three hinged screens (the third screen remains down and helps dampen the surges of popcorn trying to escape out of the popping chamber) and the popcorn falls into the upside down bowl. After pops occur less frequently than one every two seconds, you unplug the popper and place the lid over the screen at the bottom of the bowl (which is currently at the top of the popper assembly), and flip the whole thing upside down, then lift the hot air base away. You are then left with the bowl full of popcorn. You lift the bowl and shake it a bit to encourage any chaff and debris and unpopped kernels to migrate to the bottom of the bowl, where they fall through the sieve screen and onto the lid, effectively removed from the part of the bowl that you would eat from. When you are done eating, you pop the lid off (over a trash container) to dump the chaff/debris/unpopped kernels into the trash.No oils or flavorings can be used in this popper. Trying to do so would cause smoke, possibly fire, and would certainly mess up the popper. You have to add any oils or flavorings to the popcorn after the base has been separated from the bowl after popping. I don't use anything except fine ground salt powder, and the popper itself remains dry and clean, and only a quick wipe with a damp paper towel once in a while is required to keep it all nice and clean. I rinse the bowl out under the sink and let it dry for the next use....there is rarely any need to use soapy water.No part of this popper is dishwasher safe, so if you do want to wash it, it needs to be done by hand.