Popcorn Poppers
I love stovetop popcorn but am getting tired of standing and shaking the pan (something about the sound and feel of the pan rubbing against the stove, I hate it). So I'm looking into getting some help. Has anyone got experience and opinions on Whirly Pops or the Stir Crazy poppers? Pros/cons, or other recommendations?
Thanks in advance, everyone.
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20 Comments:
I have a whirlypop....it was a Christmas gift years ago...I love it! It's easy to use, just put in your oil, popcorn, close the lid, and turn the handle.
You do have to be careful though, because it's thin aluminum, you do have to turn the handle pretty constantly to prevent burning. Also the lid is hot w/steam when you open it after the popcorn is finished...I always have a potholder handy. Other than that, it's great to use & clean up. I love stovetop popcorn too...it gets regular use in my house!
mepolo at 9:19AM on 01/21/09
How ironic that you post this thread. Over the holidays while getting out the decorations and ornaments, I came across an old popcorn cooker which had been stored away for at least 20 years. It's the old style with an aluminum base where you put 3 tablespoons of oil and a 1/2 cop of corn, and it has a glass dome that set on the base. Just plug it in, no shaking required. You get the show of watching all the action as it pops. My kids have never had popcorn like that, and everyone loved how good it tasted. Now , thats the popcorn of preference in our house. I know that at one time, the Stir Crazy was the best rated popcorn popper on the market, but that was back before the days of the microwave popcorn craze. However, I know it's still being sold, because I saw a display of them in a Target store in Jersey City,NJ, just this past Monday night.
dmcavanagh at 9:56AM on 01/21/09
I'm a popcorn fiend, don't have a microwave, and had been doing stove-top in a big pot, too. Then, at a yard sale, my neighbor gave me a Felknor's popper. (It was toward the end of the day and he just wanted to get rid of his stuff—notice how no one actually buys a popcorn popper).
Anyway, these things are unitaskers, sure, but I use mine a lot, so I feel it's justified. I'd basically parrot everything Mepolo says above but would add one bit -- if you are somehow able to wedge the lid open a bit on the Whirly-Pop, it helps immensely. The lid will trap steam, but letting steam vent out a bit once the popcorn starts going helps you avoid tough popcorn. (Wait until it pops enough so that you think a layer of popped corn is floating above the unpopped kernels, as this sort of helps mitigate the flying-kernel thing. And be careful not to scald yourself with steam or burn your fingers!
Adam Kuban at 10:34AM on 01/21/09
I have both kinds - air popper and the one you crank. I prefer the air popper as i prefer buttered popcorn but hate to add more oil if I cooked with it. I do like the the crank kind except that you MUST watch it super careful as it will burn also you add oil to cook it. One nice thing about the crank kind is you can make flavored like kettle corn. yummmmmmm
love2cook at 10:37AM on 01/21/09
Growing up, we had the old popcorn popper with the lid and stir handle for the stovetop that my Dad grew up with. It was wonderful popcorn! I wish I had that popper now...it was black with carbonized grease from decades of use, had a little wooden knob, it was (fairly) safe for kids to do....if they still make quality versions of that popcorn popper, I want one: single-use, one-trick pony, be damned in this case!
Cary at 10:38AM on 01/21/09
I use the microwave and the result is as good as stovetop I think:
Popcorn kernels in a shallow/wide bowl, Spray with oil (I use Canola), sprinkle with salt if that's your taste. Cover with cling wrap, Poke a few holes with your paring knife, microwave for about 6-7 minutes...the bowl will be ridiculously hot when it's time to take it out, so I pour the popcorn into a different bowl, then flaovor it my favorite way--for me that's tamari and brewer's yeast.
brigittesm at 10:45AM on 01/21/09
I make mine on the stove in my "spagetti" pot......just coz I use my air popper to roast me some coffee beans.
onepercent99 at 11:30AM on 01/21/09
We received a Stir Crazy popper as a wedding gift and LOVE it. Unfortunately it met an untimely demise last week when I dropped it and the plastic housing around the heating element shattered...I used it but quickly realized too much heat was escaping and the plastic dome melted a little bit. Whoops. We bought a new one this weekend.
Anyhow, the Stir Crazy is awesome but it is a bit tricky to clean AND you have to unplug it before the popping stops or else you run the risk of burning what has already popped. There is enough residual heat to pop the rest of the kernals so no worries there. I highly recommend the Stir Crazy despite my warnings.
On a related note, we discovered that Orville Redenbacher's kernals do indeed pop up lighter and fluffier as the old goat states in his posthumous commercials (am I the only one that finds them creepy?) so if you use them, decrease the amount called for in the instructions or else you'll blow the dome off! I'm also plugging Mr. R. since he is a native Hoosier...we have to stick together, you know.
AuntJone at 12:21PM on 01/21/09
Thanks for so much good info. I was leaning towards Stir Crazy because it seemed even easier, but I hadn't considered that it wouldn't be available for kettle corn. Now I need to think about how often I make kettle corn (rarely) and if it would be better to get the Stir Crazy and, on the rare chance of making kettle corn, just use the old pot.
But I like the simplicity of the Whirly Pop. Adam or anyone else who might be around, is it difficult to get the lid open (to let out some steam)? Because I find that critical when I'm using a pot; no one likes chewy popcorn.
renzata at 12:56PM on 01/21/09
I just looked up the whirly pop, and compared to my old beloved I spoke of earlier, it is much taller and narrower, and does not seem as well vented as the one I remember. You could maybe drill a few small holes in the lid if it is a problem? The whirly pop also looks to be flat-bottomed inside...our old faithful had a concave interior bottom.
Guess who will be climbing through Dad's attic very soon?
Cary at 1:45PM on 01/21/09
I had the light aluminum electric popper with the well in the bottom. It really did make good popcorn, but I just couldn't justify the space it took up. It was hugs. I switched to making it stovetop and never looked back - until now - I have a heck of a time finding good popcorn. All they seem to sell is microwave bags.
PerkyMac at 1:49PM on 01/21/09
I used to have the Stir Crazy.I think I broke the plastic dome top during a move. I loved it. It made perfect popcorn every time. It never burned. My only complaint was the space it took up in my small kitchen. I am glad they still make it. If I had enough cupboard space I would buy one again.
lakeloverhh at 2:18PM on 01/21/09
I have a generic Amish whirlypop and I love it. The outside is black, but the bottom inside is silver and slightly concave. The crank and handles are wood. I think it makes much better popcorn than the microwave and takes about the same amount of time.
chisai at 3:17PM on 01/21/09
@renzata- just came from another Target store, Stir Crazy is on sale til Saturday, $24.99.
dmcavanagh at 6:19PM on 01/21/09
@chisai: I want, I want! Where would I look for one like yours? It sounds like our old one!
Cary at 6:51PM on 01/21/09
@cary, I have no idea. My mom gave it to me 10 or 15 years ago. I actually looked around the web, trying to find it so I could show a link. I know it wasn't a catalogue item, it was something she bought for me while in Amish country. I tried looking around again for you, even in ebay, but can find nothing. I'm sorry.
chisai at 7:50PM on 01/21/09
I had a Whirly Pop, but the little gears on top that turn with the handle were made out of plastic. I didn't take too long before they broke. I think I've seen them made of metal since then, but I have gotten (re)used to just using a regular pan on the stove. Also, the little vents on top of the lid on the Whirly Pop seemed to aim hot steam directly at my hand while I held the handle.
deetroitMI at 7:52PM on 01/21/09
Target also sells a corn popper under the Back to Basics name which looked exactly like the Whirley Pop that's pictured on amazon.
dmcavanagh at 9:12PM on 01/21/09
I make popcorn on the stove all the time without any problems and never shake the pot. Have you tried using a thick pot and not shaking?
alexb at 7:10PM on 01/24/09
The pot I use is stainless steel with an aluminum-encapsulated base. I did just buy the Stir Crazy (on sale, thanks dmcavanaugh) but I will try the pot without shaking before I open this.
In my very earliest attempts, I didn't shake the pot much, and I had problems with unpopped kernels, scorched popcorn, and tough popcorn. But that may very well have been due to other mistakes of temperature and/or keeping the lid too tight. This should be so easy, but I've managed to screw it up in multiple ways.
renzata at 7:41PM on 01/24/09