A big disappointment. Works good, stylish, takes 5 min to pop. The finished product coming out of the unit is not hot, not even warm. The temperature is about the same as if you bought a bag of popcorn at the grocer. Maybe all the steam that builds up during popping cause it to cool off & start getting soggy?
I have an electric glass top stove, so I can't use a frying pan to make popcorn, and I don't really like air poppers, so this is the best alternative to those. I am very happy with it and like that you use oil to make the popcorn. we use coconut or avocado oil. :)
After my original Stir Crazy popper died years ago, i've been on a quest to find an equal replacement. Tried many other stirring type of poppers, but none popped the corn complerely and left many unpopped kernels and would burn the popcorn if I tried to get them to pop completely. I did find a removable plate popper that did an adequate job, but failed after 1 year of use. I saw the Cuisinart popper online and have always been pleased with Cuisinart's quality. (I have a Cuisinart Grind n Brew coffeemaker for over 7 years which gets daily use and is still going strong. Very pleased with the popper's performance! It uses very little oil and pops almost all the kernels in a very short time. The resulting popcorn is fluffy and not oil soaked. So far it's been the popcorn maker of my quest and highly recommend it. The 3 year manufacturers warranty far exceeds all others.
In theory this could be a nice popcorn popper. But the major flaw is that just picking up the popper releases the top from the bottom. Dropped 2x & now broken beyond use.
This is a replacement for a previous Bella popcorn maker. The other was more of a dome. Like the shape of this one much better. The only complaint/comment I have is it is slow to hear. I suspect this is because of the removable heating plate, which is actually more functional than the previous model. Over all, very good machine. I would buy another.
This machine makes great popcorn, and it makes a lot less mess than using stove top or the microwave. I have a glass microwave popper but the kernels get stuck and I have to use a knife to get it loose. This machine makes life so much easier and the popcorn taste better. When I make popcorn on the stove, I almost always end up scorching a few kernels I don’t have that problem With this machine. It was well worth the cost for this popcorn popper.
I do like this popper very much but for one thing. Oil gets out around the base of the bowl. If the ridge on the inside of the bowl was on the outside of the bowl the popping oil would just go back into the bowl. I reduce it by putting painters tape around the bowl to the plate and that helps greatly.