Stovetop Popcorn Maker - 6-Quart Aluminum Popcorn Popper with Hand Crank, Vented Lid, and Stir Paddle by Great Northern Popcorn (Silver)

Affordable to buy. Quick, simple popcorn maker that pays for itself in no time and has an uncanny ability to pop every kernel every time without burning them. Cleaning is quick and easy too.

I eat a ton of popcorn and I hate all the salt and chemicals added to microwave popcorn. But I hate standing there and waiting for oil to heat in a pot and for the corn to pop via the age-old method of popcorn preparation. So for years I have air popped corn by putting the kernels in a paper lunch bag and microwaving on 80% power for 4 minutes. It worked, but 1/3 of my kernels didn't pop or were "fun kernels." (Fun kernels are the half-popped ones you eat as a bonus when the real stuff is gone.)This Christmas I was considering two corn poppers. One was the West Bend Stir Crazy 6-Quart Electric Popcorn Popper. My family had one of these as a kid and I remember it working very well and all-in-one. But it was 1/3 more in price than the Wabash Valley Farms Whirly-Pop, a product I'd never heard of, but which looked good in theory. So I tried out the Whirly-Pop.NOTE: My girlfriend also bought me a popcorn popper for Christmas. One was a Whirly-Pop, one was a Great Northern Original Spinner. They were exactly identical except for the name stamped onto the lid. I kept the Whirly-Pop because I liked the name better.The Whirly-Pop is AMAZING! First time I used it I turned the stove top on medium-high heat, plopped some oil through both sides of the lid, poured in 1/2 cup of kernels, closed the lid and stirred the corn every 30 seconds or so. In three minutes I had perfect popcorn and every kernel popped. I was incredulous. Certainly I'd mistaken the time, right?Nope. I've used the Whirly-Pop a dozen or more times since then and every time my whole process takes 3-4 minutes. Actually, I've never hit 4 minutes, but I've been over 3.5 minutes. That's my whole process - from the time I turn on the stove to popcorn in my bowl ready to be flavored or just eaten. By the time I get out the butter and put away the kernels my popcorn requires my attention and a minute later I'm eating it. Heaven!The metal on the bottom is thin enough that the oil heats fast, obviously. The crank turning the metal bars that stir the corn to keep it from burning/sticking on the bottom is solid. I've had no problem with the gear as some people mentioned. I'm wondering how hard they're cranking the the thing if they're actually breaking it!The only "complaint" I might have would be that the lid could be a little thicker. It doesn't need to be and doing so would just make the thing weigh more so this is purely a personal taste "complaint." The lid pops off for easy clean up of both bottom and lid assembly. And the lid clips securely back into place when finished cleaning.Seriously, if you like popcorn buy this thing. I'm kicking myself for all the time I wasted making my own air-popped microwave corn and a pre-bought microwave bag takes even longer! This is the fastest thing I've ever seen. And at $25 more or less you can't go wrong. The only downside is that the Whirly-Pop does such a fantastic job that I don't have any unpopped or fun-kernels left when the popcorn is gone!

I am impressed with this popcorn popper. It's aluminum so it heats up fast, it's easy to clean and the crank handle/stirer helps the kernels to move at the bottom and not get scorched.

I've only used it once but it worked perfectly. Med. heat, 2 tbsp coconut oil and 3 tbsp of kernels (I used Great Northern). Once the oil starts heating up, begin turning the crank. You don't have to turn it hard or fast, just keep the popcorn moving. Yes, the lid isn't the best fit, but from all the pics I've seen, they're all like that, even the competitors', so they're probably all made at the same factory. Clean-up was as simple as wiping it out with a paper towel. Yes, I recommend this product.

I love this popcorn maker! It cooks quickly and evenly, and it is well thought out with regard to the engineering of how the handle works inside the pot. I recently purchased one that wasn’t made correctly, and the handle kept coming out out of the pot. In order to pop a full container of popcorn without over filling it, put 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in it and 3 tablespoons of the popcorn oil. It makes a wonderful popcorn that only requires a dash of salt. No butter is required.

My daughter and I adore this device--we bought it months ago, and we still use a few times a week, sometimes more. It takes less than five minutes from start to finish on the stovetop, and when we use coconut oil and Flavacol seasoning, we have hot, fresh, delicious theatre-style popcorn. I recommend this highly to anyone who loves popcorn and would like to spend less money on those gross microwave bags; the start up cost is a little high when you factor in the spinner here, the oil, the popcorn salt, and the seeds (I was about $35-$40 initially), but it lasts a long time and the overall cost is a small fraction of buying grocery store bags. We use 2 TBSP of oil, 1 TBSP of salt (in the cooker, though we sometimes add more after it's cooked), and 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of seeds, and this ratio makes more popcorn than we can eat. (I would not recommend putting 1 cup of seeds in the cooker--it's not big enough, and the popcorn on the bottom will either burn or sort of fuse together.)I have only a couple of notes about things I'm not super hot about:--The small holes in the top of the lid (where the hinges are) allow enough space for hot oil spatters. Not very much, but once or twice while making a batch I'll feel it on my arm. It's only a minor annoyance to me, but those with more sensitive skin might want to wear a long oven mitt to protect from this.--The gears that came on mine are plastic and becoming slightly discolored, which also does not affect the performance. It does make it look perpetually dirty.--The kettle is a little thin, too, so dropping it on the floor or banging it on the counter may dent it. Due to its thinness, it gets VERY HOT, not only while you're applying stovetop heat, but while you're emptying the corn. Recommend use of oven mitts, especially for children. The wooden handle is not hot, but the kettle could do some damage to little (or larger) fingers.--If you get it too full, you might have some issues getting the popcorn that's crammed in the bottom to come out; we hold one side shut with an oven-mitted hand and dislodge the corn with a butter knife--just a small stir will help the rest come pouring out.We clean our spinner with paper towels normally, and occasionally by running all parts under the hot water tap, allowing to air dry, and then using paper towels again, and it's perfect. You'll want a big, big bowl if you use 1/2 or 3/4 cup of seeds (enough so that you can add seasonings and shake it around). We buy generic grocery-store seeds for about $1/lb and they work fine and taste great. I would not recommend children under eleven or twelve use this alone due to how hot it gets; they may injure themselves attempting to dump the kettle into bowls. I would also not recommend making kettle corn/adding sugar as it will clump in the bottom, but if you're up to cleaning it, you can definitely do so. This would be a great gift, too.