Pros: Unburned popcorn in just a couple of minutes
Cons: Unpopped kernels and exploding popcorn-grenades
Rating: 4 out of 5
First posted 8/21/2000
My fiancee has infected me with his great love of popcorn, so we bought a hot-air popper. They’re wonderful because you can pop popcorn without lots of dishes to clean, and without using oils.
First thing, you put 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels into the hot air popper. Then you put the lid on. It fits very easily, and we haven’t had troubles with it. Then you plug the unit in, listen to the kernels whizzing about, and wait for the show to begin. Of course, you’ll need a bowl beneath the opening in the lid to catch the popcorn as it comes tumbling out. When the popcorn stops popping, you unplug it, toss any unpopped kernels, and wash the lid.
We really like the Salton hot air popper. It’s incredibly easy to use and clean. It’s also very enthusiastic. There’s no need to worry about the popped corn being kept in the popper under its own weight and burning (I’ve seen this happen with other poppers). In fact, it tosses the popcorn out in such a hurry that not only do some of the kernels come with it, but sometimes they pop in the bowl, resulting in a mini-explosion of popcorn on your counter.
Honestly, we prefer this to burnt popcorn. 1/2 cup still pops plenty of popcorn for the both of us, and popcorn is fairly cheap so a few unpopped kernels aren’t a tragedy. Just be wary of those exploding grenades that are the unpopped kernels – we practically had a heart attack the first time it happened!
Yes, I can see that you and your fiancée really love pop corn. My wife has bought this hot-air popper but we never use it. I guess we are not the biggest fan of popcorn like you guys.
I recently received a popper with no instructions, so thank you for including instructions in this. That’s what I have been looking for. And also thanks for the Pam and Butter Buds tip! I am going to try it tomorrow night. Thanks!!