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I felt compelled to write a review after owning this popcorn popper for more than four years and seeing it churn out a perfect batch time after time. The manufacturer deserves praise for this product. It works just as well -- indeed slightly better -- than the day I bought it. I use a half cup of kernels and a little oil, over a gas stovetop burner on high, and it consistently makes a fully-popped batch with zero waste. I have to hunt to find a single unpopped kernel. Nothing is burnt. It's fast, extremely economical, high-performing and durable. I can't ask for anything more.
Although it is lightweight aluminum, it has proven perfectly durable, even though I was a bit skeptical of the thinness of the metal and the little stirring arms when I got it. The whole family, including kids, use it. It's been dropped once or twice, too! You don't really need the heat retention of thicker metal like cast iron for popping popcorn, as long as the bottom is hot enough, which I've never had trouble obtaining.
I use oil only: olive oil most times, corn oil in a pinch. I followed a reviewer's advice not to wash it with soap and water or put it in the dishwasher. All I do is wipe it out after a batch. As with cast iron, it has developed a light seasoned coating on the bottom, which enhances the non-stick quality of the bottom surface. That's why I say it works slightly better now than it did the first day. Early on I would sometimes get a kernel stuck to the bottom; now that doesn't happen at all. All popped kernels rise to the top and the unpopped fall to the bottom till it's done. And I use cheap generic popcorn most times.
The gears and stirring rod still work just fine. You don't have to crank it fast. A lazy one rotation a second always works for me. If you feel a kernel slip under the stirring rod at the bottom (you'll feel a slight drag), just reverse direction and it usually comes out from underneath. I don't know if other people crank it rapidly but perhaps that leads to more wear on the gears? That said, my kids still crank it fast and I've had no problems.
The only maintenance I've done on it a couple times is to bend slightly the little metal clips that secure the cover's side flaps to the pot. After many openings and closings, these can get a little loose. It's just like the metal clip that keeps a typical mailbox shut. Just press it inward slightly and it secures tightly, good as new.
I don't think I'll ever go back to electric poppers or microwave bag popcorn. Microwave bag popcorn tends to burn or waste a lot, it's relatively expensive, and it's got all kinds of fake flavors I don't enjoy. (If you like those, you can always buy "movie theater" flavored oil at the store.) Popping our own corn, everyone can add whatever amount of butter, salt, etc. they like. I've owned a few electric models, and besides being noisy, they're slower, they've failed after a few years, and while better than microwave bags, electrics still tend to spit unpopped kernels into the bowl. And if you have kids, you might know the drill with electric poppers: if the bowl gets bumped, the butter-melter is removed, the lid knocked accidentally, popcorn goes flying everywhere. Whirley-Pop is tidy. Of course you have to watch younger kids if they're novices using the stove. But compared to an electric popper, I've gotten a far better return on my investment with Whirley-Pop. It's simple, so there's far less to break: no switches to fail, fans to break down, or coils to burn out. Storing it is easier too. There's no parts to keep track of -- it stores as a unit under the cupboard. Again, a boon with kids.
The only "pro tip" I've developed is to pour in the oil, then the kernels, crank it once or twice to spread them out and coat them with oil, then give it a little side-to-side shake. The stirring arm tends to push the kernels all to the outside initially. Shake it a little, and you get a nice even layer of kernels on the bottom. Then apply heat. I leave it heating like that, without stirring but giving an occasional little shake, for the first minute or two until the first pop -- all the kernels heat evenly and tend to pop more at one time. What really gets them all going, however, is that there's a cascade when the steam escaping from popping kernels creates more heat energy in the pot. This might be why electric poppers take so long -- they're blowing out all the heat energy they've generated in the bowl converting water to steam, whereas Whirley-Pop confines it as steam for cooking. Just take care to have your hand aside when dumping the batch out, since steam will escape if you dump it immediately, which I tend to do -- either because the gas stove burner grid still retains a lot of heat even when the burner is off or sometimes I'm overzealous in measuring a half-cup and it starts to get jam-packed. But in this case, just dump from the top and keep going, and everything turns out fine.
All-in-all, this machine has been fabulous: works flawlessly, extremely economical, easy to maintain, and durable. If ever it breaks, which I don't expect, I'd buy another one immediately.
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This Item Wabash Valley Farms Wabash poppers with kernels (Nylon Gear, Color Changing) | Recommendations | |||||
| Price | — | $50.98 | -41% $24.95 List: $41.95 | -20% $39.99 List: $49.99 | $39.99 | $50.94 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Friday, Jan 3 | Get it as soon as Friday, Jan 3 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jan 7 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jan 14 | Get it Jan 3 - 7 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Lehman's Home and Garden | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Ten West | PLEXSUPPLY. |
| capacity | 6 quarts | 4.76 quarts | 5 quarts | 6 quarts | 6 quarts | 6 quarts |
| electric | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| material | Metal | Stainless Steel | Aluminum | Aluminum, Wood, Stainless Steel | Metal, Aluminum | Aluminum |
Whitley whirley PopPop
Did not receive popcorn and salt as stated, only popcorn popper. Used the popcorn popper yesterday, great. Love it
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2024
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