Presto 04820 Poplite Hot Air Popcorn Popper - Built-In Measuring Cup + Melts Butter, Easy to Clean, Built-In Cord Wrap, 18 Cups, Yellow

**Writing this while eating a bowl of popcorn**I have used this machine about a dozen times, and so far, it works great for me. It's quick- pops within 1-2 minutes, and produces light and fluffy popcorn.Though, It has a few quirks.Yes, kernels can fly out well before they pop. To combat this, I simply tilt the machine back SLIGHTLY to cause the kernels to fall backwards, instead of being forced out the exit. I do this until the I hear the kernels start to pop, then I set it flat.Yes, it does not have a switch. As soon as you plug it in, it's on. As long as you remember, and you prepare, it's not an issue. Easy fix- get a plug switch adapter. They're fairly inexpensive, and you can find them on this site.Lastly, the top (the shoot/exit) is plastic, and it gets hot! (Understandably) Be cautious when taking the top off. Again, as long as you are aware, it's not an issue.I do not use the butter scoop/warmer, so I cannot comment on that part. I spray with oil, if I do feel like using butter, I will melt on the stove separately- that's just my preference.Overall, I'm very happy with this product. It's pops corn fast, and cleanly, for a quick snack. The price wasn't bad either. I recommend. *thumbs up*

WORKS great and pops the popcorn quickly. Not loud at all. We use it almost every day and it is keeping with all of that popcorn popping. Very easy to clean and easy to store just the right size.

Well, it's a popcorn popper. It does what it's supposed to, and the popcorn turns out nice and not too chewy. Everything pops within a couple of minutes, so it doesn't take too long.It's weird that there is no on/off switch. You have to plug in the unit to start it, and unplug to stop it. But I can look past that.Butter seems to need more time to melt in the tray, but I suppose that's a side effect of the corn popping quickly. I just stir the butter some with a knife while it's melting to help speed it along, and that seems good enough to get it all melted in time. You can always opt to melt the butter on the stove.This unit throws unpopped kernels out of the chamber while running, and they end up on the counter top or on the kitchen floor. From what I'm reading, they all do that, so I may just get myself a deeper popcorn bowl to try to help contain the mess. I like this popper otherwise.

This is a great value - easy to use and clean, pops every kernel, makes healthy air-popped corn, and kids are amazed by watching the popcorn fly out of the chute. We have bought extras for gifts.

Works great and fast, perfect pop every time. Maybe 1 or 2 kernel per a scoop not pop, can’t beat that consistency. Tastes great. I just been using Orville Redenbacher yellow kernels, I buy a big jug of it when buy this popper. I didn’t try to heat butter in scoop. I been just eating plain. Great low calorie and fiber snack. It makes 1 scoop at a time. Scoop is 1/2 cup. It cooks in just a few minutes. Super fast. Clean up is easy just wipe out with dry rag or paper towel. I been using a pot that I have a lid for. It pops right into pot. I grab some for snack and put the lid on pot for tomorrow’s left overs. Highly recommend.

This popper is amazingly reliable. My 1st unit lasted 15 years (and was going strong when I gave it to a friend) and my 2nd unit just died tonight after 20+ years and it probably would've kept going except I accidentally over-loaded it. :( Note that this popper works just as well at 20 years old as it did when brand new. Now THAT is a good design.This popper is fast, extremely fast. Even my 20-yr old unit finished a batch in less than 3 minutes. Seriously, I suggest getting your flavorings ready before turning the unit on.If you fill the popcorn exactly to the line inside the popper, you get a perfect batch every time. You can use less kernels, but you get a few unpopped ones flying into your bowl. Tilting the machine back just a tad will also eliminate unpopped "flyers" if you use less than a full batch. You can even put in a little extra, barely covering the inside measuring line from side, but you'll have to jiggle the popper (e.g. tap it briskly a couple times) to get the kernels swirling. You see, the hot-air blower inside the unit swirls the popcorn, heating them evenly and quickly. If the kernels don't move, the bottom ones will start to burn and the machine will auto-shutoff. (And it stinks to the high heavens!)The popper works so well, don't bother using expensive popcorn. My favorite is Jolly Time which is cheap in the large bags (approx. 2 lbs). The Kroger store-brand of popcorn even works well, and it's dirt-cheap...a real blessing if you eat as much popcorn as I do. :D If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, their popcorn actually cooks with the fewest flopcorn* of them all, even if comparing to the hideously over-priced Orville Redenbocker popcorn.The machine never needs cleaning, either. When done, just tip it so any flopcorn (if any) pours into the waste basket. That's it. It's now ready for another batch. Now, if you try heating butter in the little cup that rests in the top of the unit's cover, THEN you'll have a bit of cleanup...but only that cup. (It's fine in the dishwasher, by the way.) I never use the cup because the unit finishes a batch of popcorn so fast, the butter never has enough time to melt! (And that's true even if you have your butter at room temperature.) Basically, if you want hot butter to pour onto your cooked popcorn, heat it in the microwave while your popcorn's popping. (You'll be much happier.)Tips.1. Use cheap popcorn as it cooks just as well as over-priced "gourmet" popcorn like the Orville Redenbocker brand.2. If you like salt, use powdered salt. Morton makes popcorn salt which works well, but you can also powderize your own with a good blender, food processor, or a good spice mill.3. To get salt or other sprinkled flavorings to stick to your popcorn, give short bursts of cooking spray onto your popcorn and quickly sprinkle a bit of flavoring onto it before it soaks into the popcorn. If you like a LOT of flavoring, spray a bit more and sprinkle faster and longer. :D4. Johnny's makes a great popcorn salt and a little goes a long ways. Regular powdered salt is cheaper and is just as good in my opinion (but my wife swears by it, hehe).5. For best results (i.e. the least amount of flopcorn), fill the unit just enough with popcorn so the fine line internal measuring line inside the heating chamber is covered. Tilt the machine back just a little (e.g. place a pencil, butter knife, or other .5" item) underneath the front of the popper's base until enough popped corn has filled the popping chamber; this keeps uncooked popcorn from flying out.6. If you put in just a little more popcorn so the internal measuring line is covered by 1 or 2 layers of kernels (AND jiggle the unit to make sure it starts swirling), you'll not only get a slightly larger batch of popcorn, but you won't have any unpopped popcorn flying out, even without tilting the unit.Note: The machine is a tad noisy when running. It's not really loud, just a little annoying. It's not a big deal, but I thought I'd mention it. For comparison, it's about as loud as a hairdryer on its lowest setting. It's maybe as loud as the fan on a microwave.Also note: Hot-air popped popcorn is dry. I mean dry. Really dry. Popcorn, in general, is dry, but popping it without oil/butter/etc. makes it as dry as dry can be, maybe drier. ;) If you put flavorings on it, you'll never never notice it, though. I thought hot-air neophytes might find this curious, though, maybe even a bit surprising. (I actually like it better.)* Flopcorn: The unpopped kernels remaining after popping a batch of popcorn.