Lekue Microwave Popcorn Popper/Popcorn Maker, Red

This is the BEST & EASIEST popcorn popper I ever used!!! It makes the most delicious popcorn in minutes. I just received it Yesterday and already made 5 batches of popcorn! It pops the corn fast and evenly and leaves very little if any unpopped kernels. I only used 1/4 C kernels and the popper was almost filled to the top with popped corn. I used Orville Redenbacher's Popcorn and all 5 batches were FANTASTIC!!! I set my micro-oven at 4 minutes and listened for the popping to slow down. As soon as the POPPING SLOWED DOWN, I removed the popper from the micro-oven. MOST BATCHES TOOK LESS THAN 2 MINUTES!!! The popcorn made with sugar and splenda required LESS COOKING TIME. I swirled some hot water and soap in the popper after use and clean up was a breeze! Nothing stuck to the popper, not even granulated sugar!HERE ARE THE RECIPES FOR THE 5 DIFFERENT BATCHES:#1: NO OIL.1/4 C Kernels + 1/8 tsp Kosher Salt.Stir salt with kernels before popping. The popcorn was very good, similar to air popped, but a lighter texture.#2: OIL1/4 C Kernels + 1/8 tsp Kosher Salt +1 TBS Canola OilStir all the ingredients together in the popper before popping.This batch was TO DIE FOR!!!!All the kernels popped and the popcorn had a buttery taste with a hint of saltiness.#3: Oil + Wilton Butter Flavoring1/4 C Kernels + 1/8 tsp Kosher Salt +1 TBS Canola Oil +1/8 tsp Wilton Butter FlavoringAdd all the ingredients into the popper and stir them with a spoon before popping.This batch had a really buttery flavor with the perfect amount of salt. My family devoured this batch and wanted more!#4 Kettle Corn.1/4 C Kernels + 1/8 tsp Kosher Salt +1 TBS Canola Oil + 1/8 tsp Wilton Butter Flavoring + 1TBS + 1 tsp Granulated White SugarAdd all the ingredients into the popper and stir them with a spoon to evenly coat, before popping.This was sooooooooo GOOD!!!!! This Popcorn TASTED EXACTLY LIKE KETTLE CORN that you would purchase at a fair!!!Just let the popped corn cool a minute before touching; the sugar gets hot.#5 SPLENDA KETTLE CORN: THE BEST!!!!!!!! AS GOOD AS "REAL SUGAR" VERSION!!!1/4 C Kernels + 1/8 tsp Kosher Salt +1 TBS Canola Oil + 1/8 tsp Wilton Butter Flavoring + 6 (tsp sized) packages of SplendaMix the Splenda with all the ingredients before popping.This was as good as the batch made with sugar(batch #4)! In fact, you could not distinguish a difference in taste between the two!!!EXCELLENT KETTLE CORN!!!!!THIS WAS THE EASIEST/FASTEST POPPER to use. Clean up was 2 seconds, and the POPCORN was FANTASTIC!!!DEFINITELY 10 STARS!!!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! IF YOU LOVE POPCORN, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!!!I forgot to mention: the popper collapses down in size for easy storage - added bonus!!UPDATE to review:7/30/2015 I was so IMPRESSED with this popcorn popper that I ordered 2 more! I sent one to each of my children & they loved it!!!

Great bowl! I've had it for over a year now, and I've made countless bowls of popcorn in that time, almost on a daily basis. Oil or no oil, salt or no salt, this is a fantastic purchase.Pros:1) Efficient popping: Compared to my other microwave popcorn bowl (Nordic Ware), this bowl is very efficient (popping all but just a couple kernels with, or without oil). I loved my Nordic Ware bowl, but this Lekue bowl blows it out of the water in terms of efficiency.2) Easy, consistent results: I just pour plain kernels to anywhere up to the max fill line built into the bowl, add a sprinkle of popcorn salt (recommended), a drizzle (maybe 1/4-1/2 tsp) of canola oil (just to help the salt stick), mix, and microwave on high (my primary microwave is done in exactly 2 minutes). It comes out consistently every time, with just a couple of kernels unpopped. Note that you'll have to find your own cooking time based on your individual microwave. UPDATE: I have found that, at least with oil, the popcorn doesn't start to burn for me until nearly every kernel has been popped, which happens around 2 minutes 45 seconds in my microwave, so I now safely cook for 2 minutes 30 seconds. Also, although I haven't found that mixing the kernels is really necessary, you can massage the bowl from directly underneath to mix, rather that using a utensil.3) Good popcorn texture: similar to store-bought bagged microwave popcorn (maybe even better), not like air-poppers which, in my experience, dry out the popcorn.Cons:1) A little hard to wash: The bowl is very flexible, and, as such, is a little difficult to hold while washing. That said, I've gotten used to this, and simply hold the bowl with my opposite hand directly outside the bowl from the faucet/sponge. Not ideal, but the collapsing feature is more than worth it (at least for someone like me who takes it wherever I go).2) Bad results in one microwave: One of the five microwave ovens I've used tends to burn popcorn with this bowl, even if I add liberal amounts of oil. If I stop the cooking early enough to prevent burning, about half of the kernels are left unpopped. I'm guessing this is an inexpensive/low-powered oven, but I'm not sure. I would guess that bad reviews here could be mostly attributed to the microwave ovens being used. I've had very good, consistent results (see above) with my Panasonic microwave, which is 1200 Watts and has a turntable, so I'd recommend that.3) Not ideal for strong flavorings: I made the mistake of trying to add some old bay seasoning to the kernels a few times. It was good, but it seemed all popcorn I made for a while after had some lingering taste of the seasoning. Maybe I just didn't wash the bowl well enough (see above).4) It does get hot, and, as others have pointed out, the Nordic Ware has a handy lip, whereas this one does not. That said, I've had no trouble pulling the Lekue out of the microwave bare-handed. I used to think it was hot when I first got it, but now I grab it from the base, which does not get very hot. I pull the base to get it out of the oven, and then it's easy to carry the bowl by the base until it cools a little more. I believe the hottest part is the part you would normally grab from: the curved, mid-section, so avoid that. UPDATE: Also, do not touch the hollow inside of the base, where the hot kernels sit! Grab it by the outside or the very bottom edge of the base, which touches the table.

My husband had been complaining about how "chewy" the air popper made his popcorn. We tried many different brands but they all turned out chewy. I did an internet search for the best popcorn makers and was even ready to spend up to $100 on a West Bend brand. I found a review of multiple poppers and this one came out on top, even above the $130 West Bend popper. I figured, for only $20, it was worth a shot. We were amazed at how great this worked! You do have to "babysit" it he first couple of times to see what timing works with your particular microwave but once you have that figured out, it great! My husband even put a couple of tablespoons of COLD butter in with the kernels and the popcorn comes out coated with slightly browned butter and nice and crispy. It's also true that you can scoop out the popped kernels and put the unpopped kernels back in the microwave so there is very little waste. Cleans up great, easy to store, easy to use. I will likely be buying a few of these for "white Elephant" gifts for this years holiday parties!