Nordic Ware Microwave Popcorn Popper, White, 12 Cup

VOLUME: The base holds 12.5 cups to the brim. The top holds 5 cups. Total volume is 17.5 cups. Measurements taken by separately filling base and the cover with water to the highest level possible and removing a cup at a time. For comparison, a 2.5 QT pyrex bowl (with a plate over the top to contain the popping) holds exactly 11 cups filled to the brim. POPPING: Cooiking 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) of good quality kernels in ~ 1 tbsp of light olive oil in an 1100 watt microwave for 2.5 minutes, approximatley 1.5 tbsp unpopped kernels (19%) remained. Popping had not completely stopped, but I did not want to risk burning what had already popped. The popcorn filled the base plus 1/2 to 1 cup above the brim. So in actual use, you'll get between 13 and 14 cups of popped popcorn starting with 1/2 cup raw kernels. Using more kernels you might get it to 16 cups popcorn, but you'll risk the excess over 14-15 cups falling out when you take the lid off. The popcorn quality was excellent with no hint of burning anywhere in the batch. EASE OF USE: The bowl does indeed get hot as the product label warns, but there's a generous lip around the brim of 5/8" (1.6 cm) width that remained cool enough to lift at the edges using bare fingers without any difficulty or discomfort. This is a big improvement over the Pyrex bowl I had been using for microwave popcorn that required mitts or other insulation for the fingers. While the body of the bowl is initally too hot to hold, it cools more quicly than pyrex. The bowl is sturdy, not heavy, and easy to clean. Unlike floppy silicone popcorn poppers, the rigidity of the bowl and cover makes it much easier to wash down with a dishcloth. If you've ever used silicone poppers, you'll know the frustration that cleaning them can be. Haven't owned the Nordic Ware Pro Popper long enough to gauge durability, but nothing about it raises any concerns so far. RECOMMENDATION: Product exceeds expectations. Best overall popper on the market. Highly recommended.

With all the chemicals and unhealthy oils in prepackaged microwave popcorn, I was looking for an option for making our own healthier version and I think this Nordic Ware Popper fits the bill quite well, at a very reasonable price. I wanted to be able to use healthy oils, such as coconut or ghee, and add my own seasonings or salt and I liked that you could add these before popping, if desired. I chose this style over the collapsible silicone versions, as other silicone items I have tend to be hard to clean, especially if using oils that solidify. This one washes up very easily, and can be put in the dishwasher. It has taken a bit of trial and error to get the knack of achieving a perfect batch, and we did have quite a few no-pops and some scorches in the learning curve, but it is worth the trouble to find the right timing, technique, popcorn type, etc., for your own situation. When you get it right, you have delicious, crisp, healthy popcorn to suit your own tastes at a fraction of the cost of the unhealthy bags. I have experimented with adding 1-2 tablespoons of oil, along with Flavacol theatre-style popcorn seasoning before cooking. I have had better results preheating the oil and seasonings (along with the bowl) first, adding 1/3 C popcorn and swirling in the hot oil in the bowl, then cooking on highest level for a little more than 4 minutes. I did find that using oil tends to splatter the walls of the microwave due to the ventilation slots on the sides of the lid. This is easily remedied by draping an open napkin or paper towel kitty-corner over the lid while popping. So far, the popper and lid show little signs of use, no warping of the lid or discoloration yet, so I am hopeful that this popper will perform well over the long haul.

I just ordered my second one because my first one's lid broke after a year and a half - the lid had warped and I snapped it trying to get it to flex back. The bowl still works if covered by something like a plate, but moisture and popcorn buildup can cause problems that way, so basically I'd rather just get another one and have a second large bowl for other use (or as a backup if one is dirty and I'm lazy, which seems likely!). Anyway, this thing is pretty darn good. You put in the kernels, put on the top, and listen for the kernels to pop less than once every 2 seconds, then shut off the microwave, and you get hot popcorn! You can also add salt and oil in before nuking and you'll get decent results (although too much oil can drown the kernels instead of aerosolizing and blend with the poppping corn), just top it off with a little more salt and oil at the end to get quality popcorn - perhaps not movie-style or stovetop, but also it takes less oil and salt to make this tasty, so there's a health benefit to be enjoyed. I occasionally will add tabasco sauce to the oil when I nuke a batch, it tastes great but it does fill the air around the microwave with pepper gas for about 15 minutes which stings the eyes and lungs, so um... don't do that without taking precautions. Keep in mind, if you put in too much popcorn and it can overflow, but it won't stop cooking; put on too much time and don't listen for popping to slow, and the popped corn will scorch (mother nature isn't a precision factory, every batch of kernels will pop differently so be responsible with your microwave popcorn or you risk burned popcorn or even fire). The popper bowl material is an unusual, strong, thick, amalgamted plastic like the other microwave cookware from Nordic Ware, it gets really hot but it survives that heat nicely. It also stays hot for a while, which at the bottom of the bowl can be too hot for some surfaces (like a glass table or one's lap), so I suggest using an old small wooden cutting board or something similar to set it on; a good side-effect of the bowl holding heat is it keeps the popcorn warm longer. The bowl quickly took some stains at the bottom (both inside and outside) from the heat, the oils in the kernels, or a combination, but continues to work with no adverse effects. Cleanup is easy, making dry popcorn you just wipe it down and it's pretty much ready to go; with oil popcorn it's a quick wet soapy sponge and dry (it's a big bowl, so you will likely get wet washing it by hand). The package only says the lid is dishwasher top-rack safe, says nothing about the bowl in the dishwasher, but since it can take a firm beating from the microwave oven, I figure it can handle hot water and Cascade liquid, and so far it's done great in the dishwasher as long as I sweep out the kernels and hulls first - I dunno, maybe your dishwasher will find a way to ruin it since it's not approved, but mine hasn't so far - it can take up a lot of real-estate in the dishwasher though, sometimes it's just easier to wash it by hand than cover up so much of the bottom rack (it's too tall for the top rack). The lid is a softer, clear(ish) plastic that has an X-shaped grip section and cutaways around the sides to let out steam (open it away from your arm and body, steam is hot!). Over time, the lid on mine warped so it fit the bowl even more loosely than it already had (to be fair, I was foolishly storing it upside-down right after cooking and that may have helped warp it) and then let out a few kernels and popped corn, but it otherwise continued to work. The lid is top-rack dishwasher safe, the top grip will gather a little water at the end of the cycle but otherwise it does fine; it really only needs cleaning when running oil with your corn, the oil vaporizes and collects on the lid along with the vaporized water from the kernels. It'll take a few rounds to get the right amount of kernels, I overpopped a ton of batches early - that's 12 cups of popcorn each from just a relatively small-looking amount in the bottom! Mine takes about 4 minutes to cook all that corn in my 800 watt microwave, however I find that the time is affected by the quality of the popcorn I'm buying, and the weather. The quality of the kernels also affects the number of unpopped and old-maid kernels (kernels that cooked but didn't pop due to a leak in the hull, an overly thick hull, or the wrong hull to germ ratio - each kernel is a natural pressure cooker that explodes a liquid into a solid when it hits the air), Orville in the jar is a significantly better pop with less hulls, as well as better to cook with, than the generic in the bag. Don't obsess about popping every last kernel, it's better to have half a dozen unpopped kernels among 12 cups of popcorn than to have part of your popcorn scorched, that blackened stuff is inedible and stinks up the unscorched popcorn as well as your house. Bottom line, for the price, I think this thing delivers pretty well. It has a few little drawbacks, but when all you need is a handful of kernels, this product, and a microwave to make 12 cups of popcorn, that's a great product - no extra stuff to buy, no oil required, no unitaskers (as Alton Brown would say) that are noisy and hog a ton of electricity and shoot kernels everywhere. This thing is quick, it's easy to use and to clean, it is a big bowl, and it's inexpensive.

Works great, good popcorn, convenient, be careful not to burn yourself when taking out, lid is a bit flimsy but ok, but 3 more for my sisters

Contenitore di ottima qualità, molto resistente e capiente. E' l'unico prodotto dei vari che ho provato che funziona perfettamente con i popcorn nel microonde. Contiene tranquillamente due porzioni. Attenti che appena esce brucia un bel po'. Dopo alcuni tentativi la nostra ricetta è la seguente: mettere un filo di olio per friggere nel contenitore, aggiungere una bella manciata di sale e versare i chicchi di mais (80g per due persone). Mescolare in modo da far adedire l'olio e il sale a tutti i semi. Nel nostro microonde i popcorn sono pronti in circa 5:30 minuti alla massima temperatura. Non teneteli troppo anche se li sentite scoppiare ancora altrimenti si bruciano! La stessa ricetta funziona con i popcorn dolci, basta mettere lo zucchero invece del sale (mettere comunque anche un pizzico di sale!). Buon film!

I paid $30. As sometimes happens, the price may fluctuate on Amazon for this product. AT $30 its a little expensive. On a cost per use basis, I will probably get my money's worth from this as my family loves this and it gets used a lot at our house. This makes GREAT popcorn with not a lot of unpopped kernels in the end. It does get quite hot and I would say its smart to let it cool a bit between uses. My husband made 2 batches back to back once, and that is the only time there were a few burnt pieces. Absolutely every other time the popcorn has been great. Our 8 year old makes popcorn almost daily now. 1/3 cup of kernels and 4 minutes later, voila!

Well worth the money... excellent popcorn without any oil!

I have used many such popcorn makers & bowls. This is simply the best of them all! The design hasn't changed much since I have owned mine, over 9 years back, it still works as well as day 1!