Presto 04821 Orville Redenbacher's Hot Air Popper, 1 Liters, White

The media could not be loaded. This popper is same as the Presto Poplite which I purchased about ten years ago. I gave the first one away (it was still working correctly). Now I am back into air popped corn. My first purchase worked great so I decided to purchase this popper. As of the date of this review I have been using this popper for about one week, so this review is strictly on performance. If anything changes in the future I will update this review.I purchased a new container of a national brand popcorn kernels. Using the supplied measuring cup I powered up the popper and the popping began after a couple of minutes or so. Before the popped corn fell into the bowl there was only about three kernels in the bowl (photo 1). After the power cord was unplugged there was only about 3 or 4 kernels remaining in the popper (photo 2). See the attached video to see the popping in progress.A note on storing popcorn kernels... The condition of the kernels can effect the success of a good popcorn run no matter what brand of popper is used. The fresher the kernel the better. Kernels can dry out over time. I used a vacuum sealer to seal two cup batches (photo 3). Whatever method is used, the key is to minimize air exposure.For melting butter I use it soft and at room temperature in the measuring cup/butter melter. If the butter is hard or cold it will not completely melt before the kernels finish popping. Maybe if the cup was made of metal instead of plastic maybe it would work better.Some reviews did not like this popper because it does not have a power switch. For my personal use this is not a problem. I will take performance as a trade off.

Love this thing! Air popping is oil free & never have to worry about burning your corn! It leaves the popcorn light and delicious! Just be sure to have your bowl ready because the popcorn comes out quickly.

I have been looking for a good hot air popcorn popper to replace my old Presto one I sadly threw away a few years ago because I thought it look dingy. Boy was I wrong, best hot air popper ever and if I ever find one like it at a garage sale I am buting it dingy or not.That said, this is the best one I have found so far and yes, I toss them if I do not like them. Because I do use them for a while before giving up on them so I cannot return them. This one though, I think will last until I run across that one I find at a garage sale that is the same make an model of my old dingy one. This one has decent power, and heats up fast, and seems to handle it all. It's just missing what too many are missing these days, and that is a power switch, let alone one that is easy to toggle without having to risk burning your self to turn it off . The only one I found that had a button was too cutsy and not so functional like the old Presto. Having to reach to unplug to turn them off is just an unneccesary, though minor, risk.

If it works like my old Orville popper, it will get used a whole lot. Nothing is better than fresh air popped popcorn.Delivery was super fast and box had no dents!

Easy to use and much cheaper and healthier than the microwave stuff

Very much like this popcorn maker. Does a great job in about 3 minutes. I like it because you can use popcorn without any seasoning except what you want. And it makes great, delicious popcorn. Be careful handling when done. The cover will be very hot. It needs a switch instead of just using the plug.

I am an avid popcorn enthusiast. I have even read Orville Redenbacher's book. I pop popcorn just about every Sunday night. I usually pop three batches in a row. My old hot air popper (a Westbend) has been a workhorse, and has had no problems. It is just getting worn out, although I still use it, because this Presto unit does not work as well. Not only is the interior design of the airflow ducting different than other brands and models I have seen (including the Westbend), this Presto model may have some sort of thermal overheat protection which prevents the unit from running after just one or two batches. It will run again after a long cool down period, but that takes WAAAAY too long. I have not been able to determine if a built in feature is causing the shutdown, or if it is just a messed up machine. I may try to return it, or have it repaired / replaced, but what it really needs is to have the thermal protection (if that is what is causing the shutdown) removed or bypassed. My guess is that Presto put this feature in the machine as some sort of liability protection. If this is the case, then once again lawyers are the cause of a problem. Either way I believe that Orville would be very disappointed.I would also like to see an on / off switch on the unit, instead of the requirement to use the plug for the on / off function.As a side note, the best way I have found to deal with any hot air popcorn popper is to use a PAPER grocery bag to catch the popped corn as it exits the chute. Tuck the opened bag up under the chute, and place a sufficiently heavy object behind the bag to hold it in an angled position. The jar of yet to be popped popcorn kernels, or a large soda bottle are about right for this job. It's ok for the paper bag to be at an angle as the popped corn goes into the bag, as long as the lower edge of the open bag is under the popcorn popper chute. Depending on the popper, you may need to set the popper up on an object (like an upside down popcorn bowl) to raise the popper off of the counter far enough for the paper bag to fit under the chute. Then, melt butter in a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave (place a wet paper towel over the top of the Pyrex measuring cup to absorb energy and to protect the inside of the microwave in the event of a butter burp) for about 5 minutes on a low (1 or 2) power setting. Pour the melted butter slowly and evenly over the popped corn in the paper bag, add 1 tsp of fine sea salt, and dump in some Kraft type grated parmesan cheese. Then, while holding the top edges of the open paper bag, bounce / shake the bag at an angle to mix the popcorn with the flavorings. Finally, take a frozen pint glass out of the freezer, and fill it with one of your favorite stouts. Now you are ready to enjoy some of God's MANY blessings! Praise the LORD!!! So the challenge is: when checking out at the grocery, and they ask "paper or plastic?"...remember the popcorn!