Popcorn machine recommendations - Page 8

Ah crap.... disregard...I guess. I am apparently needing some sleep because what I thought was a rock star deal on a Paragon was instead a Paramount. ooops. Oh well. Although I will say that these poppers (Paramount) seemed to have a pretty good customer review and for $129.99 it's a good deal.

Sorry to get your hopes (and mine) up.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details

Hey, it happens. That would have been a slammin' deal on a 6oz. Paragon. I am holding out on a new one hoping to find a good deal on a solid used machine locally.

I went ahead and kept my order and will report back my opinion of this unit after it arrives and we pop a batch.

Excellent. Would be very interested in hearing your feedback and opinions on the machine.

OK, the PARAMOUNT 6oz machine arrived a couple days ago and here are my thoughts on it. Overall, it's a decent machine that is fully capable of making enough popcorn for our family of four (likely 2 batches and there would be some left over). Below are the pro's and con's to this budget popcorn machine.

PROS:

1) CHEAP! I paid about $147 shipped through an Amazon.com vendor
2) has light and a real warming deck
3) works quite well (have made about 6-7 batches so far)
4) small footprint (only about 17x14 base)
5) nice little touches like a magnet on the inside top on the stiring shaft to hold the kettle lid while loading or cleaning

CONS:

1) This "small footprint" machine, I am guessing, would only hold about 4 full batches of corn (and that might be pushing it) although 2 batches were plenty for 3 people the first night we used it.
2) build quality isn't bad but not a professional (*see expensive) machine



Overall I give it a 7 out of 10. It is hard to knock it down at the $147 price tag. I am sure a Paragon machine would be a noticable improvement on build quality, but at triple the price...I don't know if I could justify the expense. If your theater seats 4-8 people, this machine will suffice if you willing to make several batches to feed that many people. For my 6 seat theater to be, this popper will work perfect for us.

Hope this helps for folks looking to save some $$$.

Scott

Thanks for the review. Very helpful to those of us that are still looking.

A little update about the Paramount machine I bought. I bought a case of 6oz Mega-Pop packages and although the corn taste fantastic, there have been A LOT of old maids. Upon watching the last batch as the corn started coming out of the kettle it seems like a lot of the kernals are getting "pushed" out of the kettle before they can pop. I have been moving the popped corn around on the deck and after the un-popped corn is collected in the tray, I fire up the kettle and throw them back in there with 1 tbs of canola. This pops the rest of the corn.

So not knowing why the 6oz packs were doing this in my "6oz" machine, I was looking at the machine that was for sale at Sam's Club. The box says that it is a 6oz kettle but their machine's kettle is 1/3 larger than mine.

So I would conclude that the Paramount 6oz popper is more like a 4oz machine. I might start dividing my packs in half so I get the seasoning on all the corn, although the current re-pop method works and once the corn is stirred around you really can't tell while your eating it.

Just thought I would share this info regarding this machine. Do I regret it? Well the larger kettle would be easier, but even Sam's Club wanted $500 for their machine. For the $147 I paid, I think I can live with it!

Bronco, I seem to get a fair amount of old maids in my Paragon as well, so I'm sure it isn't the Paramount's fault. I think you're right about them being pushed out, and that a larger kettle helps (I'm using a 4oz machine with 4oz packs). Thanks for the tip about the canola and repopping them though, I hadn't thought of that! I collect them and usually throw a bunch in to test the temp in my next batch, but that should prove a better solution.

I had the same problem with my 4 oz. model with 4 oz. prepackaged corn.
I ended up just popping half of the package with 1/2 the oil at a time and that really cut down on the old maids. It is definitely related to the size of the kettle. I popped a 4 oz. pack in a large pot on the stove and didn't get one old maid.
I think the corn at the bottom of the kettle pops and fires the kernels on top of it out of the kettle like a shotgun type effect.
I would keep with the 1/2 pack at a time mehtod or maybe switch to 4 oz. packs in your 6 oz kettle.

have an odd question for anyone else with a whirley pop or any stove top machine; i have a electric flat top stove and set it to ~8 when i make popcorn and im having trouble melting the flavacol am i not setting it high enough, the manual says med high. oddly enough it melts when i use my portion packs that include coconut oil and the rest of the time im using peanut oil, does the oil not get hot enough, should i switch to another type of oil,the only local place with coconut oil is trader joes and its the regular, "healthy" white stuff(will popcorn come out good with that?)

Re. the Whirley-pop stove-top popcorn popper, it is an affordable popcorn maker. I bought some, for me and friends, on Amazon, for about 20 bucks a "pop," and I also purchased at a local store. The good thing on Amazon was, that since I wanted to buy at least 3 of them anyway, I got the 4th for free as it qualifies for the 4-for3 promotion.

But I'm using the Whirley pop not only for popcorn. I like to roast coffee beans by myself, and the Whirley is one interesting way to do it on the stovetop and it yields fairly good results (with some level of experience). When I purchased it in a local store, they told me they'll come over to enjoy some good popcorn, but they were surprised to learn that I'll use it to roast coffee with the popper....

I've also compiled a video on my coffee site roasting coffee with the Whirley popcorn popper, so if you want to make another use out of this stovetop pop, you can watch that on my site (Whirley-Pop coffee bean roaster), or go to YouTube and you'll find plenty of videos demonstrating how to roast with the Whirley on your stove top.

Best,
J

so would you recommend it to someone looking for their first real machine? im looking around for a real popper since my whirley pop doesnt melt the flavacol(is it supposed to melt?i'll post a pic of the kettle after i make my next batch) im seeing similar models at my local bed bath and beyond if i get the same manufacturer as you should i look into the 8oz kettle for 6oz packs.
Edited by swarm87 - 6/6/12 at 5:33pm

If you don't mind popping 4oz pre-packaged packs or making your own recipe or doing the "re-pop" method I am doing with 6oz...then yes it is a decent / cheap / first time machine.

One thing that bothers me a tad about this machine... The lid for the kettle is NOT hinged, but rather just has the hole through the middle to "keep" it in place. This doesn't hold the lid down and after the popcorn gets going the lid stays completely up. If they would have made a hinged lid it probably wouldn't have as many un-popped kernels. It is relatively easy to clean as well, with all the aluminum. I did bend the tabs on the fold out part below the door so that piece would stay put better (took 5 seconds to do that).

But that aside, we are still enjoying our machine and the extra effort and time to re-pop the old maids (1/3 of the 6oz bag sometimes) seems minimal. We generally get about 8-10 cereal bowls full of corn out of 1 6oz pack.

When I walk past the 6oz Gold Metal machine at Sam's Club I get a little mad at mine since they are both marked as 6oz and the Gold Metal kettle is twice the size of mine and has a hinged lid....BUT the $500 vs $149 helps me "get over it!

When this one dies I will re-evaluate the situation, but she's workin good now and I have probably run 25 batches through it.
Edited by BroncoSport - 6/8/12 at 6:51am

jumping in on the op's thread, hope he doesn't mind...

i have 2 people, so i believe a 4 oz machine would be large enough (although i am open to be corrected there)..

price not really a concern (a solid gold one might be out of reach though... ).... i want the best, easiest to clean machine i can get...

gold medal? paragon? something else? it seems like the more i read, the less decisive i get...

tia...

If you are going 4 oz, I highly recommend a Paragon for the Lifetime Warranty. Plus, they are made in the USA and built like tanks.

The Gold Medals are also very nice machines. They have larger kettles, so people on the forum have reported being able to pop 6 oz portion packs in the 4 oz kettles.

You can't go wrong with either brand, but I think the Warranty on the 4 oz. Paragons is the tipping point.

Good luck with your selection.

I was having the same problem until i started holding one side of the metal lid shut when the popcorn first starts popping..... This seems to keep a lot of the kernels in so they have a chance to pop... This is the machine that i own.

http://www.amazon.com/Funtime-FT825CR-Antique-Carnival-Style-Tabletop/dp/B002NLKYPA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I think Paragon Theater Pop 4 oz. Popcorn is best for your family. Because you are only 3 and i think its sufficient for you. Also it has a reasonable price.

Don't forget about the Cineplex models from Paragon. They are perfect for the home theater as they have the decals, doors, and power cord in the perfect spot for against the wall positioning. We LOVE our "antique copper" model, which we bought from Stargate Cinema. Ken makes a great point, you can't beat the lifetime warranty on the 4 oz machines.

thanks for the responses guys... much appreciated....

Do you mean the oil, or the seasoning powder? The Flavacol that I had is basically like yellow salt, but finer grains. If you're having problems with it clumping or something when you put it in with the oil, try just dusting your finished corn with it from a shaker, like you would regular salt.

i figured it out; flavacol first, then oil then corn. i was putting the flavacol on top of everything before and it was just ending up on the side walls of the popper. it might be that i have to readjust the stirrer; if i can get the funds and find a good spot in my tiny HT i might look into getting a small 4 or 6oz popper(i can polish off a whole whirley pop batch myself over the course of a movie)

Nebrunner (or anyone else that has a Paragon Cineplex Popcorn Machine), what are the exact measurements on the units? Mainly I'm concerned with the height as I currently have this very simple unit (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Nostalgia+Electrics+-+Retro+Kettle+Popcorn+Maker+-+Red/8998436.p?id=1218056527557&skuId=8998436&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=8998436&extensionType=pla:g&gclid=CKOXvpTTxrACFc1k7AodTjhNpg) that I received as a gift. It works ok for what it is, but I'm contemplating upgrading to one of these nicer units. My only hang up is the height as my current unit won't fit under my cabinets, and I'd like for my next unit to be able to fit there. From your picture it appears shorter and wider than the unit I have. Paragon lists the dimensions as 16" W x 14" D x 24" H but I couldn't tell if those are shipping (boxed) dimensions or actual product dimensions (and if correct the paragon is actually about 4" taller than my current unit).

I have my Pargon Cineplex on the stand right now, so I'm not able to measure the machine "exactly". But, a rough estimate gives me between 23 1/2 - 24". So, those are actual dimensions you listed, not boxed totals.

Yeah, I was afraid of that. Unfortunately I don't want to put this in my theater (converted bonus room over my garage, don't know where in the room I would put it, it doesn't have a sink up there, etc.), and the distance between my cabinets and my counters are 18.5" making an 18" tall unit ideal. I have one space that doesn't have a cabinet over it, but its out in the open and my other half likes to put serving trays and stuff there when we are entertaining. Right now since my machine won't fit under the cabinets I'm forced to box it up and put it away every time we company and are not planning on using it.....

Anyone know of a wider but shorter unit?

just wanted to put this out there for anyone else with a stove top popper(not sure if tabletop machines are the same way)i just made a batch of corn with coconut oil, and cleanup was much easier and less mess then using my typical canola/olive/peanut blend. is this because, when melted. coconut oil is lighter than the others?

i have a somewhat strange question; summer is very hot and i dont have a/c(old house,mom is convinced that the electric bill will magically go up $100 every month) my portion packs say to store under 75*, is it safe to keep them in the fridge?

Just skimmed through all of my popcorn links and I know one of them said to NOT store them in the fridge either due to the coldness robbing them of moisture as well but I couldn't find the link. What kind of temps are you expecting to see? Upper 70's in the house? I don't think that would bother the popcorn much. Now if your talking about a consistent 80-85+ that might be a different story. Do you somewhere cooler (basement) that you could store the popcorn in?

Another alternative would be to buy smaller quantities more often to avoid having them go bad.

today its around 103(indexed) outside in my basement im guessing its around 80 i only got 20 prepacks in march(maybe is should stop hoarding them and using them as i have like 8 left) . im worried about the coconut oil melting and going bad
Edited by swarm87 - 6/20/12 at 5:23pm

I just bought the Paragon Theater 4 ounce popper. I love it, though you MUST remove the popcorn from the popper (and turn it off) immediately when the popping sound dies down else you will burn the popcorn.





I bought it through Overstock.com.

Looks great!! Hadn't seen the Red Cineplex in "real" photos until now.

Yep, just turn off the "Kettle" button as soon as the popcorn slows down popping and leave the "Light" switch on to keep the deck heater on.