Back to Basics PC17589 Electric Stir-Crazy Popcorn Popper

Reviews of Back to Basics PC17589 Electric Stir-Crazy Popcorn Popper

1.) Smart not crazy
Reviewed by: Bonnie Bryce Hemphill, TX
Rating:

This is the fourth stir crazy corn popper I have owned in about 30 years.They last a very long time. It pops more of the corn because it stirs as it pops. You can use a lot of oil or a very small amount, whichever you like. You can pop a little or a lot. If the stirring mechanisum gets stuck, it reverses and turns the other way. It just works great. The only con I can see is that the base is not immersable, but it is very easy to clean. When the corn has popped you flip it over and the top becomes the bowl.

2.) Microwaved Popcorn, STEP ASIDE!
Reviewed by: Lasercane OHIO United States
Rating:

This Electric Stir Crazy Popcorn Popper is the BEST! When you want a quick snack, don't reach for the microwaved popcorn! Reach for the Stir Crazy instead! You'll be amazed at the difference in taste and in the size of the popcorn, and ohhh, the aroma!!! The stirrer mechanism stirs the popcorn and the oil, producing PERFECT popcorn. When it's done, flip it over and VOILA! instant bowl! Very convenient. I use Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet popping corn and with this Stir Crazy popper, it is just THE BEST. I will add as well, this is the 2nd Stir Crazy we've had in about 25 years. I agree with another reviewer that the only "con" is the inability to immerse the bottom of the popper.........but just a wipe out with a couple paper towels, followed by a damp dish cloth, and you are good to go. You NEED one of these. I kept our neighborhood kids in popcorn for an entire summer with this. IT'S WONDERFUL!

3.) Best Popper By Far
Reviewed by: John J. Ciribassi
Rating:

I can't understand the few reviews that said they could not get the popcorn to pop. I am on my third popper in the last 20 years and it is great. It is fast, the corn pops fully, crunchy, hot and you can use as much oil as you like. What I have found is that it is best to just put a few kernels in and do not add the full batch of kernels until the first few pop. In this way you are putting unpopped corn into sufficiently heated oil. I don't usually use the butter feature and I saw someone thought that the popcorn popped too quickly for the butter to melt (which is true since it does pop fast). To use the butter feature, let the corn pop without the lid, unplug the unit, put the butter on top and put the lid on. The steam from the corn will melt the butter. Is it perfect? No. You do have to monkey with the metal rod a bit and the dome will eventually crack (I also dropped the base breaking off one of the handles). However, if you like popcorn and hat the styrofoam variety that the air poppers make, get a Stir Crazy.

4.) best popcorn ever
Reviewed by: B. D. Baldridge
Rating:

This is a really great popper. Nothing burns and every kernel pops. I took the advice of some other users and did not over tighten the metal arm that stirs as it pops and have had no wear on the non stick surface. I could never use microwave popcorn again. I highly recomend using coconut oil to pop, it gives a better flavor than using the standard store brands. Coconut oil is available at health food stores and now can be found in the big chains. Do not hesitate to buy this popper, your only regret will be waiting so long.

5.) Superb Purchase
Reviewed by: Thomas J. Bohm Hays, Ks USA
Rating:

This product pops corn not any longer than that you do in a microwave, and there are hardly any, if any, kernals that don't pop. I would highly recommend this product to anybody thinking of buying one.

6.) stir-crazy popper
Reviewed by: Murray S. Jaffe Charleston, SC
Rating:

Am quite happy with this Stir-Crazy popcorn popper. It works well with multiple amounts of popcorn and virtually every kernel pops. Cleaning it is easy too. murray jaffe

7.) Great for popcorn lovers
Reviewed by: Mrs. E Awesometown, Texas
Rating:

This popper is great! It quickly pops tasty popcorn and is actually fun for me and my dogs to watch. I am kind of a popcorn fanatic and my husband says I am way more excited about this than the average person, but if you love popcorn like I do then you will love this popper. Its fairly easy to clean (no dishwasher but a wet soapy cloth is good enough), the bowl lid is a great idea, the price on amazon is reasonable and similar to what I saw other places (it was cheaper at walmart.com but I have Amazon prime so with shipping amazon became the better deal) and I have to say after making several bowls full I have not had any unpopped kernals. I would not reccomend this for children without adult help. At the end you have to unplug it and flip it over with pot holders, it isn't heavy but a child could get burned if they tried it alone.

8.) Crazy over this popper.
Reviewed by: Airedales rule Joliet, IL
Rating:

I was debating whether to go for an air popper or an electric. After reading lots of descriptions and reviews I decided on an electric--this electric popper, and have not been disappointed. I have used it at least once a week for a couple months and have not had any problems. I haven't tried to melt butter on the top so I can't say how that works. Seems to me it wouldn't melt very much or very fast. As we like lots of butter I prefer the stove. Another mention is the quantity it says it will pop; not quite sure it will hold the maximum amount of 6 quarts. I had somewhat under that amount and it looked pretty filled up to me. I'm very careful when cleaning it. I take it apart and store all (cord, metal stirrer and knob) in a plastic bag so as not to scratch the nonstick surface. Probably once that gets scratched it will be downhill from there on. The popcorn itself really tastes much better in a unit that uses oil. The only concern for some would be storage.

9.) Makes great popcorn, every time
Reviewed by: A. Lawrence NY, NY USA
Rating:

I have to admit, the first couple of batches got mixed reviews in our home. I was however impressed with the incredibly small amount of unpopped kernels - and this is using a cheap store brand bag of seed.

As soon as we figured out our preferable amount of oil, seasonings and seed we were sold. It took a few trial batches but it was well worth it. Now we can get pull out the popper and have a bowl of hot, fresh popcorn on our laps in no time.

We have fun experimenting with gourmet seeds and coconut, olive, peanut and corn oils. With seasonings like white cheddar, caramel, ranch, barbeque, chocolate, marshmallow, etc the options are endless!

My only issue is the butter well doesn't work so great, but we found its better tasting and less messy to add the topping oil in before you pop.

Also I've no problems with cracking, peeling or any other structural worries. It seems solid, works well and is used at least 3 or 4 times a week in our house. Overall, we love it.

10.) This is the machine you want
Reviewed by: TriniDoctor Miami, FL
Rating:

We love popcorn. We wanted the best popcorn popper available. So first we bought the Cuisinart for a lot of money and it turned out to be a piece of garbage that broke in two days. The Stir-Crazy machine makes perfect popcorn. We've been using every day for months now with no problems at all. I hope it lasts for years. When it eventually breaks I'll order a new one right away...

11.) Stir Crazy PopCorn Popper
Reviewed by: Eva P. Noble Orange Park, Florida
Rating:

I had been looking for an electric popcorn popper for a while. I was tired of the dry, sometimes burned microwaved popcorn. I have a smooth top stove, so using a regular pot was out of the question. After reading all of the reviews for the Stir Crazy Popcorn Popper, I decided to give it a try. The reviews were all straight up! This popcorn popper is all it says it is. It makes perfect popcorn, with no "old maids", and I can pop as much, or as little as I want, with the same results each and every time. I especially like the way it moves the corn kernnels around, so I don't have to shake the popper to keep the kernnels from burning.
This is hands down the best electric popcorn popper I have seen yet. It's fast, easy to use, and easy to clean. Not to mention it's fun to watch the corn popping! (Ok, so I have a boring life) LOL
If you are looking for a good popcorn popper, you should consider this one!

12.) Great Popcorn Maker
Reviewed by: DADDY-O
Rating:

This corn popper not only makes great popcorn, it makes it fun to make popcorn!!

13.) Stir crazy rules!
Reviewed by: toothxpert chicago, il
Rating:

This is my second stir crazy (got my first in college and had many a late night party in my room when the smell of popcorn went wafting down the hall). The new one is a little more rounded, high tech, and clear dome instead of yellow. I use two tablespoons of canola oil (Orville R's oil is good too and slightly buttery), 2/3 cup of store-brand white rice popcorn (cheaper than Orville's and more tender imho). Let the popper heat up for 30 seconds before adding the oil and corn. Leave the coffee lid thing off to let the steam escape to get a drier, more tender pop. Melt the real butter (3 Tbs) separately in a coffee cup in your microwave. When the corn is done popping (2 seconds between pops), add the coffee lid, flip the unit over, watch out for the steam!!, and drizel butter, then salt to taste. I like Morton's popocorn salt (very fine). People who have only had microwave go ga-ga over when they try this.

14.) Works Great
Reviewed by: Movie nut Chandler, AZ
Rating:

We had one of these for about 20 years and it got lost in a move about 5 years ago.
I was really glad to find that it is still available. It works just as good as ever.
Really easy to use. It makes very healthy popcorn with out lots of oil or butter if you want.
Extremely easy clean up. No changes to it in many years because it was made right in the first place.

15.) My Stir Crazy Popper is 25 years old!
Reviewed by: JoJo Palm Beach, FL
Rating:

My Stir Crazy Popper was a shower gift in 1985! It still works! I went online because the plastic dome lid is cracking, and I was hoping to replace it. I am delighted that I can replace the entire popper - and this time in red!! I am a teacher and have used it for making popcorn for my students. Much better tasting than microwave, healthier, and more cost effective! $30 for another 25 years of service is worth it! Enjoy!

16.) Much healthier than Microwave
Reviewed by: Marilyn Cole Missouri
Rating:

This popper is easy to use and has the convenience of the lid converting to a pan. More control over what you are eating, as you choose the oil. I'm extremely happy with this purchase.

17.) Favorite health snack!
Reviewed by: Elaine M. Woody Peoria, AZ
Rating:

My family loves this product. We have popcorn at least three times a week and this product makes that so easy! My 9 year old can get the corn popped with this! Definetly satisfied with this product.

18.) OIL?
Reviewed by: lovetoshop lovetoshop
Rating:

I just got this and LOVE it! My husband was against it (he likes his micro pouches!) and He actually said good job honey!!! One question...whats the best oil to use? something thats maybe a little lower in calories. I used sesame seed and it worked but but i hated to add up all those pesky calories...so any healthy tips?

19.) Still the best popper around
Reviewed by: Midnight Oil Midwest
Rating:

We had one of these when I was a kid. I was recently looking for a better and healthier way to pop popcorn (other than the unhealthy microwave bags, or the unreliable microwave poppers or the air poppers that create tasteless popcorn) and was pleased to find that this is still being made. Upon receiving it, I was disappointed to find that the bowl/cover was much flimsier than the old ones. Also the plastic cover over the butter receptacle did not hold as tightly as one might like. And I was disappointed that the stir rod was bent incorrectly at the factory, allowing one side of it to scrape quite severely on the cooking surface; if left like that the nonstick coating would have scraped off in no time. Luckily, it is made to come off and after fiddling with it for about 15-20 minutes, I was able to get it bent correctly so it just barely clears the cooking surface.

Having said that, it pops great. My first batch did not have a single unpopped kernel! Not all batches come out that great, but it has the best performance I have ever seen in a popper. And I have found some new ways to use my Stir Crazy:

If you want that true movie theater taste (though not terribly healthy), I would recommend the "Real Movie Theater" premeasured pouches from Wabash Valley Farms, especially the less oil, less salt version which actually tastes better and is not greasy like the regular version. Just snip open the pouch, and toss in the premeasured oil, corn and salt/seasoning and let 'er pop--you will get evenly salted and seasoned popcorn that tastes as good as any theater popcorn.

And believe it or not, you can make caramel popcorn (or even candy-coated popcorn) by using "Glaze-Pop"--this is what the theaters use. In three minutes you will have delicious caramel or candy-coated popcorn, I promise! You can find it for $4 a box or less on the web if you shop around. I am including instructions for use here, as the box only has instructions for commercial poppers: put in two tablespoons of oil, then add 2/3 cup of the Glaze Pop flavoring of your choice, then add 1/3 cup of (unpopped) popcorn. Let it pop just as if you were popping regular corn (do not add salt). If you want to pop more corn, adjust ingredient quantities upward accordingly. Cleanup is easy, just carefully wipe off the popper surface with a wad of paper towels before it cools; flavoring easily washes off the domed lid. Coverage will not be as even as if you spent an hour slaving over the stove making the caramel and stirring it into the popcorn, but every kernel will get enough flavoring so there no mistaking that you are eating caramel (or whatever flavor you chose) popcorn. My favorite flavors are the caramel, the chocolate (popcorn tastes like chocolate cereal) and the cinnamon. A note of caution, the food coloring used for red and especially the purple and blue flavors can easily stain whatever they come into contact with, even your fingers!

20.) very good popper!
Reviewed by: the_fram round rock, texas
Rating:

Great popper! Minimal unpopped kernels left over...

Why not 5 star?... The rod that stirs the corn needs some manual adjusting (bending it) to properly flow over the heat element... To high = kernals get smashed under the rod, to low = scrape the heating element. Took 2 min. to ajust... now good!

21.) follow directions.
Reviewed by: dei dc
Rating:

Make sure not to use too much or too little oil (I use cooking spray).

I have had a few batches go in the trash due to too much or too little oil, other than that it's an OK popper. I am thinking about replacing soon.

22.) Good but overpriced
Reviewed by: Knitter Girl Chicago Suburb
Rating:

Product works very well but I was dismayed to see the exact same item at my local Target store for $29 instead of the $49 I paid.

23.) Stir and Scratch like Crazy
Reviewed by: Spyce
Rating:

I haven't owned a popcorn popper in a long time and am still trying to figure out the point of the nonstick surface on the popper base. I've used mine about 6 times since I received it, and the base is already scratched. I thought the metal arm was probably doing it, and it is, along with popcorn that gets wedged beneath it. It's not peeling or anything but there is a fine scratch along the path of the arm and fine scratches all over the base from the friction of the popcorn as it is pushed around the base by the arm. This isn't an inexpensive unit so I expected something that would last awhile. I don't think the nonstick coating will hold up long enough to get years of use out of this popper. In addition, the bowl is really flimsy. At the rate I'm using mine, it might make it a year or so before it's totally scratched up and will have to be replaced.

I thought the idea of placing little pieces of butter over the vent holes was a good idea, and it was one of the reasons I bought this unit, but the popcorn pops so fast, the butter barely has time to melt and a lot of it just pools on top. The directions say to work it through the holes with a pastry brush. So now you have a nicely buttered pastry brush and slightly buttered popcorn. Melting the butter and slowly pouring it through the holes as the popcorn pops works better.

In all fairness, it does a truly stand up job of popping the corn, and it leaves fewer unpopped kernels than microwave popcorn. It pops quickly so you sort of need to stay in the area. There is no need to use gourmet popping corn unless that's your preference. I'm currently using store brand popping corn (.99) and rarely have unpopped corn. The unit is well ventilated and produces a nice batch of hot and crunchy popcorn as long as the black lid is taken off before popping the corn. Otherwise, the steam can't escape and the popcorn won't be crunchy. After the corn is popped, unplug the base, put the lid on the bowl, flip it over and enjoy!

To clean the popper base, I was just wiping it down with a paper towel but noticed sticky spots where the oil was starting to build up so I started using a hot soapy sponge to get the oil up, and then wiping it dry with a towel. The bowl and lid clean up easily with soap, water, and a soft towel or sponge.

So, for popping corn, the Stir Crazy deserves a five, but not for durability and price, which to me are just as important. If the popper was in the $15-$20 price range, I would probably be more forgiving but at $30, and some are priced higher than that, I didn't expect to receive a product that would be scratched within a few uses. So with that in mind, I wouldn't recommend it, and I wouldn't buy it again.

Happy Popping (while it lasts)!

24.) Old is better than New!
Reviewed by: Frank K. David CA, USA
Rating:

We replaced an older version of this with the newest version - the older one still did a good job, but it was starting to make strange noises.
The new version differs in both quality and subtle design features. The quality of the non-stick coating is much lower than it used to be; and the metal stiring bar has degraded in that it tends to bend more readily which allows kernels to slide beneath it. The design features that make the new version appear more rounded have removed the distinct edges that allowed a firm grip in removing and handling the top when dumping out the popped kernels...not good when handling hot items!
If we had known about these changes to the old model when we looked to replace our old popper, we would have looked at other manufactures.

25.) Back to Air Popper
Reviewed by: Morris V. Branson Placerville, CA USA
Rating:

I know a lot of people seem to like this unit but it didn't work for me and I returned it. I tried several ways, pre-heated, from cool less oil, more oil, fresher popcorn... but it never fully popped the corn plus it is a mess to clean up. If you use the built in butter lid it burns before the corn is done. We replaced our old reliable air-popper. Presto 04820 PopLite Hot Air Corn Popper

26.) Needs Power
Reviewed by: T USA
Rating:

I have a 20 year old West bend Stir Crazy and it works great. The plastic bowl, however, is on its last leg, so I wanted a replacement.

I tried TWO of the new (2010) Stir Crazy poppers and found that they lack the power to properly pop corn. The kernels burned and very few popped.

The more expensive Kettle Crazy model gets hot, though still not as hot as my old Stir Crazy. Still, if you let the oil heat a bit first, it makes nice popcorn and will pop all the kernels. I've never used it to roast nuts.

27.) disappointed
Reviewed by: B Cunningham
Rating:

Unfortunately, the popcorn popper worked correctly once, poorly the second time and not at all the third. i was further disappointed in that i was not refunded the shipping expenses. for a product that was faulty, i would expect the shipping to be reimbursed also.

28.) Worst Popcorn Maker Ever
Reviewed by: Susan M. Frasch
Rating:

I used this popcorn maker once - it took forever to pop the corn - perhaps it doesn't get hot enough? I left it on so long trying to get it to pop the corn that the popped corn started burning while leaving much unpopped corn. Thinking it might be the corn, I used another popper and it all popped.

Also, the nonstick coating started coming off with the friction of the corn being dragged by the spinner. Presumably it is in the corn and you eat it - assuming you eat the popcorn (I didn't, as it tasted awful, what with the burnt taste, unpopped kernals throughout, and the corn didn't puff up, but was small when popped).

I returned this popper. I considered just throwing it out, but felt so ripped off. I can't believe anyone would want this.

29.) Did not last long
Reviewed by: Tara L. Lawrence
Rating:

I bought this stir crazy popcorn popper and after about the third use, it got to where it did not want to pop the kernels anymore so i trashed it. It was a big disappointment too, cause i put a rush on it to get here.

Features of Back to Basics PC17589 Electric Stir-Crazy Popcorn Popper

The Electric Stir-Crazy Popper incorporates the retro appeal of Bakelite in a compact, countertop-worthy design with black base. The Popper's lid doubles as a 6-quart (24-cup) popcorn bowl. A dasher in the Popper's heating base helps ensure that all popcorn kernels are popped to perfection

1.) Electric popper quickly produces fresh, hot popcorn in minutes;
2.) Motorized dasher and nonstick coating ensure perfectly popped kernels;
3.) Butter well in lid; clear vented lid doubles as a 6-quart (24-cup) popcorn bowl;
4.) 36-inch removable cord; base nests inside the lid for compact storage;
5.) Measures approximately 12 by 14 by 10 inches; 1-year warranty;

Package Height x Length x Width: 13.6 in. x 13.6 in. x 13.1 in.
Package Weight: 4.75 lbs.