Customer Reviews

Cuisinart CPM-900BK EasyPop Popcorn Maker, Black

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(88)

 

 

Well, I surely gave it a fair try: popped 3 batches of various sizes, closely following all directions, using fresh popping corn from two separate packages. Results:

* Noticeable cooked plastic odor and taste in the popped corn - yuck.
(... when I returned it to my local retailer, the clerk told me he had noticed the same problem in their sample...)

* You like your popcorn fluffly and light? All three batches were denser and heavier than standard popped corn.

* Far too many uncooked kernels.

* Poor build quality: the base had a loose part rattling inside that sounded like a broken piece.

* Seating the hotplate into the base takes some getting used to. At first I thought I had it seated properly and the rotor moved, but the plate refused to heat, requiring that I reseat it repeatedly and very precisely to get the cooking element to connect properly.

It's a shame. I had high hopes for this product (I trust and respect the Cuisinart name - I have one of their food processors). I liked that it had an anodized heating surface - believing that should make it very durable. Results were terrible though.

I gave this unit 1 star because in the course of a few of months I've had two now that have broken. Here's how it works when it breaks: you call customer support, they give you attitude, grill you as if you've done something wrong, they charge you $10 to ship the replacement unit and then you have to ship the broken unit back - so ~$20 to get a replacement for something under warranty. What breaks? There are 3 main pieces to the unit: the plug-in base, the heating element, and the bowl. The heating element detaches from the base, a very nice feature, but after about a month on the first unit the handles and clip that attach to the base broke. After another couple of months on the replacement the heating element stopped heating.

From a looks and *appearance* of built quality I'd give this unit 5 stars. But I think even with the vents in the top it still retains a little too much moisture. I think this keeps the popcorn from being as light as it could be. This is what I mean by good, but not great popcorn.

I've tried a lot of poppers over the years and I've learned that good popcorn matters a lot. My favorites are from [...] and Paloma De Colores (sometimes amazon sell this). Also, I've made my best popcorn with a whirly pop and just a pot on the stove. Problem with the whirly pop is they're a pain to clean and gets "icky" after a while, problem with the pot is that it's "interactive" (you have to shake it).

It's a nice looking appliance, the 3-piece design is a good idea, you can legitimately put what needs to be cleaned in the dishwasher. But you can easily double the cost of the unit in paying for shipping of replacements and you'll have to deal with very poor customer support. I'm now searching again...

Does a very nice job of making popcorn as long as you follow the directions and have quick reflexes. When the popping stops, don't hesitate.

But ... after half a dozen batches, the machine quit working. Apparently the heating element wore out. The person at the 1-800 number confirmed that seemed to happen a lot. In other words, Cuisinart appears to know that the thing is a piece of junk. They say they're going to send us another one -- as soon as we decide whether to pay the postage for it.

This newer model is vastly improved over the previous one which we had to replace three times on the warranty. HOWEVER, there is a part on it inside that breaks VERY easily if you don't install the plate on the base VERY carefully. The first one broke and was replaced. I only used the second one 3 or 4 times before it broke in exactly the same way.

Their warranty service is very disatisfactory. We have had to pay for each replacement at $10 a pop plus the return shipping of the defective units.

All in all, we have paid an amount equivalent to at least two units and cannot get a replacement without paying more. :-(

I LOVE the popcorn this popper makes. It is a GREAT idea! Just wish the quality were better and that the company did not make you pay to get replacements.

I have been extremely satisfied with this popcorn popper. It makes some of the best popcorn I have ever made at home. I would urge anyone complaining about chewy or rubbery popcorn to READ THE DIRECTIONS. There is a red lid on the bucket to use after popping, but you must take this off during popping to let steam out.
And as long as you follow the user guide, you should not have any trouble with melting parts, as it is mentioned that you should let the maker cool for just a few minutes between pops.
I have had this popper for about 4 months, with plenty of use, and so far I have not had any problems with the popper breaking in any way what so ever.

In short, use good quality kernels (I prefer Fireworks brand), read the directions, and enjoy!

Well, this is the 3rd Cuisinart popcorn popper that I've tried, and while I have been satisfied with the popcorn, these machines have a very short lifespan in my house (this latest one lasted under 3 months!)! I just returned my third popper to Kohl's, and it was the more expensive version with the air vents. One of the "pinch handles" seemed to disintegrate from the heat, and then so did the plastic knob that connects the stirrer!! I flipped a batch of popcorn into a bowl, and the stirrer when with the corn!! Oh, well, guess I will be going with another brand . . .

I first purchased the Cuisinart Popcorn Maker about a year ago, and we really liked it for popping one or two bowls, but when we started having "movie night" with our four grandchildren, it would overheat before we could make enough to go around. Then about a month ago, we were trying to make popcorn when the heating unit burned out. I thought this was a fluke, so I ordered a second one. This time we couldn't even get the machine to heat up enough to pop one bowl. This popper cost way too much to be so difficult and unreliable. I do not recommend it.

I bought this for the family, and I was very excited about using it as it's a novel way to make popcorn, and we love the stuff. The second time I used it, however, I burned the hell out of my wrist. This product has a terrible design flaw: when you up-end the base after popping, you expose the heating element. Unless you are very careful when lifting the relatively heavy (and unbalanced) base and bucket, you will burn yourself badly.

Secondly, the plastic lid on the base of the bucket (the top of the popper) sits loosely. You might need a third hand to hold it on as you turn the tub over, or you could spill a trace of hot oil on your counter or yourself.

Thirdly, the small plastic pieces that are designed to protect the heating plugs in the base snap off easily. This bit of plastic broke within 3 uses in the first popper we bought. The piece wedged in a way that the heating element could not be plugged in any longer. We returned it for a second unit, and after a month the same bit of plastic broke again. At this point I threw it in the trash, mostly to make a point to myself (of course, I really should have gotten my money back).

This product is fundamentally flawed in so many ways. Please, please, please do yourself a favor and avoid it.

I read the bad reviews, but we wanted the best popcorn popper available. We love our food processor, our toaster, and our coffee maker - so we went with the lure of the Cuisinart brand name, which usually means top quality. But not in this case. Too bad. The EasyPop worked great for 3 days, then the plate wouldn't heat anymore and there are broken pieces bouncing around inside the base - just like the other reviews warned me about. (Doh!) Now we'll call the 800 number and hope for the best. A waste of time and money.

I got this popcorn popper as a gift for my wife, who regularly fixes popcorn as a snack. This product looks great in the store -- solidly built, with a steel base, a heating surface that separates from the base and that is dishwasher safe, a cover that becomes a popcorn bowl, and an auto shutoff feature to prevent burning. And its made by Cuisinart! What's more, it makes great popcorn... for as long as it lasts -- which in our case was two days.

The heating surface and the base are poorly designed, so that it is not easy to get them to mate together. The prongs on the heating surface have to be placed in slots in the base that you cannot see when trying to fit the two pieces together. In addition, the red cap you place over the steam vents on the cover/bowl before turning it over doesn't fit well and has to be forced into place -- so you place the heating surface on the base imperfectly, mash down the red lid onto the cover to get it to fit, and voila! You've broken the prongs on the heating surface and snapped off a piece inside one of the slots in the base.

It's a shame, because I have the feeling looking at this thing that with a little more thought and a little different design it could have been a terrific product. As it is, it's an enormous waste of money. Do yourself a favor and buy either a Stir Crazy or a Whirley-Pop -- we've now got both, and either one works better than this design disaster.