Customer Reviews

Fireworks Popcorn Microwave Popping Bowl and Gift Set, Gift Box

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I own a West Bend 82306X Stir Crazy 6-Quart Electric Popcorn Popper. It does a good job but the results are a bit oily (the popcorn and what needs to be cleaned up afterward). I've been using a Presto 114316 04820 PopLite Hot Air Corn Popper which turns out nice batches if you use the "spray with Misto M100S Gourmet Brushed Aluminum Olive Oil Sprayer" method as it comes out.

However, this popper, for me, beats them all. Once you get the timing right, for me it's 2:10, figure out you need to add the oil on top of the unpopped kernels and shake them around a bit, and remember to add the salt before popping, you wind up with perfect popcorn with almost no mess.

The Fireworks popcorn that comes with the bowl does pop smaller than some more commercial brands. However, it tastes great, has a nicer texture, ans was included with the bowl. Besides, I can always use the grocery store brands if I want to.

The one thing that surprised me was how quiet this is. It's not much louder than just the microwave so nobody gets woken up if I'm making some late at night.

One last thought about time to pop. The directions said keep going until you only hear one "pop" every second or two. I did that. It went for almost three minutes. The popcorn was burned... badly burned. My suggestion is to stop your first batch long before it gets to one-pop-per-second and work from there.

UPDATE: After a couple of months we still love this popper. After using up the Fireworks Popcorn that came with the bowl we switched to Pop Secret Jumbo Popping Corn, 30-Ounce Jars (Pack of 6). That, along with a tablespoon of corn oil produces outstanding results.

UPDATE 2: Found what I think is the best popcorn for this popper. Great Northern Popcorn, 4-Ounce Portion Packs (Pack of 24) tastes lots better than anything else I've tried. The only problem is the 4-ounce pack overflows the bowl and my next order, and there will be a next order, will be for the 2.5 oz packs. I realize this is a review for the popping bowl and gift set and I still think it worth mentioning how well this popcorn works in it.)

BTW, I feel that honest, effective reviews can take the place of first-hand experiences that are lacking in online shopping. I've always appreciated the help I've received from other reviewers and work hard to return the favor as best as I can. I hope you found this review helpful and if there was anything you thought was lacking or unclear leave a comment and I'll do what I can to fix it.

This gift box has been a great purchase. To make the popcorn in the microwave you just have to add 1/3 cup of popcorn to the bowl and 1 tablespoon of oil (which is optional). It popped up in about 3 minutes and tasted great. Both flavors of popcorn were great and my entire family enjoyed them.

We received this set as a gift and it was a great surprise! There is absolutely no reason to buy bags of microwave popcorn ever again. Popping up a bowl of popcorn is so easy with the included popping bowl. We usually use 1/3 cup of the kernels, about 1 tbsp of light olive oil, and then seasoning of choice. The included choices of popcorn are also great, very delicious. We've been enjoying a bowl of popcorn almost every night, it's so addictive! We'll definitely be ordering more popcorn when we run out.

I have this same popper and it works great. We had an issue with it when my wife used it. I gave her the instructions on how to use it...amount, time, etc. When she made the popcorn, it would always burn. When I did it, it turned out perfect. We couldn't figure out why. I finally asked her to show me what she was doing. She did everything the same as I did except for one thing. When she put it in the microwave, she just slipped it in and she started it up. Before the set time expired, the popcorn was burning. If we turned off the microwave too early, there were too many kernels left unpopped. The one difference was the alignment. For whatever reason, I made sure the bowl was always centered on the turntable. It was almost a perfect spin. Hers was off centered and "wobbled" as it spun. I made a batch and cooked it off center, and sure enough, it started burning. My wife then tried a batch, centered the bowl and voila! Only two kernels left unpopped and not single one burnt. So if you're have issues with it burning or too many kernels left unpopped, try centering the bowl in the center of your microwave. It seems to make a difference.

I was unsure of how this product would work out for me, but it turned out to be great, & I have used it more than I thought I would. Great idea.

It is nice to not hassle with the "concentrators" that the Presto microzapper popcorn popper requires. Although I have quite a stock of the concentrators on hand, I opted to buy this, when I couldn't find my two Prestos in storage (isn't that the way of things?)

I have used this exclusively with the Fireworks popcorn. I won't say that it pops any better than the Presto, but it isn't any worse either. The bowl seems bigger however (it's been a while since I used my Presto). After about a month of constant use, I have noticed little indentations on the inside of the lid, almost like it melted in spots (from hot popcorn hitting it?) It hasn't affected performance, but after a year of use, who knows? The strange thing is that I received this item from Amazon with one of the little indentations already on it. I get the feeling Amazon has sold me a used item---AGAIN!

The additional popcorn/seasonings was a plus---especially the Fireworks salt, as I can't find it as a stand-alone product anywhere.

The popcorn bowl meets expectations, and does it well. No oil needed! The bowl does get hot, and exceeding the recommended 1/3 to 1/2 cup does overflow a bit, but it's great to use instead of paper bags or pre-packaged microwave popcorn. The bowl cover is vented for steam.

The included popcorn salt and butter flavors are good, sprinkled on their own or with a touch of melted butter or spritz of olive oil (or in my case, whatever blend of spices I'm in the mood for :-)

Unfortunately, the included popcorn doesn't produce the same size kernel/volume when compared to regular grocery store or bulk bin popcorn. The dark kernel popcorn does have a subtly different taste; enjoyable, but I doubt I'd buy again.

Overall, a great Goldbox purchase just for the reusable, easy to clean bowl.

UPDATE 3/29/11 - Very Disappointed! The bottle of Wisconsin popcorn went flat halfway though. Tried to microwave as usual, and two minutes in not a pop to be had - 6 kernels in a 1/2 cup. I used the bowl w/a bulk food batch of popcorn just to be sure it wasn't the microwave. One star gone, but the bowl's holding up.

I wanted to try air popped popcorn but really didn't want another one use appliance in the kitchen. This set had everything needed to try it out. The bowl is a nordicware, just in a mottled grey color vs. the white sold by itself. After a few trial runs with the timing, we're down to two unpopped kernels in bowl. I think the salt and butter flavoring are better sprinkled on after popping (at least if you're not using oil) vs. beforehand. They just cake in the bowl and very little transfers to the popcorn.

We eat popcorn almost every night. I typically would do it in a pan with oil. However, we were looking for a more healthy alternative. I looked into air poppers and microwave bowls. I'm so happy I got this. We tried it the night the shipment arrived. My husband said, "This is he best popcorn I ever had!" Guess that answers the question!

This set is great. The popper makes excellent popcorn in minutes. The popcorn and toppings that come with it are also great products.