Customer Reviews

Nordic Ware 60120 Microwaver Popcorn Popper 12 Cup

5 star:		(243)
4 star:		(68)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

I have used this popper many, many times since buying it two months ago. It does an excellent job of making popcorn that is light and fluffy.

But I almost ruined the popper the first time I used it. I set my 1350 watt Panasonic microwave oven to 3 minute, burned the popcorn, leaving scorch marks that I was able to scrub out. I'd advise any user to work their way UP to the proper time for their microwave.

The underside of the bottom of the popping bowl gets hot enough to burn one's fingers. Take it out of the microwave by the edges at the the top and place the popper on a heat-resistant surface.

After having tried all types of poppers, this one is the one our family chooses above them all. It is the easiest, cleanest, most efficient popper we have ever tried. With oil or without, the kernals are light and tasty and all popped! We highly recommend it to those who enjoy pop corn as much and as often as we do.
I must add however, that microwaves differ in temperature and you must experiement with the correct power in order not to burn.

I bought this after returning the Presto Popper. The Presto popper worked a little better, but requires special pads for each batch. The pads cost $0.25 each.
This one works great and doesn't require anything extra except the popcorn, and anything else you want to add.
Plus it is half the cost. I paid $7.99 at Target.

I make popcorn almost every night. I usually use an air popper, because I don't want to add lots of oil (and calories). But some popcorn is too lightweight, and when one kernel pops, a number of unpopped kernels jump out of the popper and into the bowl with it. No good. I looked into all the types of microwave poppers, and liked this one because it was the simplest: no parts to buy separately and add, or to go wrong.

And I'm happy to say that it actually is very simple, and very effective. You do need to figure out how long it takes to pop in your microwave. Just like when making microwave bag popcorn, listen for when the pops become less frequent. And just like microwave bag popcorn, it's a trade-off: if you leave it in longer, you get some burnt bits and they smell bad, but if you take it out earlier, you have unpopped kernels left. The good thing about this popper (compared to the bags) is that you can eat what popped and then put it back in the microwave to finish off the last few that didn't pop the first time.

Once you figure out the timing, it's easy. For example, with my microwave it usually takes 2 minutes 40 seconds, although I listen for the pops in the last five seconds, in case that batch finishes early.

The popper definitely does get hot on the bottom. And it's hot on the sides right after cooking too. Take it out of the microwave carefully, holding just the edges. However, I've found that it cools down enough to put it in my lap after a few minutes, at least if I'm wearing jeans.

I've had this popper for over 6 months and estimate that I've used it about 70 times or so. There is some very slight discoloration on the bottom when I burned the popcorn once, but other than that, it's basically as good as new. (I don't put it in the dishwasher though, so I can't vouch for that.)

Overall, this is a great alternative to microwave popcorn bags, especially for people like me who want to put on their own toppings. It's better than air poppers for lightweight popcorn (like the regular kind I get at the supermarket). But I still use my air popper for my gourmet corn, so I can use a larger bowl that makes it easier to toss on the toppings.

I bought this popper NOT to save money, but to avoid throwing all those microwave popcorn bags into the landfill AND so I could season the popcorn the way I wanted, avoiding all those unnatural, weird ingredients that you might find in WALMART microwave popcorn. I wouldn't even try to make cost comparisons because it's the old apples and oranges thing.

I am going to echo some of the comments that other reviewers made, but because they are complaints, I only give 3 stars. I found that popcorn can burn sometimes if the power is too high, and when it is set lower, the popper itself can still get WAY too hot to handle, and it stays hot for quite a while trying to eat. So this necesitates using an other bowl to eat out of. It seems to take a LOT more power to get all the kernels to pop compared to the Presto PowerPop. I also found that the popper plastic tends to discolor over time and I am concerned about the heat doing things to the plastic that may cause it put out small amounts of toxic chemicals. I have other pieces of plastic micro cookware that don't do this.

Some have commented about the PowerPop's paper cups being too expensive. I started with 2 packages of these things and they have lasted OVER 3 years!! This is because I reuse them and do NOT put oils in there when popping; I add it later. So I like the PowerPop a lot better and use it instead.

Wow, this works so much better than advertised. Just amazing, amazingly simple and great popcorn. It's basically a bowl with a lid, the bowl is made with that special high-temp plastic that can take high heat and doesn't deform. Dump in a half cup of popcorn, stick it in the microwave for 4 minutes and there you go, tasty hot popcorn....with (FIRST POINT) only as much butter or oil as you want, not the thick (but admittedly tasty) coating in the store-bought microwave popcorn. For those watching your cholesterol/weight/fat intake (quite the bummer, I know) this is a life-saver. Get those butter-flavored sprinkle toppings from the store and you have a great treat. SECOND POINT: This is much tastier than the old air-popper type popped corn. I think it's because the steam from the popped corn is contained in the bowl and not immediately driven away by a hot stream of air. Plus this popper isn't so amazingly whiny noisy as the air-popper. FINALLY: This will pay for itself in just a few bowls of popcorn. It's about $17 including shipping from Amazon. We will be getting these as gifts for several of the family.

I have been popping corn on the stove for lack of an air or microwave popper. I bought this popper last night in a store for only $8 and I love it! It popped almost all of the kernels (cheap store brand) and each kernel was perfectly fluffy. I especially love it because I don't have to add oil and if I add salt before popping it is perfectly distributed.

I love this popper. I adore my stir-crazy popper, but it takes longer than throwing this in the microwave. This popcorn is PERFECT in texture, and I have not had any trouble with the bowl being hot at all. It cleans easily in the dishwasher as well. All in all, a wonderful popper.

Decades ago we had one of the original microwave popcorn poppers. When we reluctantly "retired" it after years and years of use, we began a search for a replacement that has taken nearly 15 years. We are extremely pleased with the NordicWare Microwave Popper. It is convenient and results in nicely popped kernels. Only drawback is that the bowl is very hot when first removed fromm the microwave so care must be taken not to get burned. Nevertheless, we are enjoying it.

I have been thru 2 of these popcorn poppers, actually both purchased at Walmart in the past 15 years. I love this item since I love "plain" popcorn without all those wierd added ingredients of the pre-packaged microwave brands. I just add a dab of olive oil. However, both of the NordicWare poppers I have purchased have not held up over time very well, the inside bottom turns dark and the upper outside egdes crack away over time. I generally don't put it in the dish washer. I only use it maybe once a month. But I still recommend it.