Meet the Whirley-Pop™, in case you've never seen one. I picked this up at my local supermarket for $4.99. I mean, for 5 bucks what kitchen gadgeteer wouldn't want to check it out? They sell on Amazon for between $14.99 and around $22, the link above is for the least expensive price I found, if you want to read the customer reviews, which are generally good, look at the more expensively priced unit listed. (Disclaimer: I'm not familiar with any of the sellers, and I get a small cut if you buy one through the Amazon link I posted, but it doesn't affect your price.)
The Pragmatic Chef's Whirley-Pop™ Review
The old timey box, which claims a 25 year warranty. The Whirley-Pop™ comes from Wabash Family Farms, located in Monon, Indiana, and comes with a 40 page booklet that includes lots of recipes and popping tips.
Let's pop the hood on this baby. The Whirley-Pop™ is made of aluminum, so it's lightweight and heats quickly*. It doesn't seem terribly sturdy, but some friends of mine say they've had one for 15 years and they've had great luck with it. It's a baby version of the commercial popcorn makers you see at movie theatres that stir the popcorn as it's cooking to keep it from burning and to help each kernel pop. You have to do the work yourself with the Whirley-Pop™, using the crank at the end of the handle, which is made of wood to prevent it from getting hot. There are steam vents on the top, which is important, because a tight seal keeps the steam in and keeps you from getting light, fluffy popcorn.
I made a small batch to check it out. You want to keep your heat on medium or medium high, because you need to create steam in the kernel to make it pop fully. A lot of people are too timid with the heat, out of fear of burning, and get half-popped, mushy kernels for their trouble.
How did it work out? I can say that every single kernel popped, and the popcorn was tender and tasty. Personally, I'm not a big fan of microwave popcorn anyway, and now that I have the Whirley-Pop™, I'm going to use it often. I used it to make the Parmesan Survival Corn I blogged about a few days ago, and I'm already grating Grana Padano cheese for my next batch, soon. If I didn't have a lunch meeting, I'd be snacking er, clinically evaluating the next test batch right now! Update: Okay, I made the batch anyway, and I'm stuffing my face with it. I'll post the updated recipe on Friday.)
Bottom line? For $4.99, it was a steal, and at $14.99, it's worth having. At $22, you should be a hard core kitchen gadgeteer with lots of cupboard space.
(* Note: One of the reviewers claimed this was a liability because of the Alzheimer's scare concerning aluminum pans, but frankly, if you want to eliminate aluminum from your system, don't eat anything that grows in the ground, because the vegetables you eat contain 10 times more aluminum than anything you might pick up from an aluminum pan, though I do recommend not cooking or storing acidic foods in anything aluminum. I'll post more on this if you're interested...)
These things are awesome. My whole family converted to them a few years back (we were all die-hard "heavy pan" popcorn poppers - no microwave or air-popped crap for us!)
Cool, Carin. I can't believe I'd never heard of them until I saw it in the local grocery store the other day.
wow i think that is same one my grand dad had. well off i go to get one too!
They're pretty cool, Michael. If you make a lot of popcorn, it's definitely worth it.
Dude, if you like THAT, I gotta take you to Dollar General! :)
Which grocery store did you find it in Scott?
It was a Fry's Market, Shelleigh. It might be worth checking the store nearest you.
Dollar General, Julie? Sounds good!