makowals's Full Review: West Bend 82306 Stir Crazy® Popcorn Maker
The Stir Crazy got my attention on display at a local department store. Having no idea how it worked, what it did, or how it did it, I was still intrigued--the shape was different from most other popcorn makers. As with most other gadgets, I just had to have it.
I got my Stir Crazy from my girlfriend for a Christmas gift back in December. I've probably used it weekly since, so roughly 8 or 9 times. The unit makes _great_ tasting popcorn that is more similar to theater or stove-popped popcorn. It even conveniently melts butter on top of the popcorn for you while the popping dome doubles as a popcorn bowl when you're finished popping.
To use, you assemble the unit, put in the oil and popcorn, and plug it in (however, the oil/popcorn ratios would be better off if they were stamped somewhere on the unit itself--rather than being listed in the instruction booklet that comes with the unit--just for ease of reference). The stirring rod spins slowly, the base heats, and in just a few minutes, you have great-tasting popcorn that reminds me of the popcorn we used to pop on the stove when I was little. The plastic dome acts as a butter melter while the popcorn is popping and then doubles as a serving bowl--just pop on the lid--flip the unit over--and your popped popcorn is now in the 'bowl.'
Unfortunately, just after the first use, the stirring rod scratched some of the non-stick coating off of the popping surface. This does not have an effect on the way the unit works and is purely a cosmetic inconvenience. The more I've used the unit, the more it has scratched a circular pattern on the surface, but again--this has had NO effect on the quality of the popcorn the unit pops.
My only gripes are that the Stir Crazy needs to be cooled before you can clean it, it's never 'completely' clean--(you can only wipe the base clean), and there are a lot of parts to keep track of (and possibly lose). You need to keep the instruction booklet handy to figure out how much popcorn and oil to use--depending on the desired serving size, there's also the popping dome/bowl, lid, stirring rod, stirring rod cap, and power cord. Another gripe, health-wise, is that is uses vegetable oil--so is possibly a little less healthy than if you used a hot air corn popper.
All-in-all, though, the popcorn really IS great. While most of my other kitchen appliances/gadgets gather dust in my kitchen closet, I regularly use my Stir Crazy. It's also a fun gadget to watch and use.
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