Side by Side Comparison of: Nordic Ware vs Great Northern

This is another classic idea from Nordic Ware. Using plain popcorn kernals of your own choosing, make hot and fluffy popcorn in about 3 minutes in your microwave (depending on the wattage of your machine).

No pouches that emit thick smells of what we have come to expect popcorn to smell like. Easier to monitor for doneness, and to stop the microwave before the popcorn burns. Choose your vavorite variety of popcorn and toppings you like.

The bowl wipes out quickly and is lightweight. The lid will rise with the popping corn, and allows the steam to release for crispy snacking.

This is a replacement for one I had for more than 30 years. My then 3 yr old nephew wouldn't believe it was real popcorn as I poured the kernals into the bowl because it wasn't in a tri-fold packet.

A great value for an all American treat.

I was over at a friend's house one night when she pulled out this popcorn bowl and changed my life. I never make popcorn at home because I dislike the oiliness of microwave popcorn. This is an AIRPOP microwave popcorn bowl. Wow, mind blown! We don't need our airpop machine anymore! I bought one that night. We have used it several times since then and I'm in love. It's so easy!

I absolutely love this popcorn popper. And I eat a lot of popcorn and have used many different poppers including the Whirly Popper, Presto Air Popper, the Stir Crazy and now the Nordic Ware Microwave Popcorn Popper.

One of my favorite ways to make a more decadent snack is to use 1 Tbsp. of Snappy's Colored Coconut Oil, 1/3 cup of Snappy White Popcorn and 1/2 tsp of Flavocol popcorn salt and it is fantastic but there are many different ways to make great popcorn in this popper.

Another great thing about this popper is that it is so easy to clean.

Much too hot when it comes out of Microwave to be used as a serving bowl though.

I was reminded by a friend just how bad microwave, bagged popcorn was. I heard those claims before but with the frequency that I eat the bagged stuff, I knew I wasn't making a healthy choice and needed to change. My air popper is messy because the kernels fly everywhere plus, I have to stand there with Tupperware bowl in hand waiting on the production. Because I didn't need another cup, plate, or bowl filling my cabinets, I decided to try my glass Pyrex bowl first. It was very hot after the cooking cycle. I used oven mitts to carry it into the living room. I cold feel the heat even through the thick mitts. The Pyrex bowl held the heat in the glass longer than I thought. It took me 3/4 of the way through eating my popcorn before it cooled to the touch. I did this about 4-5 times but knew I'd eventually drop the bowl in transport due to either the heat or no edges to carry it so I ordered the Nordic. I was considering the rubber fold-away model I saw here on Amazon but the price was about three times more expensive. I got my Nordic popper today (4 days after ordering it) and used it immediately. It does what it says. It comes out hotter than I thought but grabbing the edges eliminate any difficulties. This bowl isn't anywhere near Pyrex hot but it was hot where the popcorn cooked. Even if you touch in this area, it's not like you'll have to either set it down quickly or drop it out right to save a burn. This area cools quickly. The lid has an easy to grab top that didn't retain any heat. Grabbing by the nice, wide edges at the top will allow ease for taking it out of the microwave and transporting it where ever you want with no oven mitts or hot plate. I'm glad I bought it. It's exactly what I was looking for and under $10.

I don't usually write reviews, but this is awesome! We are a family that LOVES popcorn. With 4 kids we would eat at least a bag or two at one sitting. It was getting expensive and not really healthy. I make popcorn on the stove top. I sometimes get distracted and it burns. It also doesn't cook well if you use electric. I really like this popper. It is amazing. It works just like it says. Put the kernels in and let it pop. You do have to figure out how long to cook in your own microwave. Not a biggie. I just put it in the for the 5 min mark and waited on the popping to stop. Now I just put it in for the right amount of time. I would recommend this product to anyone who likes popcorn.

I wanted to make my own herb spiced popcorn and decided to get back to popping my own popcorn. After reading most microwave popcorn bags in the store you are horrified at the fat and salt content. I've also become addicted to some local commercial products such as Little Lads Herbal Corn that I wanted to see if I could make my own. Years ago I had a microwave popper but it required oil and created a real mess.

This popper works so simply and pops over 85% of the corn every time. Other reviews mention the popper getting hot but this would be expected with the steam produced by the corn when it explodes. You will need to use pot holder when you take it from the microwave. My popcorn sensor works pretty well on the microwave but you still need to carefully monitor when the corn stops. Typically 3 minutes will pop your corn and be sure to measure exactly 1/3 cup of corn. I just then wipe out the popper with a paper towel since there is minimal mess. You will never buy commercial microwave popcorn again! Like air popped corn if you want seasoning to stick you need to add some sort of oil after cooking and before spicing. I like to use spray olive oil to make a light coat then toss the corn in a bag with spices. My only suggestion to the manufacturer is that they make the lid a little more elegant. It really just rests on top of the popper and at first you aren't sure it is the correct place, not a big deal but would be more ideal if it clicked into position.

I haven't cracked Little Lad's Recipe yet but based on others efforts I've come up with this combination that works pretty well:

nutritional yeast - 1/4 cup
dry dill - 2 teaspoonfuls
salt - 1/2 tsp
onion powder - 1/2 tsp
garlic powder - 1/2 tsp

This was a birthday present. I did a ton of research before finding the right popcorn machine to buy and this one was over all the best. And When it arrived it was easy to assemble. We've been using it EVERY NIGHT. weve had it for a good....3 weeks now. Yes. we love popcorn. and it tastes amazing. better than some movie popcorn, but at the least just as good. ( we get the great northern popcorn popcorn packs that comes with butter and seasoning)We clean it once a week. .. since we use it so often. and its easy. to clean. sturdy. especially for the price. BUY IT you wont regret it. he said it was the best birthday gift hes ever gotten.

My family has an obsession with popcorn and this machine had made popping popcorn fun and easy. It's very simple to put together. Even easier to use. There is hardly any clean up and it makes popcorn really fast. Definitely a great product.

Just popped 6 batches. Fun! 2 for lunch snacks for tomorrow @ work. My recipe is 1 tablespoon of coconut oil with butter; 3/8 teaspoon of Flavacol and the 1/3 cup of popcorn. Of course the saltiness will vary per the amount of corn that is included. OLD MAIDS have little to do with this machine. It does a good job. OLD MAIDS have to do with the freshness of your corn. The ideal moisture content of popcorn is 12% but of course, over time, that will come down and the number of old maids will increase. Personally I like the half popped kernals as I find them to be more flavorful and crunchier. I am looking forward to experimenting with other flavors.The first machine did arrive with a cracked back wall but Amazon was GREAT about immediately shipping the replacement. I just need to return the first machine soon. And the price was the best around! It is certainly a lot easier than shaking that old cast iron skillet all over the stove! LOVE IT!

Out of the box easy assembly. A quick wipe down and some review instructions on best options and this is what I found. I purchased Snappy coconut oil, Flavacol seasoning and Orville Redenbacher's white popping corn. I measured 3 tbsp of coconut oil and 1 tsp of the seasoning salt and melted in microwave. Only melted not heated. Next, I turned on both heating elements for 2 1/2 mins added the oil (only 1 measure from the provided scoop) for another minute then added one scoop of corn using the measuring cup that came with the machine. The corn popped out of the tub just like at the movie theatre. The popcorn was amazing. I purposely did this set up to make two batches back to back. I need enough for myself after all. I have the grandkids coming this weekend and thought they would enjoy this. I had to try it so I would look like I knew what I was doing. My husband and brother in law loved it. The kitchen smells like a movie theater. Oh, I almost forgot, the machine comes with popcorn type movie bags. I invested in a shaker to put the flavored salt in. Well worth the investment. This would make a great gift!

Received the popcorn corn machine in great condition , plugged it in , waited three minutes, poured in the "stuff" and had awesome popcorn in a few minutes. Popcorn was perfect. I used canola oil, regular Jiffy popcorn, and added some Flavacol to the oil. I can't wait to try different things like coconut oil and better popcorn. This machine is really nice. Disappointed that Amazon lowered the price for Prime Day but that happens I guess. Made enough to feed three guys in less than fifteen minutes, you have to keep making the batches, but that's not a big deal as I can drink more beer that way. Did I mention this is an awesome machine?

Once we started hearing how bad microwave popcorn can be for you we decided to switch. We had tried an air popper but I did not like it. My husband wanted one similar to one at the movie theaters but space is somewhat of a challenge in our kitchen. I found the Pop Pup, read the reviews and decided that we should try it. I am happy to say that we are not in the least disappointed. First and foremost it produces excellent popcorn. I purchased Snappy Popcorn Supplies, Colored Coconut Oil, Gold Medal Prod. 2045 Flavacol Seasoning Popcorn Salt and Arrowhead Mills Organic Whole Yellow Popcorn, turned the Pop Pup into our very own popcorn marvel. My husband would like to add butter but I think that it is fantastic just the way it is. Add to this that the machine is easy to use AND easy to clean and you just can't go wrong.Some of the reviews mentioned the amount of popcorn that the Pop Pup can produce at once is small or not enough. For us, it is the perfect amount. There are usually two or three of us sharing, two adults and one teenager and there has only been one time that we popped a second batch. If you want to pop a large amount at one time then you probably want a bigger machine but for basic snacking of 1-3 people it is perfect and frankly it would be very easy to pop a second or third batch after your first.One of the things that I personally like about this popper is that it is fun, so much so that I look forward to using it. Anything that gives me the motivation to make and have a healthy snack rather than opening up a bag of chips gets five stars in my book..Anything that will motivate that members of my family to do the same deserves far more.You can get the Pop Pup and all you need to make terrific popcorn for under $60. What are you waiting for?

This pops a great kernel. If you're looking for a product that you can get a fresh fluffy bowl of plain popcorn this is the popper for you! The bowl is very hot when you take it out of the microwave so be careful and use a hot pan holder. It cools down pretty fast though so you can use it for your bowl. I've been a popcorn freak since I've been old enough to remember, I'm almost 60 now so I've tried a few! Lol. I like butter and salt so this wasn't for me but that's personal choice of what you're looking for. (Its a great new collection to my good bowls with lids) I gave it a 4 because it's a good popper! It's just not for me. 😊Happy shopping

Does what it was meant to do. I put a little oil and salt in before nuking and tastes great. Can't beat the price - a simple storage container costs as much or more. Bowl is thick/heavily constructed but top/lid seems a little flimsy and design is a little cheesy. Have used it a couple dozen times and still looks the same - but have not put in dishwasher yet... - afraid to.Bowl does get very hot so be careful.

I got this on prime day and have been wanting to make my own popcorn for a while. The first time I made popcorn, it tasted a bit stale and burnt so I knew I needed to try a couple different methods. The best bet for me is just pressing the popcorn setting on my microwave and letting my microwave do all the work. After about 10 batches, I actually cracked the bowl because I dropped it (due to massive amounts of steam bellowing out). It was user error but I've dropped plastic bowls before without it cracking. It must have to do with the temperature right out of the microwave that it unfortunately could not withstand. It's a small crack and I can still use the bowl but I wonder if it will spread after a couple more uses. The bottom of the bowl actually has some popcorn stains on it now but that's better than the buttery mess left by the disposable popcorn bags.

The idea is fantastic, the bowl works great, even my 10yo can do it by himself.... the reason I am giving it a 3 is because even after washing and using it a few times, the popcorn has a really gross plastic taste to it. I popped the corn on the stove in a pot and the popcorn was perfect, so it's not the corn. Also the lids warps in the dishwasher, I recommend hand washing. I'm going to write to the manufacturer. Sorely disappointed.Edited to add: I contacted the company and after filling out the warranty info and sending in pictures of the bowl, they replaced it with a new one that DOES NOT make the popcorn taste like plastic (same popcorn was used). Changed it to 4 stars because it's better, but not 5 because of the quality assurance issue.

This is one of those gems that is relatively inexpensive and performs well...I want to thank the reviewer who mentioned this item in a review of an air popcorn popper.I was originally looking for an air popper, but opted for this instead...I am glad I did. This microwave popper can make popcorn quickly, with or without oil, and without much mess. The popcorn does not have the dried out taste of air popped popcorn even when little or no oil is used and the bowl and cover are easy to wash.The maker recommends 1/2 cup of corn for 12 cups of popcorn, but I have found that 3/8 cup is better...less waste.UPDATE: I have enjoyed this popper; however, there is one flaw and that is with the lid. After using it for several years, the lid warped (due to high temps?) and this led to popcorn escaping from the bowl during the popping process. The lid moves to the side which allows the popping kernels to jump out creating a mess in the microwave. The solution is probably to use a lot less popcorn than recommended by the manufacturer, although the lid does move as the turntable in the microwave moves.

Last week after finally putting my foot down on that awful chemical smell pre-packaged microwave popcorn produces and most companies do not allow you to pop that stuff at work anymore...I couldn't take it. I luv luv luv popcorn, especially growing up in the 70's using Jiffy Pop! but no more of the smells can I take! I searched youtube for some ideas and many people use this microwave popper.It's great because it's a heavier bowl that does not contain those harmful chemicals that cheaper plastic bowls have. The plastic cover is thin flimsy and not well made, there are slits along the side, and I guess that is how the steam escapes. My cover was actually chipped here and there because of shipping. I was disappointed, but it wasn't enough to complain about. The photo is a little deceiving and hard to tell this fact. The bowl is really only worth about $8. so if you see it around that price in the discount stores pick it up there.So, I popped up my first personal batch right before this review to give you my expert opinion...Now for some reason I have an entire jar of coconut oil that I had around the house . I must have saw them use it on a cooking show, then never got around to trying it out. I just was afraid of a coconut flavor in everything (it does NOT do this actually). I even bought the Flav-o-cal salt to use (but don't,I'm tossing mine it's not worth the health risk, just use sea salt) You just take one or 2 spoons of oil, 2 spoons of corn and a 1/2 spoon of Flav-o-Cal, put the lid on, and pop about 2.5 min max. It smelled good while popping, and no awful chemicals. I love hot popcorn so much that I don't even take the time to dump it into another bowl, I just start eating! But I recommend dumping into another bowl so that the seasonings that settle at the bottom can be flipped to the top. Also the plastic top got really messy but cleaned completely. My popcorn using the coconut oil was de-lish. Oh! this popper does not need ANY oil actually but I choose to use. I also store my popcorn in the freezer, it's an old habit from the early 80's...does anyone remember when Pillsbury made some of the first microwave popcorn? but it was to be kept in the freezer?? so i never got out of that habit. It does come out fluffier, never tough.In conclusion, using coconut oil (I even heard peanut oil is good, but I'm allergic) was great! It produced a liquid coating that seemed to disappear it was so lite. I will go ahead and scratch the Flavacol and use real butter & sea salt. Can't wait to cook up some more. This is a really good buy because it's a heavy solid bowl.I would not order at the price I paid, so if you see it in store cheaper pick one up.Keep in mind the plastic lid is not good quality. I did not give it 5 stars for this reason.I also worried the bowl would stain since it's white but it doesn't at all.

I bought one for an office event to supplement an older Warring 2.5oz popcorn machine. It worked pretty well, but I have a few notes. 1: setting the kettle in the frame required some pushing and forcing into place. 2: the cable is a little too long and kinda in the way, I wish the plug was placed further in the back. 3: the lid of the kettle does not stay open to pour the ingredients in. This can be a quite a problem if you use the pre-packaged oil that has to be squeezed in the kettle and risk either burning your hands or squeezing oil around the kettle which can cause a mess. Other than this it worked well in continuous use for 3 hours in parallel with my older Warring popcorn maker. The Warring actually had to take a couple of breaks to be cleaned up, but we had no issue with the Great Northern. Overall, I'm satisfied with this purchase.

We use this every week at work for popcorn Wednesday! For about 20 people I pop about 5-8 batches throughout the day!! Works GREAT!!! Definitely worth the money. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because the piece of plastic on the backside was cracked but I didn't have time to send it back and it doesn't affect the way it works.

Got this for my boyfriend for Valentine's Day. He loved it and it works great! The only caveat is that the popcorn can get stuck in the machine easily instead of coming out of the top even when you put the proper amount in. Also a little difficult to clean. You can also take popcorn out of the microwaveable bags and put it in there in a pinch, but it will get messy. Overall, a good product and would recommend. Great Northern Popcorn Machine Pop Pup 2-1/2oz Retro Style Popcorn Popper

This machine is so much fun to use. My wife and family enjoy using it. The only draw back is the amount of popcorn it puts out. It's not a big problem because we just love using it. It would however be nice if it produced more at one time. Other than that, we are very pleased with this machine. I would recommend it to anyone.

It's a really cool machine. For 35.00 it's amazing amount of fun. However, it's a bit much to keep clean. I am committed to it. If your not into keeping your tools clean, don't buy it. Get the cheap air popper. But if you want some bells and whistles for the kids, this is it. Once I figured out how to get the popper out, it was easy. Needs to be cleaned after each use. I would get the bigger machine if Ibhad it to do over. Love popcorn. Need more.

Just got my unit, tried the organic Great Northern yellow pop corn first, had way too many kernels flying out not popped on the first time, tried it again the machine was hotter and less un-popped kernels. I then tried the cheap Best Value yellow and had few un-popped kernels flying out. I like it and will use it often. I takes about 3 poppers for my house hold but doesn't take long to cook them. Working on an easier way to clean it. I am thinking about a small string hand held dish mop to wipe it out with in between uses. I tried the coconut oil 1 TB spoon and it worked great. I melt it in the microwave first. I plan on making my own oil/corn pouches to make it easier and more convenient.

well I got mine.. washed it and popped my first batch... it burned ..( stood right there and listened for it to stop popping) had to throw it out... so decided to try again... the second time there was a bunch right in the middle that was stuck together and was burned.. some of the rest was brown looking.... I took out the burned pieces and ate the rest.. I used 1/3 cup which is what the directions say to use.. I think next time I will try 1/4 cup instead... I did not use any oils. I got this popper to make healthier popcorn (without the oil)... I have been making really good popcorn on the stove but thought this would be better.. as of right now the stove popcorn is lighter and pops bigger.. I will try this popper again in hopes that I can get good popcorn from it.. will update later UPDATE: well this was a waste of money... I am now back to popping my popcorn on the stove..

I have tested several setting for this item. Still trying to figure it out. There is a slight discoloration happening in the bowl. I have found either I get burned popcorn or about a 1/2 a tablespoon of un-popped kernels. It is pretty big and remains hot for awhile after popping. I have to keep a potholder underneath it while eating. It is preferable than the packaged salted microwaveable popcorn bags.

This works ok...I've used it twice, but each time wound up with quite a few un-popped kernels remaining. I'll keep working on the timing, and it may be the brand of popcorn that I used, but it certainly is more healthy than packaged microwave popcorn and is easier than popping it on the stove.

PROS: * Fast * Neat * Not much to clean up afterwards * Makes pretty okay popcorn * Science is rad.CONS: * Popcorn not as good as stovetop.I only make popcorn on the stove. Microwave popcorn bags just cannot compare. But it's kind of messy and results in a great big pot covered in coconut oil. So I thought I'd try this thing.Here's the problem as I understand it. The fluffiest volume of popcorn is obtained through HOT oil. The kernels don't go into hot oil with this. They go in cold oil and the whole thing heats up simultaneously. This may not be a big deal if you are not overly picky about your popcorn. I am, though, and I think the quality of the popcorn suffers when made with this method. It's denser, the hulls aren't as softened, and it's just not as good.But I am serious about my popcorn. Probably if you're looking for a fresher and tastier version of a bag popcorn, this will do you great. As for me, I'm back to stovetop.BONUS stovepop method recipe:Heat oil (coconut is best) over medium heat in a covered pot with three popcorn kernels.When the kernels pop, take pot off the heat. Add half a cup to three-fourths cup of kernels.Replace lid. Count to thirty, giving the pot a shake or two to coat all the kernels.You should hear sizzling by the end of the count. Return the pot to the heat.It will start popping about twenty seconds thereafter. Listen for when the amount of pops slows to two or three seconds passing between pops, then take it off. Let it rest for thirty seconds or so to make sure no surprise pops happen. Flavor as desired.Done, and so so good.

I’m actually very happy with my purchase of the Nordic Ware popcorn popper....but not as a popcorn popper. As a popcorn popper, I would rate this product asa 1 or possibly a 2 at the most. As a microwave cooker and heater I would rate ita 5. It is well made, a good size and very versatile. In fact, it would even make apretty nice fruit or salad bowl. If I baked, I could use it as a mixing bowl as well.It is BPL free, which adds to its allure.In the short time that I have owned this bowl, I have tried popping popcorn inmany different ways, at different heat levels and at different cooking times. Theend result is not at all nearly as good as a regular hot air popper...not even close.A hot air popper (I use the Presto PopLite popper, which I have owned for severalyears and used hundreds of times) the results are consistently excellent and trulymovie-house fluffy. A large bowlful is popped in less than two minutes (yes, fasterthan microwave) True that a hot air popper will cost you twice the price of themicrowave popper but, believe me, there is absolutely no comparison. I wouldimagine that any brand would probably do a good job.I have to believe that most of the very favorable reviews on this microwave popper were made by people who have not tried a hot air popper. There is a logical reason why the hot air popper is superior. With a hot air popper, all of the kernels are popped in about 10 or 15 seconds from the time the popping begins and the popping only begins near the very end of the cooking time. Therefore, unlike the microwave product, none of the popcorn is burned, simply because they all pop at virtually the same time. The result is perfection.On the other hand, this Nordic ware product is everything you would want to cook yourveggies, even including rice, in your microwave. I have cooked both vegetables and ricein this bowl and the results have been great. I would highly recommend it for this purposeand it is well worth the price.

After reading so many positive reviews, I was disappointed when I finally tried the product myself. To be fair, it works, which is why I've given it three stars. But a lot of kernels are always left unpopped, enough that it seems wasteful. I tried using a different brand of popcorn, but that didn't improve the results. I also tried adding some oil. That didn't increase the number of kernels popped either, but it did leave a sticky film of cooked-on oil that was extremely hard to remove. Also, the bowl always gets very hot during popping, and you can't make another batch of popcorn until it cools down, which takes a while.Before buying this product, I popped corn in a regular microwave-safe bowl and used a plate as a cover. That worked just as well, though I used to worry that the bowl or plate would break from the heat. So, the only benefits I can see for this particular product are that it comes with a proper cover and that it seems less likely to shatter.

Purchased a while back, Worked good for a while. Terrible to clean! I no longer use it as it takes forever to heat now.

Works great but the windows by the dumoer n door window crack instantly. For 2.50 went ace had new plexi glass made

Ive had this popcorn machine for a couple of months and until now it held up pretty well. For the price, its a good value. It is a bit on the small side but it makes enough for one person. The plastic on the side where the handle is now has a large crack in it (most likely from heat stress and the handle mechanism). I cant imagine it will be long before it becomes non-usable. The buttons on the from are also starting to come out of their socket...I don't know what could be causing that as it has sat on my counter ever since I got it.

This is the 2nd machine I received as the first one arrived damaged. This popcorn machine feels a little thin on the plastic side. I have just used this this evening for the first time, and works quite well and first. Just 1 teaspoon of oil and 1/3 cup of popcorn will take less than 10 minutes. It works well for the 1st time. I am rating this machine 3 Stars because I wish the plastic was thicker and it should accommodate a little more than 1/3 cup at one time. The price was good when I purchased it because there were a sale going on at that time, but it was typically higher than what I have purchased.

I love popcorn, and this popper is fun and whimsical. The popcorn tastes good, and the popper is easy to use. So, why only 3 stars? Well, it makes tiny batches. The popper can only make about 1/3 of a cup of kernels at at time, which gives you a few cups of popcorn. When I make popcorn for my family, we have to run it several times. I previously had a dome popper that popped batches that were about 3 times as large. Since I make popcorn for family and friends and I enjoy it a lot myself, this is Also, although the handle works to dump out the popcorn, I have only been using the popper for about 6 weeks and there is already a 6-inch crack in the clear plastic housing around the popper. It isn't enough to compromise our ability to use it, but I am disappointed that it is so fragile for its intended use in such a short time. We'll use it until it breaks completely -- which, given the crack, could be a short or long time -- and then get a sturdier popper with more capacity. If you're less of a popcorn glutton than we are, you will love this machine.

Beware: hot popcorn kernels come flying out of the kettle and shoot right through gaps in the enclosure. The first modification I had to make was to add washers to the hinges to hold the door higher so my kids and I weren't having to dodge those kernels. They still get loose, but at least now they escape the sides or roll out of under the door vice presenting a ballistic hazard. Also, it gets messier than I thought it would. I've only tried a liquid popping oil so far. Maybe the coconut oil is better?

The real problem with this product is the flimsy lid. After a year of occasional use, it has deformed and curled up to the point where it no longer fits the ledge in the top of the bowl. There are gaps around the edges that let un-popped kernels fly out into the microwave oven. Bowl itself is durable although with slight internal discoloration over time. After popping, the bowl bottom is too hot to touch. You'll need a towel under the bowl as you rush back to the game on TV.

1.I wish it had a level indicator instead of asking to put 1/3 cup of popcorn.2. The percentage of un-popped corns is significantly higher than the silicon variety.I recommend the silicon poppers over this one.

I purchased this because it was recommended by America's Test Kitchen and they are usually very good. I had been using the stove to pop our popcorn, but this seemed like a nice alternative. My problems with the Nordic Ware Microwave Popper: Following the directions, I can only get half of the kernels to pop. If I add oil, I get a glob of burned popcorn and if I don't use oil then still only half of the popcorn pops. I have experimented with less popcorn, longer times, etc. Nothing seems to work to make all the kernels pop. I use a high quality popcorn.Also, the lid is very flimsy and it discolored when I used oil to pop the corn. Doesn't seem like it will last very long.So, unfortunately, I am back to the stove to pop our popcorn.As another reviewer mentioned, the bowl will be a nice salad bowl or maybe I'll try using it to steam veggies?

I bought this popper because of the very high (4.5 stars out of 5) customer ratings. I must say I'm surprised that the average rating was anywhere near 4.5 stars. Although the popper can be used with or without oil, I always use oil because oil-popped corn simply tastes better than dry-popped.The instructions say to use 1/3 cup popping corn and 1 Tablespoon oil in a microwave set for 4 minutes. They instruct you to stop when the popping slows to several seconds between pops.On my first use I followed the instructions to the letter. I used Orville Redenbacher popping corn and peanut oil in a 1250 watt microwave. As per instructions I stopped the popping at 3 1/2 minutes when the popping slowed . The popcorn was delicious! Light and fluffy.BUT, nearly 30% of the corn remained unpopped.I thought the fault might be too little time So I tried another batch but cooked it for the full 4 minutes. Same result: Lots of unpopped kernels.I thought the fault might be too much corn so I reduced the amount of corn to 1/4 cup for 4 minutes. Same result: Lots of unpopped kernels.I thought the fault might be with stale corn, so I tried another brand/jar of quality popping corn. Same result: Lots of unpopped kernels.So, the verdict is in. This popper will NOT pop corn completely.My second complaint is that the bowl gets too hot to handle and stays hot for quite a while. Don't plan on using the popping as a serving bowl.

First time I used this, I microwaved it for 4 min (it was still popping in regular intervals), and it burnt most of the popcorn in the interior - just one big block of burnt popcorn stuck together. The lid also melted in the 4 middle areas, which definitely should NOT have happened, being a microwave-safe container. Second time, I microwaved it for less time, and the lid didn't appear to melt any more, but the popcorn was still completely burnt in the middle (with a lot of kernels still un-popped). Third time, I used the 'popcorn' button on the microwave. FINALLY no popcorn was burnt and it was indeed light and fluffy, but only about half of the kernels popped in that amount of time/power. I'm afraid that if I had kept the microwave going, it would have popped the remaining kernels and burned the ones that had already popped. Not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I wish I could get a refund or get a new one sent to me, because of the melted lid!

I had my first one for 3 years before it had an unfortunate accident involving a dog and the concrete floor. I am buying another one to replace it. I had a cuisinart air popper for a while, but this is much better. There is a learning curve getting the time and power level right on your microwave, so don't set it and walk away until you figure it out.2017 Update* My bowl now causes the microwave to spark. The microwave is fine with everything except this bowl, so it is not the microwave.

It was much smaller than I thought and cheaply constructed. It will take 1/3 cup of popcorn. My 7 grandchildren had to wait a long time for popcorn! I wish that I could return it.

It doesn't usually work. Think twice before you buy. If you can buy a more expensive one (higher quality one), definitely consider it.

Meh, It works but, the plexi glass around the handle broke easily, the popper is small and has so many little crevices that it is hard to actually keep clean, and the popper is meant to hold 1/3 Cup of kernels but if you actually put that many kernels in the popper almost all of the kernels more than 1/4 Cup worth will just get pushed out of the popper when the kernels start popping resulting in wasted popcorn so you have to reduce the amount of kernels to 1/4 cup to get a decent yield. Don't buy this popper save your money, just use a large stock pot heat a heaping table spoon of coconut oil (or your oil of choice) with a few kernels until the kernels pop, once the kernels pop you know the oil is up to temperature, at this point add a heaping 1/3 cup of kernels and a a heaping 1/4tbs of Flavacol butter flavored popcorn salt (No.2045), and place a colander or mesh screen over the pan to let the steam escape, once popping slows pick up the pan and shake it a little until all the kernels have popped then, pour the popcorn in to your serving bowl and enjoy.

Small, hard to clean, bulb burned out as soon as we turned it on. Replaced bulb and it worked fine. Quality is something to be desired.

Pops OK but has way too many not popped when it is done, it blows them out of the bowl when poping.

I really wanted to love this thing and gave it several chances. One of the biggest problems is that the lid to the kettle is not heavy enough to stay closed. Once the corn starts popping, unpopped kernels come flying out, occasionally out of the venting slats on the side of the machine.Thus, after my first batch, there were *lots* of unpopped kernels and the amount of popped corn in the basket was very small. I experimented a little even trying different oil and different popcorn. Same effect. Finally, I laid a spoon across the top of the kettle while it was popping. Once enough corn popped to begin making the lid bounce, I removed the spoon, but as soon as I did tons of unpopped kernels came pouring out! Maybe my unit was defective, but I don't think it even popped half of the corn I initially put in to the machine. It is really a shame because the corn that did pop tasted amazing! It's just too wasteful. I'm going to return it and look for something with a sturdier construction.

I bought this in December, I just took it out of the dishwasher, it has an entire side of the edge broken off. I thought it was dishwasher safe and unbreakable. And I can find out about the warrantee.

Apparently a lot of people like this thing but I didn't. It gets incredibly hot and the popcorn didn't pop all that well compared to other methods. If for some reason a batch doesn't work out, or you want to cook multiple batches for more people, you basically have to let it sit for quite a while to cool off--absurd in a product like this. It's also not that big, so the cooling off period is even more frustrating. After fussing with it for a while I gave up, sent it off to GoodWill and went back to a simple Presto popper, which I hate buying the cardboard inserts for, but at least you can cook more than one batch without burning down the house.

This popcorn popper works well for about the first month and than the plastic lid warps and you've got popcorn kernels all over your microwave. I bought a second one thinking the first one was defective, but it did the same thing. I called Nordic Ware and they told me I would have to buy another lid and pay for shipping. Not worth it. Now I just put the kernels in a brown lunch bag and roll the top and it pops just as well.

My first attempt at using this popcorn popper yesterday resulted in disaster. I listened intently during the entire popping process (3 minutes 5 seconds) and actually turned the microwave off before the kernels had all popped because the lid was changing color. I followed the directions--meager as they were--exactly; however, most of the popped popcorn was burned. The directions are the problem. They are not calibrated for microwaves of different wattages. My microwave is 1100 watts. Clearly leaving the popper in a 1100-watt microwave until the kernels have all popped isn't advisable. Now I have a discolored popper base with a lid that actually warped as well as a house that still reeks of burned popcorn. I plan to try it again, using the preset popcorn setting on my microwave, which is slightly longer than the direction-recommended minimum of 2 minutes, certainly never the recommended maximum of 4 minutes. If my second attempt to pop corn in the Nordic Ware microwave popcorn popper fails, I will be contacting Amazon for a full refund.

The first time I used this popper, red came off on the napkin I was using. The popper was new and was washed before using. I've had a white one of these previously and I bought another white one for my son for Christmas. But now I'm concerned that the plastic is unfit for microwave use and could be unsafe. No part of a microwave container should rub off or get into food cooked in it. I would never have known if I hadn't replaced my white one with a red one. I don't know if its melting or leeching, but it is not right that a napkin rubbed on the container would turn red. I've thrown out the two recently purchased.

I tried over and over to find a way that I could get this popper to NOT burn popcorn, but could not prevent random ruined batches of popcorn. I tried turning our 1200 W Sharp microwave down to power level 9, using coconut oil, and cooking for less than three minutes. I made sure that I mixed the oil and popcorn so there was uniform coating of the kernels and spread the kernels out flat in the bottom of the bowl. It would work fine for a few batches and then just when I thought I had the problem solved, it would give me a batch with a large black core of burned popcorn. The top cover does not stay in place during the popping cycle since it is too light and poorly anchored in the recess in the top of the popper. The popper is extremely hot when it comes out of the microwave and cannot be used as the bowl you eat out of unless you want to risk being badly burned. The popper also spatters oil throughout the inside of the microwave requiring much more frequent cleaning than when not using this popper. I admit I had been spoiled with the original Orville Redenbacher's popper with the heat concentrators, but finally I just threw the Nordic Ware popper in the trash. I have gone back to using that 15-20 year old popper and have no problems, so I do not believe it is due to problems with our old microwave. I can not recommend this product since I could not get it to do what it was marketed to do.

I would not recommend buying this. I've only used it 2 times and there is cracks in the plastic. It's all plastic on the outside. The gray spots on the door are cracks.

Metal lid on popping canister gets stuck closed and popped popcorn then gets jammed into rotating bar causing it to seize and stop turning. It's too hot to unjam by hand, so I have to turn it off. I popped 4 batches of popcorn and two of the batches were jammed and the rotating bar seized up. Worked 50% of the time and looks to be a poor canister lid design and workmanship. I returned it and would not recommend buying this unit as it was the second one I received that was defective. (The first one I received had a loose motor in the upper unit and it sounded like there were many other loose parts/screws freely moving around as you tilted the unit. Definitely it was broken and not caused from shipping as the box had no damages to it.)

Don't waste your money use a few times and the plexi glass started to crack at the handle it keeps slowly growing won't be long till it's useless they would not replace !! Poor customer service

I need to update my review as it's become a big hassle to use. I had to modify the kettle lids because the metal folds were imprecise and causing the lid to jam shut. Fixing that is not the end of the problems though, it seems to have trouble pushing popped corn out which results in too much popped corn in the kettle which jams it up which causes the motor to make horrible screeching noises and stop and it can only be restarted by taking the top off and helping it along.To try and reduce jamming up I only fill up the supplied scoop half way (which is marked as 1/3 cup but is actually 1/4 cup). This means I need to make many batches each time we want popcorn which means I'm taking it apart and putting it back together many times.It's disappointing to see Great Northern putting there name on this thing

does not make enough at one time. Too many of the kernals pop out when it's popping.

Another person commented it'll never look like the picture, which is true. Makes a very small batch at a time, and the kernels get stuck in the pot. Door is in an awkward place in relation to the electric plug. Not happy with this purchase.