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West Bend has become one of the best known manufacturers of small electric appliances and cookware since its founding in 1911, when Bernhard Ziegler sought a substitute industry for the town of West Bend in Wisconsin after its main source of employment, a pocketbook factory, burned down. Today, its small appliances are sold primarily in the US and Canada under the brand names Back to Basics and West Bend. There are three models of the best Stir Crazy popcorn poppers sold under both brands.

The Back to Basics PC17589 Popcorn Popper, the PC 17583 and the West Bend 82306 models that are part of the Stir Crazy line are similar in functionality; they are all electric models that produce six quarts of popcorn and have a unique feature: its lid doubles as a popcorn bowl so the cooked popcorn can be served immediately after cooking; all you have to do is turn the unit upside down. The lid also has a butter well so you can butter the popcorn while cooking it. The Stir Crazy also has an automatic stirring rod, so you don’t have to stir the unpopped corn manually, unlike in stovetop models. Like stovetop models, however, it is also not dishwasher-friendly and the parts have to be cleaned by hand. The models are only covered by a one-year limited warranty that covers parts replacement and service. The Stir Crazy is available in six and eight quart capacities, and with different finishes depending on the model you bought.

West Bend 82306X Stir Crazy 6-Quart Electric Popcorn Popper
Overall Rating:
 
Retail Price: $29.99
Amazon Price: $29.99

The poppers have generated mainly positive reviews, with users swearing these are the best Stir Crazy popcorn poppers they’ve ever owned. Positive points that were raised include the excellent quality of the popcorn produced, the low number of unpopped kernels and the convenience of use compared to stove-top models where you have to do the stirring by hand. Health conscious users who had turned to this electric popcorn maker out of concerns over the dangers of microwave popcorn liked the fact that they had to use less oil to cook the kernels because of the stirring arm, which made the resulting popcorn healthier. Some even said they enjoyed watching the corn pop through the transparent lid, since it brought them back to their childhoods when they waited expectantly for the popcorn prepared by their parents to finish cooking.

On the other hand, a few negative points have repeatedly come up – the stirring arm gets grinds against the non-stick ridge or gets caught in the kernels, resulting in poorly-cooked popcorn; the butter placed in the butter well did not melt properly, and too many kernels were left unpopped. Some users have also complained about the time it takes for the popcorn to cook, five minutes, which is longer than stove-top models which will pop corn in just three minutes. Another complaint concerned the butter melter on the lid, which was supposed to evenly drip butter onto the corn while it was cooking, did not melt the butter completely resulting in half-melted gobs which had to be cleaned up before you could eat the popcorn.

West Bend 82306X Stir Crazy 6-Quart Electric Popcorn Popper
Overall Rating:
 

Total Customer Reviews: (535)
Seller: Amazon


Read what customers had to say....


Satisfied users have suggested quick fixes for some of these problems: you can loosen the center bolt holding the arm down and then bend the prongs down so they no longer grind against the surface, for example. You can also melt the butter separately or put some butter along with the oil at the bottom of the cooker before you put in the kernels, so that the butter flavor will bake directly into the popcorn. Users also recommended that you monitor the popcorn maker while it is operating and unplug it immediately after the kernels are cooked in order to prevent the popcorn from getting burnt, and that you should also leave the top open to let the hot air escape and avoid soggy popcorn.

A more serious concern raised by many users is that the Teflon coating begins to flake off over time, giving the cooked popcorn a strange taste. To be fair, later reviews have noted that the newer models had a baked-on finish that does not flake off. Many users also reported that the handle broke off while they were turning over the unit to use the lid as a serving bowl, risking serious burn injuries. Still, the people who reported these problems were in the minority, and the great majority of users still found these models the best Stir Crazy popcorn poppers.

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