The Little Popper That Couldn't
Written: Nov 14 '01 (Updated Nov 14 '01)
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Pros: Easy to clean
Cons: Only 60% pop-rate; popcorn is often burned; popcorn not light and fluffy.
The Bottom Line: If you like light and fluffy popcorn that tastes great, then stay far away from this model -- it doesn't work very well.
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| dmacioce's Full Review: Salton PC2 Popcorn Maker |
A few months ago, I went out in search of the perfect popcorn popper. I went to several stores, but much to my surprise, there were not very many popcorn popper models to be found. I specifically wanted a hot-air style popcorn popper, because 1) they are easier to clean, because they do not use oil, and 2) they produce healthier, lighter popcorn. Unfortunately, the only hot air popcorn popper I was able to find at my local retailer was the Hot Air Electric Popcorn Popper PC2; without doing much research, I decided to buy it on the spot. Generally speaking, you can't go wrong with a hot-air popcorn popper.
However, in your quest for the perfect popper, there are a few things you need to keep in mind, as I learned after making my purchase: Corn pops best at 465F degrees; if your popcorn popper does not reach this temperature, or if your popcorn popper's temperature is too hot, then you will have popcorn in which less than 75% of the kernels are popped, or the popcorn will be burnt. At the proper temperature, popcorn pops light and fluffy; at an improper temperature, the popcorn comes out less fluffy, and the outer husk of the kernel (the inner core of popped popcorn) is burnt, giving your popcorn a charcoal-like flavor, and that's not good! In addition to temperature, wind is also important in hot-air poppers. This is the force that moves the popped popcorn out of the heating chamber, and into your popcorn bowl. This is an important factor, because 1) you cannot eat the popcorn until it is in your popcorn bowl, and 2) if it stays in the heating chamber for very long, the popcorn will be burned, and that doesn't taste good. Thus, the perfect hot air popcorn popper has sufficient heat, and sufficient wind.
The Salton Hot Air Electric Popcorn Popper PC2 produced very disappointing results. First, even with gourmet popcorn in which every kernel is "guaranteed" to pop, this popper yielded a pop-rate of only approximately 60%. That means that 40% of the kernels are left unpopped or only partially popped. Of the 60% of the kernels that are popped, most of them have burnt husks, and none of them are light and fluffy.
Through keen observation of the Salton Hot Air Electric Popcorn Popper PC2, I have determined that the poor results are a result of a poor design. First, the blower mechanism blows the air in a circular motion rather than in an upward motion. This results in popped kernels remaining in the heating chamber longer than they should. In fact, it is not unusual to see the heating chamber full of popped popcorn long after the last kernel has popped. The only way to get these popped kernels into your popcorn bowl is to take the top of the popper and manually dump them into your bowl, along with the 40% of kernels that were not popped. Because the blower works inefficiently, it causes the kernels to stay in the heating chamber longer than they should, resulting in burnt popcorn.
Another observation is that the heating element does not reach the optimum temperature of 465F degrees. This is evident in the fact that there are many half-popped kernels. Had the popper achieved the optimum temperature, the kernels would have popped fully, resulting in light fluffy popcorn. Sadly, this is not the case.
Additionally, because of the lower temperature produced by this model, it takes longer for the popcorn to pop. While other hot air poppers provide enough heat to pop a batch of popcorn in approximately 2 minutes, this model requires approximately 5-6 minutes (or more) to pop a single batch of popcorn.
Because the blower and the heating element are so deficient, the butter melting cup does not work as well as it should. Often, the microwave is a better choice for melting butter than the cup provided, if you want to put the butter on your popcorn while the popcorn is still warm. In preparing a batch of 1/4 cup popcorn with 1 tablespoon butter (separated into 8 or 9 small cubes and placed in the butter melting cup), I found that the butter was not fully melted until approximately 2 minutes after the last kernel had popped.
For all of these reasons, I am compelled to advise you to stay away from this model if at all possible; you will more than likely be as disappointed with the results as I am.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 14.95
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Epinions.com ID:
dmacioce
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Member: Daniel Macioce
Location: Palmdale, CA, USA
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I enjoy fishing, photography, computers, and Elizabethan literature.
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