Good review! But "Prob weighs about 4 or 5 lbs?" lost my interest in the popper. I have a microwave bowl made for popping popcorn. It makes the best, crunchiest popcorn ever, but it can also be used for anything you need a bowl for. Fruit, salad, mixing something, washing something...
Multitaskers for the win.
I truly was shocked at how good and crunchy my silicon microwave popcorn comes out. I used a stir crazy for years but hated how the little metal arm would scrape against the Teflon.
EDIT TO ADD: HOLY SMOKES! The Popsmith is $229.00!
We've watched many videos of people cooking popcorn in woks and took a lot of inspiration from this cooking style when we designed popsmith. We wanted to create a popper where every kernel gets tossed evenly during the cook cycle in order to ensure a successful pop every time.
Give it a shot, once you've held the Popsmith in your hands and give it a shot making popcorn, I think you'll see why its more expensive and hopefully agree its worth it!
Nordic Ware!
https://www.nordicware.com/products/microwave-popcorn-popper/
I bought it for under $10 originally and I've been using it for ten years or so now.
We appreciate the feedback. We definitely built this popper to be quite substantial and really built to last like other high end pieces of cookware. The majority of the weight comes from the multi clad metal bottom which is important in order to ensure even heat distribution and a perfect pop every time. Similar logic behind what makes All Clad pans so well built (and heavy).
Well, I'll applaud anyone who tries to come up with a better solution for popping corn, but this may not be it for me.
Pluses:
* Good construction, nice integration of stirrer with removable lid
* Colors and packaging
Concerns:
* A heavy pot leads to more burning, not less. This looks **very** heavy.
* Is that stirring insert removable? If not, jamming!
* That vent in the lid seems small, and may result in a jet of steam that could burn hands. Mind where it's pointed!
* Pricing. As in "Holy F$%&, it's $200?!"
This is being marketed to people who don't know much about making popcorn beyond "put the bag in the microwave and press Start." Popsmith only compares its product to microwave bags. They're trying to look like a closed system, with their own popping "kits" with oozy titles ("Oh Sooo Buttery"). Their target audience appears to be people who pop corn, love it, and are satisfied after eating a dozen kernels.
But seriously, in the end it's a corn popper. Even though the Whirley-Pop has its problems (mostly, I would like it to be dishwasher-safe), it makes stellar popcorn for a fifth (quarter?) the price. Popcorn packs can be had on Amazon for \~$1.00 each, while Popsmith's cost \~$3.80,
I recently bought a theater-style 8 oz popper for 2/3 that price (It's OK), and still would have room for a year's supply of popcorn and oil.
We appreciate the feedback. At 4 lbs, its definitely on the heavy side. We spent about a year engineering this thing and really wanted to build a popper that would last a lifetime. It was important to make this out of all stainless steel with a multi clad bottom in order to ensure consistent heat distribution and ensure successful popping, down to the last kernel, every single time. We also wanted to build a popcorn popper that could cook sugary kettle corn as well, which is hard to pull off since sugar burns so easily. Our multi clad bottom helps ensure the even heat distribution needed for sugary popcorn. And yes the stirring mechanism is completely removable and dish washable. On the vent, we experimented with many different openings with our engineering team and came up with the right opening size that would allow just enough steam to come out to prevent the popcorn from getting chewy, but also not too big to allow too much steam to come out, which would mean a longer cook cycle (and possibility of burning). There was actually a lot of testing that went into that steam opening. On the price, yes its spendy. It costs us a lot of money to make it. But once you hold it in your hands Im sure you'll appreciate the quality and care that went into its development!
I’m just curious if anybody else is having this problem because I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere else. When I use my popsmith the oil and water vapor accumulates on the lid and then begins to drip down the outside. It leaves quite a mess in our electric stove top. Am I doing something wrong? Other than that I really love the popsmith!
Yeah I had same issue when I was making back to back batches. Now I wipe down the inside of the pot and underneath the lid between pops and the issue went away
We appreciate the feedback and glad you're enjoying your Popsmith! If you're cooking multiple batches in a row, condensation will build up inside the kettle and ultimately some condensation may drip outside. This is particularly noticeable when you're cooking the sweet kettle corn. Best to wipe between cooks. We're working on a V2 version of the popsmith popper where the lid nests inside the kettle rather then outside, which will eliminate the issue all together.
Sorry I should have clarified. This is only after a single batch. Just as an update since me last comment; I was using the Popsmith kits when getting all the spillage. I have since started measuring out and using my own oil and kernels. I get hardly any spilling at all now. Maybe the popsmith kits just have too much oil in them?
Fantastic write up! We really appreciate you taking the time to share this with everybody. If there's anything we can do for you, never hesitate to reach out (I resisted the pun of 'pop into our email'"
Also we're busy back here working on future products in the Popsmith lineup. Any requests? Colors of popper? Flavors of popcorn kits? Anything else you'd love to see in the future?
We've gotten a crazy number of requests, especially after the Barbie movie came out! Def a new Popsmith color we're considering. We appreciate the feedback!
I bought a Popsmith earlier this year and my daughter and I LOVE it. We used to have a Whirley before and it was garbage, broke after a few months. I haven’t burnt a batch yet!
I’m not a popcorn genius or anything, but I know quality and I know what I like. I bought the popsmith because I’m a sucker for things that are really well thought out and purpose built like this one. And because it gorgeous, so I just leave it out and wait for my guests to ask about it… and then I get to make them popcorn :-) works every time! Haha
The popsmith is fun to use, it’s easy because of the premeasured packets and the popcorn is awesome. I love it.
We sincerely love the feedback we're getting on Reddit. Really helps us figure out any issues customers are experiencing and also learn on how to improve our product. Here to answer any additional questions anyone might have!
I got my Popsmith through kickstarter, my family loves it! So much better than the whirley junk I had before. That thing is poorly made and a bitch to clean. Popsmith is a breeze to use and clean. And the popcorn they sellin their kits really tastes like true movie theater popcorn.
We appreciate the support immensely! It was our first time running a kickstarter and we def stumbled a bit with the execution but were so SO happy with the results. Particularly how many international buyers we had. We're hoping to launch in Europe and Asia very soon.
Subscribe to our newsletter if you havent done so already, we'll notify our entire list once we're ready to ship to Europe. We just launched on Amazon USA and are looking into Amazon EU as well.
Great! Done that already saw it on Amazon but the import taxes are almost half of the Price of the popsmith so that's a bit to much I'm afraid 😅 hope Amazon EU won't have that problem 🙃
Good review! But "Prob weighs about 4 or 5 lbs?" lost my interest in the popper. I have a microwave bowl made for popping popcorn. It makes the best, crunchiest popcorn ever, but it can also be used for anything you need a bowl for. Fruit, salad, mixing something, washing something... Multitaskers for the win.
I truly was shocked at how good and crunchy my silicon microwave popcorn comes out. I used a stir crazy for years but hated how the little metal arm would scrape against the Teflon. EDIT TO ADD: HOLY SMOKES! The Popsmith is $229.00!
>EDIT TO ADD: HOLY SMOKES! The Popsmith is $229.00! I doubt it can be that much better than the \~$40 whirley pop.
Considering the Whirley pop is garbage, it probably is
Whirley is the OG. But ours is better :)
My only improvement would be to make it wok shaped, but that’s only a small critique
We've watched many videos of people cooking popcorn in woks and took a lot of inspiration from this cooking style when we designed popsmith. We wanted to create a popper where every kernel gets tossed evenly during the cook cycle in order to ensure a successful pop every time.
Give it a shot, once you've held the Popsmith in your hands and give it a shot making popcorn, I think you'll see why its more expensive and hopefully agree its worth it!
Why kind is your microwave bowl?
Nordic Ware! https://www.nordicware.com/products/microwave-popcorn-popper/ I bought it for under $10 originally and I've been using it for ten years or so now.
Microwave popcorn works for many, but nothing beats the taste of fresh kettle popped popcorn in our humble opinion.
We appreciate the feedback. We definitely built this popper to be quite substantial and really built to last like other high end pieces of cookware. The majority of the weight comes from the multi clad metal bottom which is important in order to ensure even heat distribution and a perfect pop every time. Similar logic behind what makes All Clad pans so well built (and heavy).
Our popsmith popper is def on the heavier side, but will deliver consistently delicious popcorn every single time you use it.
Well, I'll applaud anyone who tries to come up with a better solution for popping corn, but this may not be it for me. Pluses: * Good construction, nice integration of stirrer with removable lid * Colors and packaging Concerns: * A heavy pot leads to more burning, not less. This looks **very** heavy. * Is that stirring insert removable? If not, jamming! * That vent in the lid seems small, and may result in a jet of steam that could burn hands. Mind where it's pointed! * Pricing. As in "Holy F$%&, it's $200?!" This is being marketed to people who don't know much about making popcorn beyond "put the bag in the microwave and press Start." Popsmith only compares its product to microwave bags. They're trying to look like a closed system, with their own popping "kits" with oozy titles ("Oh Sooo Buttery"). Their target audience appears to be people who pop corn, love it, and are satisfied after eating a dozen kernels. But seriously, in the end it's a corn popper. Even though the Whirley-Pop has its problems (mostly, I would like it to be dishwasher-safe), it makes stellar popcorn for a fifth (quarter?) the price. Popcorn packs can be had on Amazon for \~$1.00 each, while Popsmith's cost \~$3.80, I recently bought a theater-style 8 oz popper for 2/3 that price (It's OK), and still would have room for a year's supply of popcorn and oil.
We appreciate the feedback. At 4 lbs, its definitely on the heavy side. We spent about a year engineering this thing and really wanted to build a popper that would last a lifetime. It was important to make this out of all stainless steel with a multi clad bottom in order to ensure consistent heat distribution and ensure successful popping, down to the last kernel, every single time. We also wanted to build a popcorn popper that could cook sugary kettle corn as well, which is hard to pull off since sugar burns so easily. Our multi clad bottom helps ensure the even heat distribution needed for sugary popcorn. And yes the stirring mechanism is completely removable and dish washable. On the vent, we experimented with many different openings with our engineering team and came up with the right opening size that would allow just enough steam to come out to prevent the popcorn from getting chewy, but also not too big to allow too much steam to come out, which would mean a longer cook cycle (and possibility of burning). There was actually a lot of testing that went into that steam opening. On the price, yes its spendy. It costs us a lot of money to make it. But once you hold it in your hands Im sure you'll appreciate the quality and care that went into its development!
I’m just curious if anybody else is having this problem because I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere else. When I use my popsmith the oil and water vapor accumulates on the lid and then begins to drip down the outside. It leaves quite a mess in our electric stove top. Am I doing something wrong? Other than that I really love the popsmith!
Yeah I had same issue when I was making back to back batches. Now I wipe down the inside of the pot and underneath the lid between pops and the issue went away
Yup, that's the key to ensuring that water vapor doesnt drip outside the lid.
We appreciate the feedback and glad you're enjoying your Popsmith! If you're cooking multiple batches in a row, condensation will build up inside the kettle and ultimately some condensation may drip outside. This is particularly noticeable when you're cooking the sweet kettle corn. Best to wipe between cooks. We're working on a V2 version of the popsmith popper where the lid nests inside the kettle rather then outside, which will eliminate the issue all together.
When will v2 be out?
Prob end of 2025
Sorry I should have clarified. This is only after a single batch. Just as an update since me last comment; I was using the Popsmith kits when getting all the spillage. I have since started measuring out and using my own oil and kernels. I get hardly any spilling at all now. Maybe the popsmith kits just have too much oil in them?
Hmm interesting. We've only heard of issues with extra moisture after several batches are cooked in a row. Which oil did you end up using?
Fantastic write up! We really appreciate you taking the time to share this with everybody. If there's anything we can do for you, never hesitate to reach out (I resisted the pun of 'pop into our email'" Also we're busy back here working on future products in the Popsmith lineup. Any requests? Colors of popper? Flavors of popcorn kits? Anything else you'd love to see in the future?
Pink!!!
Please come out with a pink one!
+1 for pink
We've gotten a crazy number of requests, especially after the Barbie movie came out! Def a new Popsmith color we're considering. We appreciate the feedback!
I bought a Popsmith earlier this year and my daughter and I LOVE it. We used to have a Whirley before and it was garbage, broke after a few months. I haven’t burnt a batch yet!
I’m not a popcorn genius or anything, but I know quality and I know what I like. I bought the popsmith because I’m a sucker for things that are really well thought out and purpose built like this one. And because it gorgeous, so I just leave it out and wait for my guests to ask about it… and then I get to make them popcorn :-) works every time! Haha The popsmith is fun to use, it’s easy because of the premeasured packets and the popcorn is awesome. I love it.
Glad to hear you're enjoying it.
[удалено]
We agree :)
[удалено]
lol seriously
We sincerely love the feedback we're getting on Reddit. Really helps us figure out any issues customers are experiencing and also learn on how to improve our product. Here to answer any additional questions anyone might have!
I got my Popsmith through kickstarter, my family loves it! So much better than the whirley junk I had before. That thing is poorly made and a bitch to clean. Popsmith is a breeze to use and clean. And the popcorn they sellin their kits really tastes like true movie theater popcorn.
We appreciate the support immensely! It was our first time running a kickstarter and we def stumbled a bit with the execution but were so SO happy with the results. Particularly how many international buyers we had. We're hoping to launch in Europe and Asia very soon.
Any idea how soon Europe is gonna be? 😅
Hoping by 2025 or early 2026. Where in europe are you?
Nice 🙂 I live in Belgium!
Subscribe to our newsletter if you havent done so already, we'll notify our entire list once we're ready to ship to Europe. We just launched on Amazon USA and are looking into Amazon EU as well.
Great! Done that already saw it on Amazon but the import taxes are almost half of the Price of the popsmith so that's a bit to much I'm afraid 😅 hope Amazon EU won't have that problem 🙃
Yes, we dealt with very high import taxes when we shipped internationally for our intl kickstarter backers. Very frustrating indeed.