Just cats and fish at my house. Although it would be easier if Violet liked popcorn.

My dog loves the popcorn machine and hangs out there when it is popping just for that reason.

That worked for me along with getting the steam out. All along I was going by the get the oil as hot as possible and it tasted stale to me. Much better now.

My cats like to bat around the popcorn and knock it under the couch... but not eat it!

My dumbass cat sits there waiting for the popping to finish and for myself, wife or my kids to spill a popped kernel on the floor. The thing loves eating popcorn!

dammit! this thread is at the top again... it makes me want to buy a machine everytime!!! STOP TEMPTING ME!

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I am not doing it!!...

You need to adjust your thermostat that is under the kettle.

Take the screws off the top of the kettle, and that will separate the 2 halves.

Braised to the bottom of the inner kettle should be the heating element, and the thermostat mounted to a stud.

Put the kettle in a vise so it does not touch anything flammable while you adjust it.

Turn the thermostat adjustment screw CCW to raise the temp.

A full turn is over 150ºF, so go slowly.

I don't have the service manual in front of me, but I would guess that the Kettle should be set @ 410ºF to 420ºF .

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My dog doesn't eat popcorn. He gums it up and spits it out. What a dick.

Strange, my dog eats popcorn, but gums my dick.

I'm currently renovating my game room and looking to get a Great American 8 oz popcorn machine for my wife but have some questions and hoping that someone can help me.

Will an 8 oz machine be too much for a family of 5, of which only 2-3 love eating popcorn? I'll eat them if they're flavored like cheese or even better...covered with chocolate But it's mainly my wife and maybe 1 of my daughters currently living with us that eat popcorn. My oldest daughter recently moved to Chicago to start a new job but expects to be back visiting and she loves popcorn like my wife.

Is it possible to pop any amount like 2 oz instead of 4 or 8 oz in an 8 oz machine? I know that Great American says that you can pop 4 oz in the 8 oz machine but there's no mention of going even smaller. I'm concerned that 4 oz might be too much so I'd like the flexibility in popping smaller amounts.

How long can popcorn be stored in the machine before it gets too stale to eat?

Thanks much for your help!!

I'll do my best to answer your questions. 8oz should be just fine. Keep in mind that even if you buy pre-packaged like I do, you're talking around $1/batch. So if you waste some, it's probably no big deal.

As delicious as this stuff is, 2 or 3 of you can definitely plow through 8oz in a night. If not, just leave it in the popper, then turn on the warming tray the next day. In about an hour or so, it will be as good as new.

As for going bad, I don't think this stuff ever goes bad. I've eaten it 4 or 5 days after its been popped and as long as you turn on the tray for awhile, it tastes just as good as it did after being popped.

You can always pop less, you just don't have the BTUs to pop more.

I was going to buy a 6 or 8 oz popper, but landed up with a 4 oz. Glad I did and saved "some" money to be applied to other things. There are 3 of us and with 4 oz of popped corn, we each get 2 snack size bowls and is plenty for us. If we have a party, we will just start a second batch right away. We were told buy a local "Detroit Popcorn Company" that we could still pop an 6 oz batch in the 4 oz machine if we wanted to with no problem, but advised against trying a 8 oz batch.

I have a family of five. Just get the 8oz, you're over-thinking it. Toss unused in the yard for birds, or if that bugs you make smaller batches.

Really excited to try this! I popped mine open and found this. Which of these do I adjust? I'm guessing that's a set screw that tweaks the temp.

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As a popcorn lover, I have had a machine for about 12 years now, and before that a whirly stove top popper, I started with a 4 oz. A quality 4 oz machine is a small bowl or 1 oz for 4 people. I usually popped a couple batches. As my kids grew into teenagers I did choose to upgrade. I am a dealer for Paragon so it was easy to do. We got an 8oz which pops up the equivalent of a huge movie theatre bucket per batch. Two batches is a quite a bit, but great for company. It really depends on how many batches you want to make each time. I chose to upgrade when I was popping 4 to 6 batches each time.

6 oz sizes are also available.

A couple things to look for
1. quality is a must, cheap machines simply do not perform. My first machine was a nostalgia from Sams, more seeds flew out of it than popped corn, huge disappointment. Also the popcorn seemed chewy, machine was trash

2. Quality kettle, makes crisp fresh popcorn, easy to clean, serviceable

3. Deck heater, some models come with deck heater while others do not. It's up to you, but if you make popcorn and want it warm and crisp 4 or 5 hours later you will want a deck heater. You won't regret it, budget minded models typically cut the heater, like our "thrifty" model

4. warranty and parts, buy a machine that you can call your dealer and get parts for. Popcorn machines aren't cheap but can literally last you 20 years of daily use

I would recommend this 4 oz machine, either with stand or without. It has the artwork facing the serving side (as for home use) is commercial grade, quality kettle, deck heater, and lifetime warranty..... yes I said lifetime. Just do your research.

http://pinballpro.net/shop/cineplex-red-popcorn-machine/

Greg M

Can't figure out how to dial in these two thermostats. I did find a combination that made the temp go down, but the reverse didnt make it go up.

I saw some YouTube video that said the color of the rings affects which way you adjust, but still don't know why there's two and what each is for.

Any ideas? Guess I'll try calling GNPC Monday.

One **thermostat** is the High Limit Switch. That is usually permanently set @ 525*F to keep the whole machine from melting down if the other fails.

The other is the actual thermostat that you adjust.

OH MY GOD IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!! It's just like real theatre popcorn now!

Thank you so much, I got it cranked up and it's AMAZING how much better the popcorn is. It starts popping a couple seconds after I throw it in (took almost two minutes before), it all pops fast, and the kernels are much bigger and seem "drier" and crispy. It's also bright white now... maybe due to less oil soaking in it?

If you have spongy, chewy popcorn check your temperature! Mine was about 100 degrees off.

FYI, I had a pink switch and a white switch. Seems like the white switch adjusted the heat up, turning counter-clockwise like vid said.

Thanks vid

I have an 8oz paragon popper and we've been using the pre-portioned pop packs for a while. It's generally pretty good popcorn that way but never really seemed like the 'theater' popcorn. The last time I made a batch, I had a bag where the popcorn part had been ripped and I didn't want to use the kernels because I figured they'd be dry, so I just doubled up the oil with the second pack's portion and it was SO GOOD. Damn. I mean, it's probably cancer waiting to happen, but it was so tasty.

Hi!

Whats your favorite exotic popcorn recipe?

here in austria nearly 100% love salt popcorn
sweet popcorn is already a something special.

but whats next?

i have a Gold MEdal 4oz machine

chocolate?
strawberry?

Thanks to this thread, I now have a Great Northern popcorn cart, Flavacol, and coconut oil in my Amazon Wishlist, for later purchase. Damn you Pinside...
and tbh, consuming something called Flavacol just seems like a giant no-no

When in doubt, always check if something is Halal or Kosher.

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The only problem I have is space. Too big to fit on a countertop, but not sure I have the floor space to fit it in the basement. We might be doing a rearrangement to fit more pins in the basement, but I'll be sure to make room for this thing. You guys suck.

I have yet to try this but on diners drive ins and dives there was an episode where they sprinkled the following ingredients on popcorn and it caught my eye:

Dehydrated brown sugar
Paprika
Granulated garlic
Salt
Cayenne pepper
Dried mustard
Cumin
Pepper

It was served at a bar food place...Guy couldn't stop eating the stuff

Personally, I'd rather just spend $20 on a Whirley-Pop and make it on the stove when needed instead of buying a machine. The popcorn turns out GREAT, and it's much easier to clean and takes up less space. It only takes ~3 minutes to make a full batch.

The key is to use coconut oil and butter salt. Yum!

Yes I only have a Whirly Pop myself. It does work great...my kettle corn goto recipe:

1/2 cup popcorn, 1/3 cup corn oil, 1/4 cup sugar

Dump it all in the Whirly Pop and Pop on medium high heat. I shake the container to combine the sugar and oil while turning the crank at the beginning. Once it starts popping it will go quick so stir until the popping stops then I poor it in a grocery brown bag and salt with popcorn salt.

Everyone loves it. Great for Soccer snacks and Birthday parties

Soybean oil is great too. Haven't tried coconut oil with this recipe but I will and report back soon.

* also adding Cinnamon to this recipe turns out fantastic as well

OOOOHHHHHH....I didn't know about this!!!!! This might be the perfect alternative!

The popcorn may taste good from a Whirley-Pop, but it doesn't have nearly the same cool factor as a popcorn machine.

That's true -- but I'd rather put that money towards a pin.

I bought a coin operated Popcorn machine recently. It is air popped, but you can get spray butter and those seasonings and its good popcorn.

I use the snappy brand popcorn and its excellent popcorn.

Anyone else have any recipes that are different?

Put it in the garage, furnace or laundry room.

I guess I never thought about that....but like gweempose said, cool factor lol

but who knows, I'll have to find a way, i'm wanting some theater-like popcorn bad.

Pics please....

Like I said, spend the $20 on the Whirley-Pop until you figure out what you want to do longer term. It's cheap, and the popcorn/oil/seasonings you buy will work in any future machine you may buy. Until then, you'll be able to enjoy theater-like popcorn.

Any one know if there are any brick/mortar retailers that sell Flavacol?

Not sure where to find it (I do all my shopping on Amazon...)

I like this brand: https://www.amazon.com/Paragon-Butter-Flavored-Seasoning-Salt/dp/B002YLGAIO

I use a cap-full for each batch of popcorn.

Then for oil, I use this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CPZPYLS/
or this:
https://www.amazon.com/Wabash-Valley-Farms-Popping-Oil/dp/B002EITVVA

Then buy some Wabash Valley Farms Amish Country popcorn, and you're done. There's a lot of different types, so experiment to find which ones you like best. My wife's favorite is the baby white (not many hulls and they're tiny). I really like the blue popcorn as it's a little sweeter. My all time favorite is Strawberry popcorn, but I don't think the farmer had a harvest this year. http://jacksgrainandgourds.homestead.com/

Yes. Detroit Popcorn Co and Gordon Food Service do around here. Have you tried Badger Popcorn Supply co?

There is a GFS and a Badger Popcorn Supply local to me. Thanks!

Took the whirley pop for a spin for the first time last night. I washed it, dried it, added about 1/2 tbs of coconut oil and wiped down the sided of the pan to season it, then added about 1.5 tbs of coconut oil on high heat (gas stove), added 1 tsp of flavacol and 3 test kernels. When the test kernels popped, I added 1/2 cup of kernels and popped on high/med. high heat until done. The popcorn came out pretty chewy but the flavor was good. What did I do wrong?

This is how I do it:

Don't heat anything up ahead of time -- put the oil (only 1 tablespoon), the butter salt (teaspoon, maybe less depending on how much you like), and the half a cup of popcorn. Turn on the heat, spin it for about 3 minutes (until it stops popping), and you're done. I'm thinking heating up the oil ahead of time (and using 50% more than I do) may have made it chewy.

The type of popcorn probably factors in too. Don't use Orville Redinbocker or any of that junk. Find a supplier of high quality kernels if you haven't already. Wabash Valley is good, but you can find others as well.

We were "gifted" some PopSecret kernels and was using that, but will have to try to find some locally. There are a lot of boutiques that sell kernels here. I'll try your method first though!

This thread has started to haunt my dreams. Good popcorn mmmmmm. Resistance was futile so I just ordered up a BenchmarkUSA Premier 6oz. popper. I do not recall seeing the brand mentioned so far but I liked its stainless steel construction and the fact that it was made here in the US. The 6 oz size will meet my space requirements as well as consumption rate, although that will most likely increase. Get in my belly.

Bumping this for the organic/special Pinsiders that may be aware of sprouted options. My wife and I (me for my Lupas BS), both eat regarding food response testing (which had been a huge leap in my health/pain since following without any meds) and have picked up some sprouted popcorn.

Before I waste my time, has anyone tried this in their poppers? If so, it will be a huge advantage to enjoying something we both can’t have otherwise so hoping it’s been used. Otherwise, I’ll be giving an honest assessment. We use Thrive for a few items we can’t get from our local Whole Foods (Kimberton) and the wife/fat neighbor said she’d like to try it. We and our family have called the popcorn from these machines “crack” as it’s really good and we both miss it.

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Don't see why it wouldn't work. it's still popcorn...

What's sprouted popcorn?