If I get this one from Amazon....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QWCAB4

It has an 8 ounce tray but can i just make 4 ounces with it? Typically how much popcorn is in a bag that you microwave?

This looks like a good machine.

Thanks

Yes, you can just make 4 ounces with it.

On their FAQ page: http://www.greatnorthernpopcorn.com/t-faqs.aspx

"If I have any 8 ounce kettle, do I have to make 8 ounces?

Absolutely not! One of the reasons the Great Northern Popcorn Company designed their model with an 8 ounce kettle is so 1 machine could meet the demands of a concession business and still work for the home theater. We speak from experience when we tell you that an 8 ounce kettle is a must have. Please check our ebay store for our complete line of popcorn portion packs. We stock 3 sizes for all your popcorn needs."

Microwave popcorn bags are typically around 3 ounces.

BTW, I couldn't be happier with our Great Northern machine. I also got the 8oz, and we love it. We are popping 8oz at a time right now. We do always have some left over that I toss the next day, but it's not really that expensive to begin with.

The cleaning is as hard as you make it. If you are obsessive about the kettle being perfectly clean every time, don't buy one. If you are cool with wiping it down with a paper towel, and cleaning the glass every so often, it's awesome.

I bought that exact model on Amazon and we love it.

thanks Wolfmash and TomGWI. I am going to order mine tomorrow.

I have the 8 0z Paducah from them which is very similar (looks exactly like it actually) and you can make as much as you want. I normally make 1/2 cup of kernels which is enough for me and my wife. I could always do another 1/2 cup but that is because I am obsessed with popcorn. I have been known to make 1/4 cup poppings as well. But you can make as much or as little as you want. Quickly wipe it clean when done and she is ready for the next popping.

I bought that same Great Northern from Amazon for Christmas. Make sure to also buy the oil, popcorn, cleaner, and other accessories from Amazon. That stuff is really heavy and the free shipping is nice. This was a great thread in making sure I got everything I needed from the start. Makes great popcorn!

Ours is still going strong. 30 some people and a half dozen kids over last night and the thing was a hit. Our cat is intrigued by it everytime it's running.

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That's so cute.

I'm all ready to get started!

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Thanks for the advice. Just ordered mine!

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That's the exact one I got, you'll enjoy the hell out of it!

Does anyone use/recommend a "buttery" topping like this:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AXK9ROC/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl

I'll let you know after I try it tonight. I'm sure others in this thread use it.

^ Awesome thanks ^ Enjoy your new machine!

Get real butter topping instead of crappy chemicals:

http://www.popntop.com/popntop_topbutterfat.html

Any tips on how to clean the kettle afterwards?

What I do after each use is bring a small bucket of warm soapy water and a sponge and wipe down the interior including the kettle. Then dry using a towel. That's it still looks new after 3 years.

Don

http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Medal-Prod-Popcorn-Cleaner/dp/B000LNR56S
You pour some water in the kettle with a little bit of this stuff and it cleans the kettle. GREAT stuff but it's a commercial product so it may not be safe you you have a non-commercial unit!

I got one of these along with the pre-measured packets for Xmas and love it. Smells and tastes just like the theater popcorn. Adds a bunch to the home theater ambiance when watching a movie.

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http://amzn.com/B00373U21O

packets.jpg
http://amzn.com/B000PDY3HI

Maybe I'm the nasty one here, but I took Vid's advice to heart. I literally run a dry paper towel around the outside of the kettle and just inside, every couple of days of use.

Don't clean it.

It needs to be "seasoned" to produce the best corn.

Same with a grill or a cast iron frying pan.

Wipe it out with a dry paper towel once in a while.

Don't let your wife clean it either.

I just wipe out my kettle with a paper towel.

As for the glass, I've got a good tip for that. I bought a pack of flexible cutting boards from target, and place three of them inside while the kettle is popping. Keeps oil off the rear and side glass, and makes keeping it clean a breeze.

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You should just use plain butter or butterfat. Butterfat is what's used in (good) theaters and is the closest to real butter. Butterfat doesn't have colors or milkfat, which may burn in the warmers after awhile, not to mention start to stink up the place. So it's more practical than store butter. It tastes slightly different from store butter, however.

If you really want the true no-compromise theater taste you can make your own butterfat by just heating regular butter and skimming off the foamy stuff.

The other keys to movie theater popcorn are the oil and salt. We used red palm oil but coconut oil is fine. We added enough popcorn salt to the bucket during popping to give it a very lightly salted flavor.

Thinking about it, you could probably use some strained bacon fat to make bacon-flavored popcorn, and/or mix some bacon fat into the butter.

If you use a good oil, that's all you'll really need to do most of the time. As long as the oil you use doesn't thicken up, turn into Bakalite (like Canolla does) or burn, you should be able to just wipe off
the remaining oil and chafe from the seeds. No need to use chemical treatment unless the inside gets grungy. When it does get bad, Gold Metals Heat and Clean does a nice job

You had me at Bacon!

The pros at Detroit Popcorn Company say to simply wipe the interior of the kettle with a terrycloth after it cools down. I beleieve microfiber is the same basic thing.

I worked at Disneyland as a young lad selling popcorn and we cleaned our machines spraying the inside all over with vinegar and wiping it down with paper towels.

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True. Now that I've thought of it, I need to try it out! Just make sure you strain it to remove any particulate because the second cooking in a popper would likely burn the remnants.

I use bacon fat in my bacon macaroni and cheese recipe. The normal recipe requires about a half stick of butter. About 1/2 that in bacon fat does the job of the butter and makes a nice, but not overwhelming bacon flavor.

Bacon fat might catch fire in the high heat of the popcorn popper, as it's smoke point is only 350*F.

If you are going to use it, you should probably only use it as a topping - not as a popping oil !

Totally agree, but ...

BACON man! Popcorn AND bacon? Two of the best foods ever together?

They sell it at those "popcorn factory" stores, and they will even serve it with drizzled dark chocolate....mmmmmm

Has anyone ever tried this "Inside Kettle Cleaner"? https://www.cretors.com/store/catalog.asp?item=162&category_id=156

My Kettle is really gummed up from before I got it and I can't find Heat N Kleen here and the shipping is $25.00 off Amazon.ca

The Creators stuff is crap (just like their kettles). You may need to look up a "Concession Supply" vendor in your area. You can find the Gold Metal Heat and Clean from other vendors.

Example:
http://www.popcornsupply.com/heat-n-kleen

The Downside of Amazon is you May find some things that are hard to get from them, but you don't always get the lowest price or the lowest shipping price.

This is the product I mentioned in an earlier post and can attest to it being a great product. It will make your kettle look brand new with very little work.

Hey Dubbs.....call me a prick but when we mix pinball with popcorn I just blatantly remind all the kids to wipe their hands off with a clean towel before playing the games. I put out a pile of microfiber towels to make it easy for them. Anything that tastes that good cannot be good for us or our machines

I just let the kids (and adults) go crazy with their oily, salty fingers.

It does not hurt the games and it smells better than the kids normally do.

How about a little bit of sticky sugar snacks with that grease . Yes, it helps a lot to wipe down the games with window cleaner after the munchkins leave for sure. But I'm just so exhausted when they finally poop out! I never though this grandfather thing would be so tiring, yet enjoyable anyway.

hi all-this not a popcorn machine but a popcorn dispenser...I love good popcorn but at a party I found it easy to fill with okee dokie cheese popcorn..people love the taste with a root beer out of the bottle..i wanted a 10cent vendor machine but must watch every inch of space..easy clean up and looks killer with warming light on and goes with my tacky tourist trap arcadeDSC00324.JPGDSC00323.JPG

Here's mine

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What kind of fridge is that? I need one of those in my office!

It's horrible
Whatever you do DO NOT BUY one
It looks great by I was fooled picked it up at SAMs club it looks great but is a junk
Gets drinks cool but not cold enough for beer
It's ok I guess for water or sodas still not the greatest
This is it

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0017K82M0/ref=mp_s_a_1_1

I have modified Danby Kegerators that would not get cold enough and they have been getting ice cold for years now.
It is easy just a resistor add in by the temp sensor.
Here is a like with pictures.
http://www.micromatic.com/forum/us-en/kegerators-and-kegerator-kits-home/1114-danby-temperature-modification-question.html?highlight=danby%20resistor

I have same one you have. The first one i hade broke within a month (heating element) replacement has worked for 3 years no problems use it 3-4 times a week. Get the plastic popcorn buckets and use popcorn shovels don't let people Grubb it up

Popcorn machine.... check

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Stern Pinball has lots of popcorn makers!

My daughter is having a movie themed birthday party, and my wife brought up the idea of renting a popcorn machine. I've always wanted one, and it seems like if we are going to spend the money to rent one, it makes more sense just to purchase one. I've read through this entire thread, and it appears that the Great Northern machines are very popular. They certainly are reasonably priced. I like the look of the Paragon machines more, but they are kind of pricey. I've narrowed it down to one of these two machines:

Great Northern Roosevelt (8-ounce):

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QWE6S4/ref=psdc_1090764_t1_B002NLKYPA

Paragon Theater Pop (6-ounce):

http://www.amazon.com/Paragon-TP-6-Theater-6-Ounce-Popcorn/dp/B000212NU2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Why are the Paragon machines so much more money? Are they better quality, or simply overpriced?

Paragon machines are fabricated and assembled in Nevada, (na-VAY-da for you out of staters), Iowa USA and feature a limited lifetime warranty when used in a residential application. The side panels are tempered glass and the machine is well laid out for cleaning and servicing. They are top quality pieces of equipment that should last a lifetime if properly cared for.
Great Northern is the 2000 lb gorilla of popcorn machines, they've been around forever it seems, so it's not like there is anything wrong with their offerings. They just don't play up the "Made in the USA" thing, which may or may not reflect on how much of their machines are fabricated overseas. Either will make a fine batch of popcorn.
Forget Amazon, check out pricing direct from the manufacturer:
http://www.paragonpopcornmachines.com/enter.html
http://www.greatnorthernpopcorn.com/c-11-popcorn-machines.aspx
I purchased my 6 oz Star Wars themed Paragon machine on closeout for less than $400 with cart.

I'm confused. The prices for both machines are quite a bit higher at the links you provided. What's wrong with Amazon?

Go with the great Northern, you won't be disappointed. I also ordered directly from great northern. At the time, the unit with the cart was cheaper through great northern directly.

If amazon has a better price on the same item, go with amazon.

After thinking it over, I've decided to go with this Great Northern model ...

http://greatnorthernpopcorn.com/p-71-great-northern-popcorn-blue-foundation-popcorn-popper-machine-cart-8-ounce.aspx

I just can't justify spending all that money on the Paragon machine when I can buy this one with a cart for half the price. I realize it isn't made as well, but I'm sure it will still make some tasty corn. For this particular machine, the price was actually a bit cheaper when ordering it directly from Great Northern as opposed to Amazon. I chose the blue color because it's a little different. Everyone has a red one.

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