You won't be disappointed. I had the same concerns as you, that the Great Northern machine would be lower quality, but I honestly think it's great quality. It's a popcorn machine, not a sherman tank.

I think the longevity of them has more to do with how you take care of them. Mine still looks brand new, and we've done over 100 batches of popcorn already. We do at least 2-3 a week, and did 4-5 a day during the holidays when we had family in town.

Now I need to order some supplies. I think I'd rather go with the pre-measured packs than messing around with the corn, oil, Flavocol, etc ... Is there any particular brand that you guys recommend?

I use the great northern brand ones, it comes with everything including the Flavacol.

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Northern-Popcorn-Portion-Counts/dp/B000PDY3HI/ref=sr_1_4

I use these too and they are great. Too much salt flavoring though IMO so I just use maybe a little over half of what they give you. Better than the movie theaters!

Well, I changed my mind yet again and went with a red model after all. I just placed the order. It will be here on Friday ...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WETCO4/ref=od_aui_detailpages00

Princeton Popper.jpg

After reading this thread I replaced my 2-3oz 'novelty' popper with an 8oz Paducah. I also picked up a big jar of Great Northern coconut oil and Flavacol...taste difference is incredible!

The problem with popcorn is those buttery fingers.

I ordered the 4 oz size instead. It has salt inside with the popping corn but does it have Flavacol? I also ordered Flavacol and I've tried it with and without. Both good just a little saltier with obviously.
I noticed the link you posted it appears there's 3 compartments. The 4 oz ones have only 2.

No, the 4 oz ones have three compartments also. They are exactly the same as the 8 oz packs, just with half the ingredients ...

4oz pack.jpg

I have almost the exact same one and we have popped 75lbs of popcorn so far. I did replace two rocker switches but other than that it just works and still looks good.

Gweem. I bought those exact 4 oz packs. They work great. A little butter on top after it pops and it's just like the movies

Back when I got my machine I read a bunch of stuff over at the AVS forums about popcorn. I coudn't find a solid opinion as to which was best between the 'big three': Greater Northern, Gold Medal Megapop, and Country Harvest. Each has people saying it's the best thing EVAR -- so I've been trying them each a case at a time. They're all just fine and don't really seem different to me.

We do the "Super-Kist Two" (NOT THE non-trans-fat kind - that's horrible) for 'butter flavor topping' and use a cheap ketchup bottle in a baby bottle warmer to heat it up for applying. It's pretty trailer park fabulous.

I'm also on my second machine. We got a flimsy 4oz costco special from my wifes parents when we finished our basement. We used it a lot and it did fine, but 4oz is too small for a batch for a family of 4 so we were always making two. So when we replaced it, I didn't pull any punches, we got a 8oz paragon from a local distro with a cash discount. It's fantastic.

_{Post edited by epthegeek: LOL, whoops. AVN != AVS}

I read some of those threads over at AVS Forum as well. Last night, I ordered a case of Gold Medal and a case of Great Northern. The Gold Medal was actually a much better value at only $27.50 for a 24 pack (8 oz. size). The Great Northern was the same price for a 24 pack of the 6 oz. size.

I bought these packs (24x 4oz for $22), and they only have two compartments. Am I shortchanging myself? I think the popcorn tastes great, but maybe I haven't developed my palate enough.
http://www.amazon.com/24-5-4-oz-Snap-Paks-Poppers-Flavored/dp/B0038AM3W2/ref=pd_sim_gro_1

BTW, now that I look again, these look like the same thing for $17.
http://www.amazon.com/Benchmark-40004-Popcorn-Portion-Popper/dp/B0040BGZJU/ref=pd_sbs_gro_2

Depending on the brand, some of them package the salt in with the kernels. It all goes in at the same time, so it's not a problem.

We actually make 4 Flavacols. Regular, Better Butter, Premier, and Reduced Sodium. I work for Gold Medal.

I just bought a Funtime 8 oz commercial bar style popcorn machine, when the popcorn is being pop, some of the unpop kernels comes out of the top, is this normal.

Those Great Northern machines are all Chinese made.

Only USA made poppers are Gold Medal, Paragon and Cretors.

As I stated above, I'm not fooling myself into the thinking that the Great Northern poppers are built nearly as well as their more expensive counterparts. For me, it was a trade off I was willing to make in order to get a machine with the look and features I wanted at a price point I could live with. If the Great Northern machines didn't get such good reviews, I wouldn't have bought one. Most people seem to really like them, so I'm assuming it will be good enough for my family's casual use.

Which kind is in the pop packs? Regular?

Yeah, the violence of the popping kernels sometimes flings others out of the kettle.

I think you are talking about the corn/oil/salt kits when you say pop packs. If the company selling the kits is using our Flavacol, it will state it on the kit. It is the best. Most of the kits I have seen in this thread probably do not actually contain Flavacol. Other companies make a similiar fine grade popcorn salt with similar properties. The Mega Pop Brand portion packs is Gold Medal's corn/oil/salt kits and they use real Flavacol. If you want the best, in my opinion, get the Mega Pop kits. Some other companies that are partners with our corn processors buy our Flavacol and use it in their packs. It would be our original Flavacol, which is the theatre industry standard all over the world. If you see Grand Rapids or Funtastic, this is orignal Flavacol that we private label for them.

The green box, Better Butter, is a creamier country style butter. I like it, but original is mostly used. Premier Flavacol is like original but does not contain Yellow #5 or #6. We basically made it to sell to Europe.

If you want the best home popper for your game room, in my opinion, get a FunPop 4oz machine. Commercial grade and much less expensive than OUR other machines.

If you have any other popcorn questions, shoot em at me. I have been in the concession business for about 6 years.

What kind and size of bags would you recommend for home use, and where is a good place to buy them?

I am sure that popper will do absolutely fine for a game room and light use! I am glad you do like it.

We have a corporate branch, Gold Medal Chicago, in Bensenville. This looks to be about 30 minutes from you. They deliver too. Give them a ring 630-860-2525

An inexpensive bag like this would be fine for home use. Holds about 1oz of popcorn, which is a 32oz drink cup filled up. The branch will have all options for you to see too.

http://www.gmpopcorn.com/products/product-description.cfm?pid=1867

I actually meant the mega pop when I said 'pop packs' - sorry for the confusion. What I was meaning is the Gold Medal packs have regular flavacol vs the better butter.

Regular.

Pinside cost me a bunch of cash again! The Great Northern Lincoln went on sale on Amazon so I snagged it. So far I'm super happy with it. I bought Great Northerns pre packaged along with all the ingredients to do it separate. I figured I would save a lot of money that way. The pre packaged one tastes better, not sure what ingredient is different. I'm using the original Flavacol and pure coconut oil. The pre packaged batches come out a little yellow and more flavorful. I wonder if it's more oil?

How long does the stuff stay good for? I have batch I made yesterday sitting in there. I don't feel like making a whole batch. Worst that could happen is it tastes a little stale right?

I'm pretty sure it's because the oil in the pre-measured packs is butter flavored.

Yeah, we snack on leftovers for like a week if we don't finish it off right away. No harm, no foul.

The blue looks really nice. I think you'll be happy with it and agree about justifying the cost. I haven't had mine long as evidenced by this thread, but as my wife and her family said, "This popcorn is like crack!". It seems to be fine for home use once a week but not sure about the long term and certainly if you were a business you'd go with one of the US made commercial units.

Anyone want some coconut oil sticks for popcorn machines? I have a bunch to get rid of - will send a batch to UPS street addresses - PM me your addy.

I set my machine up last night, and the popcorn packs just arrived today. I'm ready to start popping some corn, but the oil is still rock solid from sitting outside in the cold. Can I put a rock solid chunk of oil in the machine, or do I need warm it up a bit first? Also, can I just dump everything in at once, or should you heat up the oil first before adding the corn?

You can throw the solid oil and and let the kettle melt it - then when it's fully liquid (don't wait any longer than you have to) dump in the salt & kernels together.

Cool. Should I let the empty kettle heat up first before even putting the oil in? When should I turn on the mixer? You can tell I'm new at this.

On my paragon, the kettle and the stirring rod are on the same switch so they always go on together. Generally I'd say it's better to move the solid lump around than let it sit, so turn 'em both on even if individually controlled. An no, I don't let the kettle heat up first before throwing in the cold/solid oil.

I've done it both ways. Now I just put the pack in my pocket before and that melts the oil.

It just dawned on me to read the directions on the back of the packs. I have both Great Northern and Gold Medal packs. Interestingly, they have very different directions. They both say you should pre-heat the kettle, but Great Northern recommends 5-7 minutes, whereas Gold Medal recommends 3-4 minutes. Gold Medal then advocates melting the oil before adding the other ingredients. Then, they want you to only put in three kernels, and wait until they pop before adding the rest. Great Northern says to just dump everything in at the same time. It probably doesn't make much of a difference.

Okay, I just made my first batch. I used the Gold Medal pack and followed the exact instructions on the back. The good news is that the popcorn is excellent ... nice and crispy with just the right amount of seasoning. The bad news is that there were a ton of unpopped kernels. I feel like I didn't quite squeeze all the oil out of the bag, so this could be partially to blame.

You can't really compare it to what you are used to as far as unpopped kernels (old maids). I was surprised by it too. You get what seems like a ton of them. I got in the habit of tossing the popped corn around with the scoop to help the old maids fall in the drawer.

The way I do it is to turn the kettle and stirrer on, squeeze in the oil, wait a few minutes then pour in the kernels and salt.

Here's a pic of my Gold Medal popcorn machine at the soda fountain in The Hot Rod Grille garage gameroom.

Jim

Fountain view.jpg

Gold Medal equipment is worth every penny you pay.

Still have some free popcorn coconut oil sticks. Anyone else?

Dont have a pic, but Sams Club has a retro full size air popper on clearance for $49....also a cool looking retro candy machine.. Got both. Bought the air popper to replace the messy oil popper. Sold out in Michigqn, my snowbird father snagged me one in florida.

Air popper? Bleche!

Gold Medal

= China

i have this machine here

but realy a good machine

My Gold Medal popper was made in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

I posted a pic earlier of my Gold Medal popcorn popper at the gameroom soda fountain. Here is the 10-cent hot popcorn vendor that is also in The Hot Rod Grille garage gameroom. I does not actually pop the corn, but has a heating element to keep the pre-popped corn ready to vend. Deposit a dime in the coin chute and a cup will drop to the vend space and fill with hot popcorn. It's a lot of fun at parties to watch folks use the vendor. Much like the excitement when they get a soda from the 10-cent Pepsi machine.

Jim

popcorn vendor 1.jpgpopcorn vendor 2.jpg

We manufacture in Cincinnati OH. We make over 118 different popcorn machines alone. 2 are made in China and it sounds like you have one. The Fun Pop 4oz and Fun Pop 8oz. Still the same commercial grade kettle used in every other machine we make. The kettles are assembled in the US, the popper is just put together in China to complete with low cost Chinese knock offs. It has a less durable cabinet. It is actually still a great machine and still commercial grade. I have one and love it. Also rumor has it that soon we will be manufacturing the Fun Pops on our lines in Cincy, since the price of Chinese manufacturing has changed over the last decade.