Matinee Popcorn Machine - 8oz Popper with Stainless-Steel Kettle, Reject Kernel Tray, Warming Light, and Accessories by Great Northern Popcorn (Red)

I have been using this machine almost daily for three years. My goal has been to achieve the quintessential movie theater popcorn taste. This machine is brilliant. It does exactly what it should and I have never had any trouble with it. There are a few tricks to get the right result, which I describe below. I am so hooked on real genuine movie theater butter popcorn, I couldn't live without this machine. If you follow these directions, you will have it. You will need kernels, coconut oil, and Flavacol seasoning. I have found that white kernels are the best. There doesn't seem to be any difference in the taste, but the yellow comes out more chewy and tough. The white pops more light and tender. The coconut oil can be white or yellow. Every brand and color I have tried tastes the same. If you use non-coconut oil, your popcorn will taste okay but not the same as the theater. Flavacol is key. You can get close without it, but your popcorn will always be a little off. If you add the right amount of Flavacol to the batch, you will not need salt at all. I get all these ingredients from Amazon. The machine seems to have a brief break-in period. Out of the box, the kettle heated too hot and always smoked and scorched a little. After about two weeks of frequent use, the kettle temperature stopped being quite so hot, but operates at the perfect temperature. I didn't change anything. 1. Turn on all three switches and add 1/3 cup oil and just three kernels of corn to the kettle. Wait for the kettle to heat up (takes one to two minutes). 2. While waiting for the kettle to heat, measure out one cup of kernels. Add one teaspoon of Flavacol directly to the cup of kernels. 3. When the kernels in the kettle start to pop, immediately add the cup of kernels with the Flavacol to the kettle and close the lid and the glass door. 4. When the popping reaches its peak and you notice it slowing down, turn off the kettle heat switch, but leave the other two on. Let it continue to pop. 5. When the popping slows to less than one pop per second, dump the kettle out. While it's turned upside down, give the stirrer a spin with your fingers to knock out any stuck pieces of corn. Return the kettle to upright and turn off the stirrer switch. That's it, it's ready to eat. Keep the heat lamp on to keep the popcorn warm until you empty it out. - For more salty popcorn, use a slightly heaping teaspoon of Flavacol in step 2. - For a smaller batch, the procedure is exactly the same, but use exactly half the ingredient portions I listed above. I host a lot of guests in my home theater and the popcorn I make is famous among my friends. I absolutely love this machine. If I ever had a problem with it, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

I looked and looked at these forever. This one happened to drop on my radar with a fast shipping and a great price point. I would comment on the assembly but I didn't do it. I was fast asleep when my teenage daughter decided to put it together. She didn't seem to have any issues. We have popped dozens of bags of popcorn and I suggest the premeasured ones here on Amazon. If you are looking for that true movie theater popcorn, the pre-measured 8oz packs made by the same brand are awesome! I have tried other brands and this is by far my favorite. If you wanna play chemist, you will need seeds, coconut oil, and Flavacol. It is this combo that makes the true movie theater popcorn, skipping the Flavacol will miss the mark by quite a bit. Cleaning this is a little bit of a chore but I bought a $30 mini-shop vac here on Amazon that I use for cleaning out the machine as well as the area around it. (dedicate one attachment for the inside of the machine, pretty gross to use the same one you clean the floor with.) Haven't read this from anyone yet but, check the floors behind a concession stand at the theater and you will not find it without popcorn on it. Prepare for a tiny sample of that. The inside of this machine makes packing a bucket or bag prohibitive due to it's interior size so you will be scooping and filling up just outside the machine or over the ramp. You will 100% without a doubt, drop some popcorn. I have my little vac but you may want a broom and a scoop depending on the occasion and I even have a little wastebasket below the opening to minimize this. Another suggestion, just buy disposable popcorn bags, they are easier to load, more convenient to clean up after, and they are cheap. The plastic cups accumulate oil and if you happen to be watching a days worth of football and refill the cup a few times, it gets pretty gross with oil and your hands will too. This is going to sound pretty obvious, for popcorn flavoring, do not add it to the kettle, it does not work that way and will burn.... so I hear.... If you are still reading this, you have likely made up your mind but were just looking for a little motivation to pull the trigger. Just do it. My family loves it! My guests have loved it! Hot fresh popcorn blasts chips and dips any day and is so much cooler. When you get adventurous, you can start a collection of the flavor toppings to take it to the next level.

Just used it for the first time today. Super easy set up, and clear instructions. It worked perfectly and made a generous amount of the best popcorn I think I've ever had! Seriously. I bought the flavacol and the Wabash valley farms coconut oil as well. They are a superstar trio. I had really high expectations and it surpassed them. You won't be disappointed. EDIT: It's been over a year. I use this machine weekly, and have used it for events as well. It's a wonderful machine. I now only use normal costco coconut oil and the flavocol. Winning combo. Everyone loves it. Its unfortunate that the ratings are effected by those that say they buy it exclusively for schools or fundraising, then complain about the size. If it's meant to make an income, you need to spend the money for the machine that would be better suited for that. This one can put it out, but is not meant for commercial use. Bottom line I LOVE this machine. Works great, easy to maintain and makes the best popcorn ever in just minutes.

Llegó bien empacada y llegó sin daños y completa, me encantó, se ve primorosa, además las palomitas quedan deliciosas y la ollita calienta muy bien, en 3 minutos quedan y con los condimentos adecuados, me saben a palomitas de Cine, estoy muy satisfecha con la compra. Ya q compre la base y las plantitas están chulas con su gabinete y compartimiento.

Es una maravilla de palomera, crea excelentes momentos en familia, aún no me salen las palomitas tan crujientes como en el cine o las de olla o microondas, pero sigo haciendo mis pruebas.

Someone said to start with the little screws for the bottom panel and that person was right. So frustrating not to have any instructions. My popper from the same cie fit perfectly

El sabor de la palomita es muy bueno, el maiz explota bien, tiene la temperatura correcta, el producto llegó bien embalado, con todas las piezas y accesorios, hasta ahora todo bien. Buena compra