Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First things first - FORGET about the reviews for this product stating that it doesn't pass the "pinch test." For those of you who want to know why, see the bottom paragraph for an explanation. Beyond that, this is a great unit! I've also seen review photos with scorched and burnt bottoms. Those are obviously from users not following the instructions. It clearly states that NO oil works the best, and it does. When properly filled, and placed in a powerful 1,000+ watt microwave oven, this popcorn popper works great! I wait until I hear about two or three seconds between pops, and I stop it. I see about one tablespoon of un-popped kernals (two when filled to the top line), but I'm using rather old popcorn. Even if that's normal, I don't care. The popcorn tastes GREAT! I even use the same bowl to serve the popcorn, contrary to what some people say. Sure, it's not a hard sturdy bowl. Just be careful, and you can eat right from the popper itself. Easy to clean, inexpensive, easy to store, and works great every time. I couldn't give it anything less than five stars. Now, for the science buffs, the reason you don't need to worry about the "pinch test" failures you read about in other reviews: I did some research. I found out that the presence of some white or translucent silicone during a "pinch test" can be quite normal for this type of product. The tensile strength of the silicone used is a factor. When you stretch silicone, it can pull the color pigments in such a way that translucent silicone appears. All food grade silicone starts out as clear or white and then it is colored. Therefore, the product might show some translucent or white silicone when it's stretched. That doesn't mean it's no good, or unsafe, it's just not deeply colored. So, don't believe the conspiracy idiots who haven't done their research. They only follow . . . not research. It's BPA-free, and 100% safe to use. And, personally, I find absolutley no added flavor, good or bad, coming from this popper. You're welcome.