Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We thought this popper was just the trick for making stove-top popcorn quickly, but we've since gone back to more traditional stovetop technique. We don't own a microwave and our air-popper was too much hassle. But since we bought the Whirley Pop, we have popcorn almost more often (it's a great snack for hungry toddlers). This makes popcorn very quickly, taking us from craving to finished popcorn in about 3 minutes. However, here are a few considerations before you click 'Buy'. First, it's aluminum. Aluminum is a known toxin and aluminum cookware has been linked to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and other diseases. Second, the bottom of the pan is rather thin and deforms from the rapid heating and cooling. Next, the texture of the popcorn we get from the popper is a little mushier than typical stovetop popcorn (just like movie theatre popcorn). Finally, despite the stirring mechanism, you still have to time it just right to pop most of the kernels without burning anything. Frankly, you already have a popcorn maker better than this one in your house. It's your 6-quart pot. Add oil, popcorn, and shake, shake, shake...