Back to Basics Stainless Steel Stove-Top Popper

I almost did not purchase this popcorn maker after reading all of the complaints about the lid not fitting properly. But I went ahead with the purchase and am glad that I did.

When first taken out of the box, it is true that the side of the lid that opens on a hinge was not fitting well. It had to be pushed into place and fit tightly against the side of the pot. But I soon found that there is a lot of wiggle room in the lid's hinges. Lifting up on the spring clamp that holds the lid on allows the lid to be slid slightly one way or the other to give the proper fit. And as others have said, nearly every kernel pops, and the popcorn is great.

While this does a great job of popping popcorn, it is cheaply made and literally fell apart after just a few uses. Very poorly made.

I have loved popcorn all my life, have used every method including fire place poppers. This is the ultimate popcorn popper! I have gone through countless aluminum ones. This is no more difficult to assemble than they, no more hassle to wash, lid stays in place perfectly and there is never more than a kernel or two left unpopped. It is heavy, won't warp, can be used on ceramic stove top, no aluminum health scares. Simply the best! Price was great especially considering not having to replace it again.
Thank you, Back to Basics!!!
Gigi

We started off with the aluminum version of this pan and it was not made for a lot of use. It was a novelty item. It broke after about 8 months, but just as well. We were nervous about cooking in aluminum anyway. Then we happened to see this stainless steel version and we were thrilled! It is much more sturdy than the aluminum and its so much safer to cook in stainless steel. If you want to control what goes into and onto your popcorn, buy this pan and get some organic kernels to pop. In under 10 minutes, you will have great popcorn! I recommend a medium flame or equivalent on electric ranges. We've have this pan for several years now and nothing's broke on it. Its sturdy, which is a good thing. We use it often.

I researched a lot and settled on this popper because I wanted stainless steel. I havent had the lid problems others have described, though based on how its just a stamped piece of steel and roughly thrown together (its $[...] bucks) it does feel like maybe I could have got lucky and got a good one.

I wonder if a few heat cycles will make it start to stay open, its fairly thin and overall the fit of the lid and latching mechanism is pretty poor, but once again I didnt expect a micro engineered work of art for what this thing cost.

Works great, heats up quick and so far has left exactly zero kernels un- popped. If your wondering about one of these things and how they compare to microwave popcorn...forget about it...NO comparison. Very tasty. Recommended.