I was going to go for the chopping board but then read the comments from the last sale. I'm going to pass - seems like they're not very quality.

Previous Sale

anyone have any experiences with the popcorn maker? I love the idea

mrsque wrote:anyone have any experiences with the popcorn maker? I love the idea

We have almost the exact same machine in our home theater. I believe ours is the smaller version (6 cups?). Ours uses 1/2 cup of kernels and 1 TBSP of oil per batch.

Bottom line - we love it. I think we got it on clearance for around $50 or $60 from Sam's Club (down from $100 or so). So, this is probably a decent deal (if it IS in fact larger than ours). We usually do 2 batches for movie night for a family of 4, so this one (again if it is larger) would save us some time.

This is an Oil popper (not air) just like the theaters. We use Orville Redenbacher popping oil. Sometimes we add a little coconut oil (that's the movie theater secret...), but don't notice that much of an improvement in taste to keep it stocked. Add some flavored powdered toppings and it's awesome!

There are better ones out there (I think in the 900 - 1200 watt range), but expect to pay upwards of $300 - $400. This should do well for home use. The only downside is it's very hard to keep clean. I take the kettle apart every so often and give it a REALLY good cleaning.

Good luck!

Popcorn machine has a five-star rating at Overstock
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Waring-Pro-WPM55SA-Black-Popcorn-Maker/6030835/product.html#product-detail

Tea Kettle is CHEAPER and qualifies for Super Saver (free) shipping on Amazon. http://amzn.to/YhE3Mg.

Pulled the trigger on the popcorn maker....had to when I saw they were shipping to Alaska!

Wish I would've known this popcorn maker was going to be on here. I bought a crappier one for close to the same price around Christmas. This one makes more, and actually has a heat lamp.

On the pop corn maker - finding it hard to get a review for this EXACT model? and or price comparison?

click here

Other reviews elsewhere hover between 4.5 and 5 stars.

This model has 600w motor and "up to 12" cups of popped corn.

Listed for close to $300, the discounted "real" price price seems to be $140-150.

At this price, for this capacity and wattage plus a clean-out tray, all the scoops and warming light, this seems very hard to beat elsewhere. Plus even at the higher prices you will have a hard time finding it in stock.

This probably won't last long.

After many pop corn makers, the two I have that I love are a special (out of stock) plastic bowl (with sealed/imbedded metal insert) that allows you to make your own gourmet popcorn using your own oil in the microwave but it makes very small portions. (1-2 persons)
The other it's an older carousel-type teflon coated thing with a rotating stirrer that makes great popcorn but can not be immersed in water for cleaning (wipe only)- it only makes 6 qt of popcorn. Got it here at Woot.
This one is perfect for entertaining, home theater, and it makes a fair amount of pop corn for a family of 4 (to have several servings while watching a movie) in one shot or one serving for more.
The kettle comes off for complete cleaning and so do the doors.

For the price, I jumped at this!
Yes you can get more capacity or higher wattage but expect to pay $300 or more.

Good Woot!
Some popcorn "tips":
- I no longer use "pre-packaged pocorn, it's fresher, better tasting and cheaper to buy your own popcorn.
- "gourmet style" popcorn can cost a smidgen more but it will taste better, and pop bigger. Beware you usually have to reduce amount used by 20-30% because it yields more than regular.
- Using your own (not prepackaged) also allows you to cut the portions and make LESS popcorn when you have less guests.
- I use Olive Oil on the aforementioned two poppers. Olive Oil is the healthiest oil but it has a low smoking point. Works perfectly with aforementioned two poppers. I intend to use it with this Waring popper- should it prove to smoke (if the kettle generates a higher temperature) then I will just cut the olive oil with another type - peanut or whatever.
- I like adding stuff to the oil - ranging from salt, powder garlic, powdered onion, pepper, etc - you name it as long as it is a dry condiment you can add it to the oil.
- Love to hear any other recipes or tips.

The wine chiller gets terrible reviews on Amazon. It is cheaper too.
http://www.amazon.com/Waring-PC100-Wine-Chiller/product-reviews/B000I14CA0/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt/191-4752940-0514764?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Re the waring chiller

This thing is completely useless. I got one for a Christmas gift and ended up throwing it away because it was so bad at chilling wine. Do not buy it

I picked up the bamboo work station/cutting board last time it was up, in spite of the comments. I really do love it, actually, but I don't use the thing as intended. At all.

It's true that the silicone measuring cups stand higher than the board when stacked, so for scrapping your chopped food into any but the largest, the system is a bit rubbish. As ordinary prep bowls/measuring cups, though, the cups are great and attractive, and worth having in the kitchen.

For the board itself: I love having a raised surface on the too-low table in my kitchen. I place a plate or low bowl half-way under the side, and scrape chopped food right off into that. It's a much easier target than the tiny hole in the board, anyway.

And as for the built-in hole that's so useless as a food receptacle? I stuck a plant in it. My pet bamboo thinks its new home is incredibly classy.

Alton Brown is coming? Get the popcorn maker, Alton loves a multi-tasker, you can also use it toast breadcrumbs or to keep small rodents or even as a fish tank if you have some really good duck tape.