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

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.

So far and overall, this machine works very well and as I’d expect. It was very easy to assemble, took only about 10 minutes, plus 5-10 more taking my time to wipe everything clean. Everything comes mostly assembled, you just have to apply the kettle, the glass door, and the little kernel drawer at the bottom. It’s exciting to watching the popping process. We’re movie and popcorn lovers, and plan to host movie nights with friends and family. This machine will make providing popcorn for bigger groups more exciting and more efficient. I’ll update when we host our first movie party. It pops very well, and quickly! In my photo you can see quite a few kernels in the mix. I think it’s because I didn’t know that you should let the oil heat for about 3 min before adding kernels. I just dumped everything in once the oil melted. I got the Great Northern brand popcorn packs, it gives authentic movie theatre popcorn flavor in combination with the machine. I plan to experiment with my own recipes as well, including kettle corn (white sugar) and caramel popcorn (brown sugar). There are just a few features that could use a little bit more quality improvement. The glass door is a tad offset, but if you lift it up on the hinge a bit at a slight angle, it’s aligned. Also the little opener at the bottom opens easily but squeaks as you close it, and it tends to pop out of place easily which is just kind of annoying. However, these aren’t dealbreakers for me, and it’s a beautiful appliance. I chose the black and silver since I have black accents in my farmhouse kitchen and stainless steel appliances. It matches very well! It also fits on my Amazon Basics narrow shelving perfectly.

This machine is a work horse my grandkids use it daily sometimes it's used twice a day no complaints at all

Maybe this is obvious to folks who make stovetop popcorn, but I'll share my story for any other newbies interested in this machine. I excitedly unboxed everything when the machine arrived and was able to put it together very quickly. The included bags and scoop were a nice touch. The included measuring utensils would have been more helpful if they were marked, or if their use was referenced in the instructions. After assembling and wiping the surfaces down, I followed the instructions in the manual by adding 1/2 Tbsp of the buttery coconut oil I had ordered (the maximum amount that should be used according to the manual), waiting for it to warm up, then pouring in a cup of the new kernels I had just bought. The kernels started popping and I waited for them to start spilling out of the kettle, but that didn't happen. When the popping stopped, I tipped the kettle over and was disappointed to find that over half of the kernels didn't pop. Disappointed, I chalked it up to a learning curve then noticed the instructions printed on the machine itself (which are hard to read because they are just black text on clear glass) say to use 1 TBSP of oil for every 1/2 cup of kernels. Despite this being double the amount that the manual said not to exceed, I tried it but still ended up with 1/2 the kernels not popped. I went to the Great Northern website to look for troubleshooting tips and found instructions stating to use 1/3 cup of oil with 1 cup of kernels. This is more than 10 times the amount of oil the manual says not to exceed! However, I gave it a try and this time I got the results I was looking for. I also used Flavacol seasoning for the full-blown movie theater experience. Next I'm going to try some mushroom kernels and make caramel corn!

I have had this model for a few years. Just bought another one for customer lounge. Very solid, works as it should.

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.

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.

El producto llega muy protegido a tiempo y es exactamente como se muestra en las imágenes lo recomiendo 100 %

This popcorn machine is very nice. Some buyers mentioned the door has a gap, that's true and is a design oversight. I had to move the magnet further back for the door to close properly by unscrewing the magnet on one side. The kettle takes getting used to (removing and installing it) it doesn't go in and out very easily - in part because the kettle has to be installed sideways instead of frontal installation like larger machine for this type of kettle. Make no mistake this machine pops popcorn very well providing instructions are followed and good quality popcorn is used. Cleaning is a breeze because of the high grade material used for the glass and the large kettle size makes it easy to clean the inside. I had a 2.5oz machine and 'glass' was made of plastic and was impossible to clean. I do recommend this machine. The look is very nice, professional and I'm happy with it, price paid 201$ CAD.

El producto es tal cual se muestra en imágenes, me encantó!. Llegó en perfectas condiciones, súper protegido y con manuales en inglés. Funciona muy adecuadamente.