I read most of Slate's articles on unimportant things like who's going to be the next President and don't say anything. But diss my favorite popcorn popper, and I have to register and comment.

A Presto air popper tasting better than a Stir Crazy? Are you nuts? I am a big popcorn fan and that's like blasphemy to me. I turn my nose up at microwave popcorn, and when I tried a Presto a few years ago for health reasons (no oil) I eventually had to give it up because it just didn't have any taste. But Stir Crazy? Now that's popcorn. It takes a little longer, it is certainly less healthy, but it tastes much, much better than an air popper.

I have to admit I have not tried most of the poppers in the article, but I have certainly tried a Presto air popper and a Stir Crazy - in fact I've been using a Stir Crazy since my mom made it for me as a young child. And I can say with confidence that if you think Presto air popper pocorn tastes better than Stir Crazy, you're out of your mind.

I could not agree more! The Stir Crazy is by far the best popper - definitely worth the wait for well popped, tasty corn. You'll never want microwave again. I come from a long-line of "popcorn snobs" and have been using it for years, frequently have people ask for my "special" popcorn and was even paid for it once by people in college desparate for a post-bar snack.

If you had trouble with the kernels getting stuck, try tightened the rotating arm. As for melting butter - do that separately and then poor over the popcorn when its done, you get far better distribution and less mess.

I AGREE so wholeheartedly Stir Crazy superior to an air popper that I had to go sign up for an account and post this comment.

Though I've been reading Slate for years now. I finally signed up for an account just for this topic. The Stir Crazy pops better popcorn. The article is flawed and it's flawed about something silly. Popcorn is silly, but people who love it, love it. I love popcorn. Stir Crazy makes great popcorn.

It's weird, but I almost want a retraction. I want a way for them to say: "We made a mistake, Stir Crazy works great and tastes great and we're wrong." I know they won't, and they shouldn't. However, I'm glad that the Fray offers some validation.