Family-sized batches: The 5.7-litre chamber turns out more than twenty cups - roughly six quarts - in a single five to seven minute run, which is enough for a full living room rather than one person's bowl.

Rolling stir stick: An 800W element under a food-grade aluminium alloy plate does the heating while a motorised stirrer keeps sweeping the kernels across it. Nothing settles long enough to catch, so you get very few burnt or unpopped kernels at the bottom.

Pop with or without oil: It will pop dry for a lighter snack, but the design also lets you add oil, sugar or cheese during the run so the seasoning coats the corn as it opens instead of sitting on top.

Lid doubles as the serving bowl: The clear dome that traps the popcorn while it cooks lifts off, flips over and goes straight to the table as the bowl - no separate dish and nothing to tip out.

Roasts coffee beans too: Sanford rate the same heated plate and stirrer for roasting coffee beans, which makes it a genuinely dual-purpose machine rather than a single-trick snack maker.

Detachable plate for washing: The heating plate lifts out so you can wash it properly instead of wiping around a fixed pan, and the non-slip rubber feet keep the unit planted while the stirrer is running.