You may be using too high a heat. I've found the highest setting on my stovetop makes it a pretty high probability some popped kernels will burn (or many if I make a mistake) but a lower setting is sufficient to pop almost every kernel and reduce the risk of burning with techniques people describe in other posts. The air popper I tried tended to leave quite a few unpopped kernels with the same corn kernels I use on the stove top.