The Best Popcorn Maker – How Do You Choose?
By Ann Tenzer
Making popcorn is a simple task and yet a complicated one. There are dozens of ways to do one simple task, pop the corn.
There are many different popcorn makers too. Some of them use hot oil to pop the corn, others use hot air, and some actually vibrate the molecules of the corn till they heat up and pop – that’s how it’s done in a microwave oven. All of them really do the same thing, heat up the moisture in the corn until it turns to steam and explodes the kernel.
It’s really very cool, and it’s been done for centuries!
Since there are so many ways to pop popcorn, there are many different popcorn makers on the market. Let’s look at some things to consider before buying a popcorn maker.
As mentioned before, there are popcorn makers that use hot air to pop popcorn and others that use oil. Some of them also will use various means to add seasoning or butter to the popcorn. Many authorities contend that the hot air poppers are a healthier option than the oil popcorn makers.
The way that hot air poppers pop the popcorn is simply by generating hot air and blowing it by the kernels till they are heated up to the point of exploding. Yes, the hot air popper pops corn without oil, but there is a trade off — the corn does tend to be a little bit on the dry side, and lacks some of the flavor that oil imparts.
If you like popcorn that’s made in a hot air popper that’s fine, just understand that you trade something off in order to reap the health benefits. In this case, many people think hot air popped corn sacrifices taste.
The more traditional way to pop popcorn is with oil. This can be accomplished on a stove top, or with a popcorn maker. What is the best popcorn maker is a matter of opinion, but the hot oil poppers have remained a standby for decades.
Nowadays some people are concerned with possible negative health effects of cooking anything — and that goes for popcorn, too — in oil. One way to combat any negative health aspects is to use healthy oils. Consider cold process coconut oil or olive oil.
A microwave oven can also be used to make popcorn, and many people think it’s the greatest popcorn popper ever conceived! Most people already already have a microwave at home. Also, many work places offer a microwave for use of their employees so they can make popcorn in the break room.
When using a microwave to make your popcorn, you will need special popcorn, not the bulk kind. This is known as Microwave Popcorn, and comes in special packaging that is designed to not burn the corn in the microwave. I guess I would not suggest buying a microwave simply to pop popcorn, since your choices in popcorn are limited and the gourmet or heirloom varieties will not be available in this form.
But if you want ease and no mess, you’ll find the microwave option to be a good fit for you. All that needs to be done to use a microwave as a popcorn makers is to put the microwave popcorn package inside the microwave and set it for the appropriate time. When the bell dings you have hot steaming popcorn.
The package for microwave popcorn even serves as the serving container, so when you’re done with your treat you just throw the bag away. No clean up!
When I was a kid my grandparents had an old fashioned popcorn popper that we used over an open fire. It was a metal popper that had a long handle on it and you could make very tasty popcorn with it very easily. You could use this popper over your fireplace, or it’s particularly good over a campfire!
When you’re ready buy, there are many places to look. Online offers many resources, and there are also your local appliance stores. Even hardware stores are a good place to look. If you’re interested in a commercial popcorn popper the options will be narrower, but again online there are many places to look. Also check out the Costco’s and Sam’s Clubs in your area.
When looking for the best popcorn maker for you, you’ll also want to consider the maintenance and upkeep involved. Think about what it will take to clean it!
My family and I have really enjoyed the Stir Crazy popcorn maker. This one uses oil, but you can use as little as one tablespoon and still have a large batch of tasty, tender popcorn. We’ve enjoyed it so much that over the past 18 years, we’ve worn out 3 of them!