Introducing: The Best Popcorn Poppers
Popcorn is the most awesome snack ever invented because it’s so versatile. You can make it sweet. You can make it light and healthy. Or, you can squirt butter and salt all over it and indulge.
If you run a little street food stand and you want to rake in a little more money, investing in a commercial popcorn popper is a smart idea. Popcorn never goes out of style. Plus, the smell attracts customers – and makes their stomachs rumble with hunger.
If you’re just looking for a new way to make popcorn at home, you have a lot of options. But whatever you do, stop buying those microwavable popcorn packs and check out our list of the best popcorn poppers.
BEST POPCORN MAKERS ON THE MARKET TODAY
IMAGE
MODEL
PRICE
The Numbers
- Pops 18 cups of popcorn in less than 3 minutes
- 120 volts, 60 hertz
- It’s 14 inches tall, 9 inches wide
- 1 year limited warranty
- 3 year warranty
- Available in 3 different sizes: 4 oz, 6 oz and 8 oz
- The 4 oz version produces 92 bags of popcorn per hour
- Modeled after popcorn machines built 100 years ago
- The poppers weighs 40-46 pounds, but it weighs more with the cart
- Popcorn is ready to eat in under 3 minutes
- Whirley-Pop has been at it for over 30 years
- 25 year warranty
- 4 steam vents prevent pressure build up
- Makes 24 cups of popcorn at a time
- Weighs 11.25 pounds
- Dimensions: 23.5″ H x 11.8″ W x 10.25″ D
- Model: HKP-200
- 30 day satisfaction guarantee
- Makes 8 cups per batch
- Comes with 150 letters that you can stick to the marquee
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Prepackaged Microwavable Popcorn Packs Might Be Dangerous
If you keep up with health trends, you may sometimes find yourself wondering: Is there any type of snack food doesn’t slowly kill you?
Prepackaged popcorn was a big thing in the 90s and the early 2000s. But then a study came out in 2007 that suggested that fumes produced by artificial butter could be dangerous. Factory workers that spend lots of time around artificial butter fumes develop lung problems.
Luckily, There’s a Ton of Other Ways to Pop Corn
Ways to Pop Corn
Air Popcorn Poppers
When air poppers first came out in the mid-80s, they created a sensation. Making popcorn with these cookers was a whole lot of fun.
If you were a kid in the 80s, you probably remember the first time you saw one of these popcorn poppers in action. First, the kernels rattle around . Then, they explode out of the plastic chute and into the bowl. The popcorn comes out slow at first. You had to act fast to snatch up the initial pieces before your siblings ate them up.
When air poppers first came out in the mid-80s, they created a sensation. Making popcorn with these cookers was a whole lot of fun.
If you were a kid in the 80s, you probably remember the first time you saw one of these popcorn poppers in action. First, the kernels rattle around . Then, they explode out of the plastic chute and into the bowl. The popcorn comes out slow at first. You had to act fast to snatch up the initial pieces before your siblings ate them up.
Biggest Advantage:
- The healthiest way to make popcorn is with an air popper.
Biggest Disadvantage:
- Some people don’t like air popped popcorn because they think it’s too dry and flavorless.
Stovetop Popcorn Cookers
Product tester Wayne Schmidt recently asked the question: which type of kernel tastes the best? In order to reach an answer, he tried 20 different types of popcorn kernels. At the end of the test, he decided that all the popcorn kernels he tested tasted pretty much the same. Though his results were a little disappointing, he did reach one interesting conclusion. According to Schmidt, the best way to make popcorn is a stovetop model.
These poppers are somewhat old-fashioned, but they work quite well. Before the microwave, stovetop popcorn poppers were the default way to cook popcorn at home. You can get very delicious popcorn out of a traditional stovetop style popcorn cooker.
In order to make popcorn this way, though, you do need to use a small amount of oil. The oil adds calories, but if tastiness is your priority you may want to experiment with cooking popcorn the stovetop way.
Biggest Advantage:
- Manufacturers have had plenty of time to master stovetop popcorn cookers. Low quality stovetop cookers exist, but most work very well.
Biggest Disadvantage:
- Popcorn made over the stove isn’t exactly bad for you, but it isn’t super healthy either.
Glass Popcorn Machines
If you like using your microwave to quickly heat up your kernels but you’re sick of paying extra for prepackaged microwavable bags, you may want to buy yourself a glass popcorn cooker. Since 2007, the sales of these models have been picking up. If you’re used to eating microwave popcorn but you’re worried about the health risks, switching to a glass version could be the easiest way to change your popcorn eating habits.
The glass popper is a simple device. It doesn’t have any moving parts, so it’ll never stop working as long as you take care of it. Also, glass is perfectly safe for microwave cooking. Glass will never leach chemicals into your popcorn. Another thing that’s great about glass popcorn poppers is that they are pretty easy to clean. If you cook popcorn in a stovetop pan, it could burn or stick to the pan if you don’t stir it around every once in awhile. But with a glass microwavable cooker, you’ll never have that problem.
The biggest issue with these poppers is that they’re delicate. If you stick it in in the dishwasher, it could chip. And if you drop it on a hard surface, it’ll break
Biggest Advantage:
- Glass popcorn poppers don’t having any moving parts that can wear out or break.
Biggest Disadvantage:
- If you drop your glass popcorn popper on the floor, it’ll shatter into lots of tiny pieces.
Commercial Popcorn Machines
If you like attending public events like fairs and carnivals, why not try your hand at selling popcorn to the public? Investing in a commercial cooker is a smart way to make a little bit of extra cash on the side. Commercial popcorn poppers are not as expensive as you might think. You can easily make your money back and start pulling in profits. Who knows– if you’re super successful, you may be able to grow your small popcorn stand into a mighty popcorn empire.
But you don’t have to have entrepreneurial goals to benefit from owning one of these large machines. These poppers are great for organizations like churches and small businesses. If you’re tired of serving donuts to your congregation every Sunday after the service is over, you could try offering professional quality popcorn instead.
People have been buying popcorn from vendors since the late 1800s. Popcorn made the traditional way in a commercial kettle tastes amazing. Of course oily, salty popcorn is very unhealthy. But when you’re selling popcorn at a fair, that’s the type of popcorn that people want to eat.
Biggest Advantage:
- Commercial popcorn machines allow you to make money at carnivals, fairs and other public events.
Biggest Disadvantage:
- Popcorn made in a traditional commercial popcorn machine tastes so good, but it’s also very unhealthy.
Tabletop Popcorn Machines
Now that big screen HD televisions are cheap enough for the average person to afford, everyone’s got one. So how can you impress your friends when you invite them over to watch the game? One way to make your home movie theatre even cooler is to buy a tabletop popper to go with it.
There are two main types of tabletop cookers: commercial and consumer grade poppers. High-end commercial models are built out of steel and other tough materials. Tabletop poppers designed for home use are usually made out of reinforced plastic, aluminum, and other low-cost metals.
Unless you have a few hundred bucks to spend and you really want to show off, it makes more sense to go with a consumer grade machine for your home. Home theatre poppers aren’t as indestructible as the kinds of models you find in a movie theatre, but most of them are pretty sturdy.
Tabletop popcorn poppers look very cool. Most of these machines sport nifty retro designs. Almost all of these poppers have interior heat lamps that keep the popcorn warm after it cooks. When you turn the lights out, it really feels like your living room is a movie theater.
The main problem with tabletop models is that they are high maintenance. Some are difficult to clean. Also, if you’re used to making popcorn in the microwave, you might need some time to adjust to the fact that these ones don’t produce popcorn right away.
Biggest Advantage:
- Tabletop popcorn poppers look cool.
Biggest Disadvantage:
- You have to clean all the surfaces off after you’re done popping corn.
You can find more reviews, blog posts, and general information about popcorn poppers throughout our website. We hope you enjoy your next healthy snack and think of us as those kernels pop into something amazing!