Popcorn was first discovered by the Native Americans, who traditionally flavored popcorn with spices and herbs. Popcorn became very popular during the great depression especially in theaters. The popcorn business thrived and became a source of income for struggling farmers.

Today you can find popcorn kernels or microwavable popcorn bags in any grocery store or convenience store in many flavors.

Health or Junk Food

Popcorn is not as healthy as it once was. Popcorn has a great source of fiber, but can be over seasoned with oil, salt and butter. You commonly will find popcorn in theaters as a preferred movie snack. Do you like your popcorn extra-buttery? A bag of popcorn at the movies could be between 400 to 1,200 calories, with one to three days’ worth of saturated fat and up to 1,500 milligrams of sodium.
The lowest calories are found in plain homemade popcorn. And if desired you could make your own toppings.

At Your own risk

Could our favorite movie snack be dangerous? Yes. Young children should be supervised when eating popcorn, because it could cause choking if popcorn gets caught in the throat and blocks the airway. Remember popcorn originates from corn, so if you are allergic to corn stay away from popcorn aswell.
A popcorn kernel logged into the gums could cause infection. Un-poped kernels are known to unexpectedly chip or break teeth

How to Make

Traditionally, popcorn was made over the fire. You can now make popcorn in the microwave for a quick and easy 1 min and 30 seconds. If you do not have a microwave you can make it in a pot or pan, but careful it gets a bit messy. Here is how you do it:

Ingredients:
3-quart sauce pan with lid.
Popcorn, not much.
1 stick of butter
Vegetable oil
Table salt

1. Turn on stove and adjust to somewhere between medium and high heat.
2. Poor oil in the pan to cover bottom.
3. Place pan on stove and let heat for a minute or so.
4. In the mean time, put a stick of butter in another pan and start it melting at medium heat.
5. Put three popcorn kernels in the pan.
6. When one or two of them pop, cover the bottom of the pan with popcorn and then some, but not a whole lot. You should not be able to see the bottom of the pan.
7. Place the top on the pan. The popcorn should start popping in a minute or so.
8. Continuously shake the pan across the burner until popping reaches a crescendo.
9. Move to a unheated burner and back to the heated burner once or twice
10. Move to an unheated burner when the popcorn reaches the lid and wait while it finishes popping.
11. Pour popcorn in a large bowl, pour on butter, and salt to taste.

If that sounds complicated…why not try a popcorn machine?

Popcorn Machine

What is a popcorn machine? It is quite simply a plug-in machine that turns kernels into delicious popcorn! In 1885, Charles Cretors invented the popcorn machine. Today, a popcorn machine can be found in all shapes and sizes and at a number of price levels.

How To Use A Popcorn Machine:

1.Fill the hopper of the machine with popcorn.

2.Determine where the hot popcorn comes out of the machine and place a large bowl beneath this opening. For machines that are self contained this step is not necessary.

3.Plug the machine into an electrical outlet and turn the switch on. If the machine requires the popcorn to be manually released from the hopper, do this when the green light on the front of the popper comes on.

4.Allow the popcorn to fully pop before turning the machine off. You can determine when it is done when you don’t hear any kernels pop for 10 seconds or longer.

5.Unplug or turn off the machine when you are finished.

One of the best options to enjoy a perfect batch of popcorn is to make it with a popcorn machine in the comfort of your own home.

There are many varieties of popcorn makers that you may choose from which includes the most basic models to the all-inclusive popcorn deluxe maker with all the bells and whistles.

When contemplating  the purchase of your very own popcorn maker, you should definitely think about buying this novelty item online.  A few reasons why you may want to get this item from the internet is as follows.

You are Going to Have a Wider Variety Online

When you are purchasing a popcorn maker, and consequentially the popcorn to go into it, you will have access to a far better variety than if you went into a local store.  This machine is a real niche item and not many in town stores are going to a) even have popcorn makers and b) if they do they will have maybe two models to pick from.

As you shop for this item online from concession type websites  you will notice that you can very easily shop around the site and peruse all of your options available from your computer desktop.

You will be able to compare all the possible options (including add-ons) and allow you to choose the best popcorn maker and greatest variety of delicious popcorn kernels easily and efficiently.

Purchasing Popcorn Makers, and its  Accessories, via the Internet Will Save You Money

You will notice that purchasing popcorn machines will be far less expensive by going online.   Online vendors who specialize in selling popcorn makers and other related items have huge warehouses of product and will almost always offer better deals than if you purchase these items locally.

Online sellers have far less overhead than local stores as all they need besides their website is a warehouse to store all the items in. The prices they can offer to potential customers are far less than what retail store location vendors can offer.  They have to have not only a website, but a warehouse, and finally a nicely laid out storefront to sell it.

Many places online also have free shipping at various times of the year to even “sweeten the pot” a little bit more and makes buying a popcorn maker online even more appealing.

Its Just So Much More Convenient!

I cannot speak for everyone but going into crowded stores is just no fun to me.  Some people actually do get a huge kick out of shopping (my mother for instance) but buying a popcorn makers, as well as anything online, is just plain convenient.

So you like to wait in long lines at stores?  How about wasting gas money traveling around town (several years ago this was no big deal but now in 2009 it has become one)  searching for the best product with the best price tag?

At the comfort of your nice, warm home you can shop for your ideal device whether it be a full sized popcorn machine or a stovetop popper. You can browse through the seemingly endless selection and compare prices on these items without ever having to leave your house.  If you are on a mission to buy the perfect popcorn maker for your home, kiction, or personal home theater that has become the rage in the last couple years then this is the way to go.

What Popcorn Machine Size Do I Need?

How do you know which popcorn machine size is right for you?

That depends on what you want.

There are small, counter-type six to eight ounce machines and then there are giant 22-32 ounce monster kettles.

Do you just want a simple set up or a large theater style set up?

Anyway, back to her post about making the perfect batch of popcorn from scratch. She mentioned a lot of things I didn’t know as I always used a popcorn maker or microwave (yuk) to make mine.  Its interested because the way she does it pops almost every kernel instead of leaving like 15% of it behind.

Perfect Popcorn Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp canola, peanut or grape seed oil (high smoke point oil)
• 1/3 cup of high quality popcorn kernels
• 1 3-quart covered saucepan
• 2 Tbsp or more (to taste) of butter
• Salt to taste

Method

1 Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan on medium high heat.

2 Put 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan.

3 When the kernels pop, add the rest of the 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds. (Count out loud; it’s fun to do with kids.) This method first heats the oil to the right temperature, then waiting 30 seconds brings all of the other kernels to a near-popping temperature so that when they are put back on the heat, they all pop at about the same time.

4 Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once. Once the popping starts in earnest, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. Try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper). Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl.

With this technique, nearly all of the kernels pop (I counted 4 unpopped kernels in my last batch), and nothing burns.

5 If you are adding butter, you can easily melt it by placing the butter in the now empty, but hot pan.

6 Salt to taste.

Makes 2 quarts, a nice amount for two people, or for one hungry one.

Additional tips: From the comments section

a If you add salt to the oil in the pan before popping, when the popcorn pops, the salt will be well distributed throughout the popcorn.

b Fun toppings for the popcorn – Spanish smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, cayenne powder, chili pepper, curry powder, cumin, grated Parmesan cheese.

I tried this recipe and it worked great.  It did not leave any kernels behind.  And the taste was fantastic.  Loved it.  I’m surprised it came out as good as it did because I cannot cook.

The very first machine expressly for making popcorn with hot air was created by Charles Cretors in Chicago.  He came up with the idea, obtained a special peddler’s license to sell popcorn on the streets, and sold tons of it.  Pretty soon people copied his idea and popcorn machine vendors sprung up all over the place.  The popcorn makers were than moves to fairs, parks, expos, and of course movie theaters.

During the second world war when sugar was being rationed popcorn became even more popular.  Eating popcorn became a duty to one’s country or was promoted that way.  After the war it remained a popular snack embedding its way into our way of life.

It was ingenious how this machine actually works.  The device uses oil heated by a small steam engine inside to pop the kernels.  What most people do not know is that there is a little bit of moisture in each kernel.  When the moisture, or water, becomes hot it expands and bursts the kernel open.  This machine was the preferred way of popping popcorn until the microwave came into the marketplace is the late 70s/ early 80s.  With this machine popcorn became even more accessible though the taste is not nearly as good.

The associatation with popcorn makers and theaters cannot be overexagerated.  That positive feeling from being in your seat and taking a handful of buttered popcorn is complete euphoria.

Here is a review of several websites that have a nice selection of popcorn makers. I tried to find the best websites that had a wide variety of popcorn machines complemented by a nice look to them. Here is what I came up with.

A big player of commercial theater popcorn machines was Standard Concession Supply. They are everywhere. They actually do not specialize in popcorn makers though it is in fact a large percentage of their website. You can find anything concession here including cotton candy machines, snow cone machines, hot dog machines, and other “food cart” items for people to set up stands such as fairs or “carnival type” attractions. What I did realize is that popcorn is their hottest selling item because they devote a little more than half their website to that area and the other half to all the other concessions and holiday themed items.  Overall I would say that they have a semi decent selection of popcorn machines.  They are really nothing special and did not stand out too much but not bad either.  I did not find the website to be too informative and pleasing to the eye but it gets the job done.

Another website of interest would be Popcorn Machine Shop.  I was impressed with this site more than the other one.  It seemed more original and specialized in the “popcorn lovers” niche.  The site is nice and there are tons of cool pictures of various popcorn makers including antique and theater style machines.  What I really like about this website  is that while the former website is more geared towards business applications this site has a variety of items that can be added to people’s home.  They have a wide selection of nostalgia retro hot air popcorn poppers that your average person can buy for their homes for under $100.  They have a nice array of these.  If you want bigger ones they have those as well. Also available are huge choices of popcorn supplies and accessories that you can pick from.  They have portion packs, popcorn bags, butter toppings and warmers, bulk popcorn, and cleaning kits.

In all these two websites are good but different in that they target two different type of potential popcorn enthusiasts or buyers.  The first one targets commercial customers while the latter one targets residential and some commercial customers.

I did find a third website that was very impressive in the “popcorn niche”.  Its very well made and is very cool to look at.  It does not specialize in popcorn poppers but home personal home theaters.  Its an awesome website and popcorn machines are just one of the many items they sell.  They actually do have a large supply and variety of them but its just one item out of what looks like 100s pertaining to setting up your home cinema.  Very cool site, took me a while to find it, but worth checking out nevertheless.  They do have a bunch of items there so its easy to get confused and lost there so you really have to look closely at some items.

If you are in the process of setting up your personal home theater at your house I would highly reccommend buying a popcorn machine online.  No home movie theater room will be totally complete without one.  And the great thing about yours is that unlike when you go to AMC or Regal Movie theaters you will not have to pay $5.50 for a large popcorn….

Some of the features with this one is a 6 quart capacity which is not too bad considering the application.  You can easily pop enough popcorn in one batch to serve two people.  Anymore than that and you will have to make two batches. It has a motorized stir rod that stirs the seeds while they are being popped to keep them from sticking to one another.  Nice feature

There is a butter-well at the top to add a stick of butter that melts and oozing out all over the popcorn.  Yum!

The base fits inside the cover and the whole popcorn machine is made from a non stick popping surface.  Not bad….

When the popcorn is finished popping, and you have added your butter, all you have to do is flip the bowl over and its ready to be served.  They also come with cool handles for carrying the bowl to your favorite seat on the couch.

Did I mentioned, its heat resistant so you could technically warm the popcorn back up in the microwave if you wanted to reheat it or put more butter on it.

Overall I thought that this particular popcorn maker for the price is not bad at all. You can get it in red or black.  It pretty much takes all the guesswork from popping popcorn.  If you do not have the extra money to get a fancy antique machine then I would definitely recommend this.  This is a little lower than the Cuisinart EasyPop model discussed several weeks back.

I was looking at this retro kettle style popcorn maker and thought it was great.  It the kind of machine that you would normally see at a carnival.  This kettle popcorn machine makes fresh, hot, delicious popcorn just like at the movies.  It had a large stainless steel kettle with a built in stirring system and pops close to 1 gallon of crispy popcorn per batch you make.  It comes with a measuring spoon for oil and measuring your kernels to make every batch more uniform.  Its was truly an older fashioned cart and it would taste and look good in any one’s home.  You can usually buy these from $95 to $140 depending on quantities and time.

I was looking for more antique popcorn makers and came this Street Vendor Popcorn Machine.  It looks awesome.  I was so envious of anyone who could put their hands on this beauty.  It had all the looks of those popcorn makers you would have seen if you were living in the 1930s going to a “Gone with the Wind” movie.  I was totally impressed by what I saw.

Its made from Benchmark USA.  Its a commercial quality “antique looking” popcorn maker that can be used by itself on a kitchen counter top or put on top of a matching red trolley that you can purchase separately as an add on.  They can make a whopping 85 quarts of fresh popcorn per hour and only weigh 57 pounds.

Benchmark makes some other models as well but I thought that this one in particular was worth mentioning right now.  I just think that these popcorn makers are a perfect home gift for anyone you are thinking of buying a present for or if you are looking for a really nice addition to your kitchen to give it a new look.

The next popcorn maker that I saw caught my attention because of the color of it.  If you have a intricate home movie theater system this poporn machine is an excellent way to complete it.  It has such an antique feel its unbelievable!  I love it.  This is one of the only popcorn makers that I have seen that come with a “brass finish” with cool etched glass.  Nice!  It can hold 6 oz of popcorn and will give any house that old fashioned feel.   This popcorn maker looks  totally cool and I love it.  It would only work with the right color but if you could swing it I would say go with it.  All of your neighbors would be highly jealous.

These are really cool popcorn makers that are small and can easily fit on your counter top.  I have seen them in several different colors including pink.  They are really nifty and can really be great for the family.

It allows for popping popcorn at your house with consistent results every time.  These Cuisinart electric popcorn makers have a great innovating venting system and “bowl design” that ensure great pops.

All you have to do when you have these popcorn makers is add your preferred type of corn, oil, salt, and flavoring. Then all you have to do is wait five minutes and you will have a big bowl of fresh popcorn that’s crunchy and very delicious.   The bowl can be flipped over if you’d like.  Everything including the bowl, lid, and popping plate can also safe to wash in the dishwasher for easy cleanup.  Measures 13 1/2″ H x 9″ W x 9″ D and has a 10-cup capacity.

It comes with a nice three-year limited warranty. It has had some really nice reviews.  While I am a big fan of antique looking popcorn makers I think these are a better fit in some households that do not really want a huge bulky appliance in their kiction.

Theater popcorn makers are not items that only businesses can own.  Sure they buy machines that can handle a heavy load and wear and tear but your average family can have their own private antique popcorn maker that the household can enjoy.  Its a great thing to have.  Imagine the whole family sitting down in front of their big screen HD television watching a movie and being able to pop some popcorn with their own popcorn maker.  You could have the ability to invite over your neighbors and friends.  They would love it.  And whats best of all you will not have to pay $4.50 per bag that comes with a re-fill if you buy the super large bag that nobody can ever finish.

There are several models that you can choose from.  I prefer the “antique” look myself.  I love to imagine that  I am in the 1930s at one of those grand movie theaters.  That look is amazing.  It sometimes feels like you are watching “Gone with the Wind” for the first time.  The look they can bring to a home is fabulous.  They have a great “movie” feel to them.

Later on we are going to go into the different types that you can buy.  They are not as expensive as you might think.  If you look around you can purchase a popcorn maker that only cost several hundred bucks.  Its not much at all and can really be an attention getter.  Even if you are not a huge popcorn fan and cannot imagine why you would ever need one of these machines please realize that its great piece for decoration.  Especially when complemented by an island kitchen they can really bring a room out and turn it into a “eye catcher.”

Do not let the theaters have a monopoly over you.  They do not have exclusive rights to these machines.  Century and AMC would like to think they do but I assure you they do not.  If you have any comments are advice let me know.  I am an avid fan and look getting current updates and news related to this specialized machine.