You don’t have to go all the way to the cinema for movie theater-quality popcorn. With your own popper, you can have delicious, home-popped popcorn for basically 1/4 of the price. If you’re not a fan of microwavable popcorn bags — and understandably so — you should invest in your own home popper. Not only does the popcorn taste better, but it’s healthier and, of course, customizable. Here, we’ll look at some of the best popcorn poppers you can get so that you never have to settle for store-bought bags of popcorn again. Because you know what they say (maybe) — not all popcorn was created equal.
Best Stovetop Popcorn Popper
If you’re looking for a stovetop popper that cooks your popcorn to perfection every time, the Whirley-Pop Popper Kit is a must-own. Capable of making up to six quarts of popcorn in just three minutes, this popper is ultra-efficient and highly effective. With this contraption, you can pretty much guarantee your popcorn will never come out burnt, thanks to a patented stirring system that ensures your popcorn is popped perfectly every time. It’s backed by a 25-year warranty and comes with a complimentary movie theater popcorn kit that includes fresh popping corn, a Valley Farms exclusive buttery salt, and gourmet popping oil.
Best Microwave Popcorn Popper
While your disdain for microwavable popcorn might have brought you here in the first place, a microwave popcorn popper is a bit of a different animal. It still allows you to manually cook your popcorn and saves you money on individual popcorn bags. If you’re considering getting a microwave popcorn popper, the Original Salbree Microwave Popcorn Popper is a great choice. This BPA-free silicone popper is easy-to-use, virtually indestructible, and is great for smaller apartments, dorms, hotels, and RVs. For a simple, inexpensive popcorn popper, you can’t go wrong with Salbree.
Best Hot Air Popcorn Popper
Hot air poppers not only cook your popcorn faster than a microwave, but they can also do it oil-free, making it a far healthier option. The Presto 04820 PopLite Hot Air Popper is the perfect purchase for anybody who prefers this method of cooking. It’s capable of popping 18 cups of gourmet corn in less than 2 1/2 minutes, which is around 30 percent faster than standard microwaves. And since it needs no oil, you can cook your popcorn with up to 42 fewer calories than your standard batch, making it a healthy, time-saving alternative to bagged — or even other manually popped — popcorn.
