Mar 29, 2023 3 min read

Do you like popcorn? My husband and I love snacking on this crunchy treat. Not only is it quick to make and fairly healthy with a high amount of fiber as compared to calories, but it’s also tasty and filling. While nothing compares to the giant tub of buttered goodness you get at the local movie theater (and nothing compares to those fat and calories), the popcorn you make at home has come a long way over the decades.

We love the flavor and convenience of microwave popcorn. Rip off the wrapper, open the microwave and hit the popcorn button. Presto! It’s popcorn magic. The only problem is those packets aren’t cheap and most of them come loaded with butter (delicious but unhealthy) and other things I don’t really need in my snacks. There has to be a better alternative, right?

Remember Jiffy Pop? Do they still sell that? I saw commercials for it when I was a kid and thought it was brilliant! My husband told me they made popcorn in a saucepan on the stove when he was a kid, so he poured a little oil in a pan and popped away. It actually worked pretty well until I dumped out the popcorn and saw the burnt mess at the bottom of the pan. Strike one!

At one point, my parents got an air popper that worked pretty well. In fact, I still have it. I pulled it out the other day, determined to see if it still worked as well as I remembered. Just pour a cup of popcorn in the opening, click on the plastic hood and plug it in. The popcorn starts swirling around and there’s even a space on the lid for a pat of butter to melt while your corn pops. It was great until popcorn started flying out the chute too fast and spraying all around the kitchen. It was like being in a game of dodgeball trying to reach for something to cover the chute or unplug it without getting pelted by errant kernels. Strike two!

I read online about using a paper bag or a glass bowl covered with a plate to pop your own corn. I tried both methods, and the bowl and plate rendition was OK but left us with partially burnt popcorn and a lot of unpopped kernels. Pouring the corn in a paper lunch sack with a dash of cooking oil, then folding it over and microwaving it worked pretty well, resulting in more popped kernels and less burnt corn, but the oil leaves the bag a bit soggy. Not quite strike three, but still more mess than I’d like.

I finally gave in and bought two more boxes of microwave popcorn. Perfection in just under three minutes with no cleanup or mess. I’ve seen silicone microwave popcorn poppers for sale at a pretty low price, so that might be the next experiment. I’ll keep you posted!

Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.