Additionally, Zenker points out that microwave popcorn is often considered an ultra-processed, hyperpalatable food. “Ultra-processed foods tend to be high in calories, sugar, and sodium, while being low in protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals,” she says. And because it’s so tasty, it’s easy to unintentionally eat excessive amounts of it.
“Ultra-processed foods are linked to numerous adverse health outcomes, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and even certain cancers,” says Zenker. Again—if you still choose to go with microwaved popcorn, you should be checking out those nutrition labels to make sure you aren’t accidentally consuming way more of an ingredient than you want to be.
Why Air-Popped Popcorn Is Good
If microwaved popcorn is full of potential unknowns that you can’t really control or customize to your liking, air-popped popcorn is the opposite. The only ingredient is corn—until you decide to add something else.
Zenker says that popcorn is a nutrient-dense source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. And it’s lower in calories than other crunchy snacks, such as chips, while higher in fiber and protein than many of the processed foods we typically reach for—so popcorn keeps you fuller for longer.
When you air-pop popcorn, you can customize it exactly how you’d like to. Add salt, seasonings, spices, olive oil, nutritional yeast, cinnamon and sugar, fresh herbs like dill, or even—as Zenker suggested and I will no doubt be soon incorporating—pickle juice. I prefer to top my popcorn with melted butter and a dash of seasoned salt, but the beauty of air-popped means that my family members can make theirs taste completely different using the same batch fresh from the popper.
You can still make it taste like the stuff from the movie theater if you’re OK with using copious amounts of butter and salt. Air poppers expand the kernels using just hot air and time. They’re very simple and fast to use—dump in your kernels, turn the machine on, and add butter to the top reservoir if you want the hot air to melt that too. Place a bowl down to collect your popped corn and you’ll have a snack ready for movie night in no time. Best of all, it won’t contain anything that you don’t want it to. And if you consume microwave popcorn on a regular basis, an air popper will eventually pay for itself. Plain popcorn kernels are cheap, and they go a long way.
Air Poppers We’ve Tested and Liked
The Beautiful by Drew Barrymore Hot Air Popper puts a contemporary twist on the old air poppers of yore with its matte finish and gold accents, and it comes in a few different colors, like black, light blue, and sage green (though the fancier ones go in and out of stock). It can make up to 16 cups of popcorn at a time, and the nesting measuring cup on the top doubles as a place to melt your butter. I also like that there’s a place to wrap the cord, and that the chute directs the popped corn straight into your awaiting bowl.
Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
This little popcorn maker comes from Dash, maker of many small countertop appliances we recommend. It’s similar to other makers on the market in that you can melt butter in the measuring cup on top, and there’s a chute that’ll help direct the popped kernels into a bowl. This maker comes in different colors like red and lavender, and limited-edition designs like Disney or Peanuts, and it won’t take up much space on your counters or in your cabinets. Like the option above, it also has a 16-cup capacity.
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