Types of Popcorn Poppers
Popcorn has always been a favorite snack food, and the process we have used to cook these fluffy kernels has evolved over the years. From campfire to microwave, popcorn poppers have come a long way.
Cast-Iron Pot or Skillet
Cooking popcorn began before electricity was available in all homes. Moms would take dried corn kernels and add them to oil in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven and place the skillet or Dutch oven on the wood-burning fireplace or campfire. Within minutes, our grandparents and great-grandparents had the delicious snack we enjoy today.
Jiffy Pop Popcorn
Jiffy Pop popcorn was a fun way to cook popcorn. Kids loved shaking the tin pan cooker over the cook top and watching the foil dome grow big and round as the popcorn kernels fluffed up and filled the cooker. Even without the Jiffy Pop container, we could still cover the bottom of a pot with oil and popcorn kernels, hold the lid on tightly, and shake the pot over the burner as we listened to the kernels popping.
Electric Popper
The electric oil popper could be found in homes everywhere and made delicious popcorn by placing oil in the popper and adding kernels from a bag. This process heated the oil, which caused the kernels to pop up big and fluffy, and made a great snack to eat while watching your favorite TV show.
Air Popper
The air popper followed the electric oil popper in homes everywhere. Making a healthier snack with easy cleanup and less calories, this popper cooks the kernels with hot air, needing no oil.
Microwave Bag Popcorn
Microwaves have become one of our most-popular household appliances. Individual bags of popcorn can be cooked quickly in this fashion, and this is one of the most popular methods used today. Simply pop a bag in the microwave, and you have hot, delicious popcorn in minutes.
Microwave Kernel Popper
Saving money and eating healthier has become important, and this has led us back to the past. We may not use the iron skillet our grandmother used, but we are again buying popcorn in bags of kernels and creating healthy, low-fat popcorn in our microwave.
Industrial Popper
Popcorn is inexpensive and loved by everyone. People enjoy this snack food in many places other than their homes, such as movie theaters, flea markets, carnivals and circus shows. Industrial poppers have been around for years and will continue to be a popular way of serving up this delicious snack food for many years to come.
Tags: snack food, delicious popcorn, delicious snack, Dutch oven, food many, homes everywhere, popcorn kernels