Finding Great Deals Can Help You Stretch Your Shopping Dollars

When you begin to consider popcorn machines for sale, do you know what type you are going to buy? Yes, that is correct; there are several types of popcorn machines. The three most popular types are listed below, as well as how they operate and why you might prefer one over the others:

Air Poppers

Air poppers came out in the '80's. They were quite a radical idea, considering that they created intensely hot air to make popcorn pop instead of oil or grease. It leaves you with grease-less, light, clean-tasting popcorn to which you can add whatever toppings you want (e.g., butter, salt, caramel, etc.), or eat plain for a very healthy snack. You can buy a personal use air popper or a commercial air popper. 

Old-School Oil Poppers

These are the popcorn poppers you frequently see at carnivals or at the movies. You put "x" number of tablespoons of oil in the popping pan and then add no more than three tablespoons of popcorn kernels. If you add too much popcorn, the machine will overflow and explode with each new pop, creating quite a mess. These machines require extensive and frequent cleaning to prevent burnt oil, burnt popcorn, and grease fires. 

The popcorn is also frequently and lightly greasy, which is why movie theaters and carnivals ask if you want butter and salt on it. The butter and salt hide the fact that the popcorn is already lightly oily/greasy. Butter and salt can also hide the taste of the oil if the theater or carnival associate uses coconut oil to create a healthier treat.

Steam Poppers

Steam poppers use hot air, too, except that these machines incorporate moisture into the hot air. The combination of steam and hot air creates fluffier popcorn that is not chewy or mildly stale-tasting, even when it is freshly made. All you need is a little pure water in the special holder in the bottom of the popping pan. Better yet, these poppers require no cleanup beyond wiping out unpopped kernels, popcorn, and popcorn husks.

Your Popcorn Machine Preference

So, you could compare and contrast prices on these machines, but most people tend to select a popper based on maintenance. The more cleanup required, the less likely you might buy an oil-popper. Air popping pops your corn the fastest if you do not want to be away from your movie for too long or you need to pop a lot very quickly. Steamed popcorn keeps fresh for much longer, in case you need to pop a lot of corn and store it for a couple of days. Pick the features, maintenance, and price you like best, and buy that popcorn machine.

Contact a company like New England Pretzel & Popcorn CO.  Inc. for more information and assistance.