Thrifty Pop 8 Oz  Uncle Pops Recommendation - Popcorn Machine for Home use

So you want to step up your popcorn making from microwave bags to some kind of popcorn machine.  And as you know microwave popcorn is not necessarily a healthy snack.  It has trans fat that is not good for you. 

With a new popcorn machine you’ll be able to make a low calorie healthy snacks.  So the first question is what kind do I need.  We recommend you step it up to an electric popcorn machine, like a smaller version of a movie theater popcorn machine. 

There are many other options, like the hand crank whirley pop, the presto air poppers, and you can actually just make it in a large pot on the stove and just shake the pot around.   With about $300 dollars you can get something decent that is easy and can make healthy popcorn snacks or the opposite, very tasty rich popcorn snacks. 

Now that you’ve decided you want a popcorn machine you’ll need at least a 2 feet by 2 feet of counter space.  Don’t waste your money buying a stand, unless you really like the look of it. 

When you search online you’ll see many options for popcorn machines.  Some will have seed trays, heat lamps, there will be different kettle sizes, different styles and brands, and the actual size of the machine will vary.

The seed tray – It seems necessary, but is it really?  It really is not necessary.  There will always be some seeds you can’t filter out, but the seed tray helps a little.  Our recommendation is, if you have the extra money, go ahead and get one, but if not, no big deal, you’ll end up scooping from the top of the popped batch.  Scooping from the top is the best way to prevent eating half popped or unpopped seeds.

The heat lamp - It pretty much comes standard on all of them, and it’s necessary.  It keeps the popcorn warm.  Popcorn also gets stale quickly when in the air and the heating slows the process a little. 

The Kettle Size - Options will range from 8 oz and up.  Basically 8 ozs of kernels makes one gallon of popcorn.  And one gallon is about 2.5 microwave bags for your reference.  So if your eating at home with 3 or 4 people all you need is 8oz.  If you’re a bank or a bar you may want to get a 12 oz or 16 oz kettle to serve more people at once.

Sizes and Brands – We do have a couple machines and they are all pretty much the same.  They hardly break and they are durable.  Replacement parts are typically available for all brands so don’t concern yourself too much with this. For the best clean-ability look for a popcorn machine that is NSF approved.  If has an NSF approval that means it was designed for maximum clean-ablity.  There will be more glass and stainless steel and corners will be rounded.

Our final recommendation is the Paragon Thrifty Pop 8 OZ. 

This will do the job and allow you to make healthy or unhealthy snacks. It has no seed tray but our opinion is the scoop from the top of the popped popcorn so you never get and half popped kernels.  This is machine is compact and comes with a heat lamp.  You may be able to find a deal on Amazon.



Feel free to try some of our healthy and tasty popcorn recipes at the links below.

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Written by Uncle Pops Popcorn www.uncle-pops.com