My husband bought us an air popper at target. I think it was 20 bucks. Works perfectly. (There's a little dish-thing on the top to melt butter in-- don't do that.)

We also use the paper bag method...works fine.

My 3yo can attest to the fact that this contraption makes popcorn poppin' on the stove a whole lot of fun!

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Northern-Popcorn-Stainless-Stove/dp/B00608D66G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375242932&sr=8-1&keywords=stainless+steel+popcorn+maker

And I've never had great success with just a pot btw. I'll either scorch the bottom kernels or have popcorn fly out when I open the lid to stir it as shaking never seems to really distribute the popcorn correctly. I'm sure a little practice would help but with the popper above, I get corn popped to perfection every time.

We use this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Vermont-Personal-Microwave-Popcorn-Popper/dp/B007JMZHLE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1375242292&sr=8-4&keywords=glass+microwave+popcorn+popper

Works great in the microwave, with or without oil. (I like doing it with olive oil lately.)

There are holes in the silicone lid. If you like butter, you put some butter on there when you start, and it melts in.

Anonymous wrote:Just use the stove. Put 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan with 3-4 kernels, and cover. Heat on med-high. Once those kernels pop, remove from heat, wait 30 seconds, and then pour in 1/3-1/2 cup of popcorn, and cover & return to heat. When the pops slow down considerably, take it off the burner. Add salt and maybe a little sugar if you like kettle corn. It's THE BEST POPCORN. Seriously, way better than a microwave or popper. And I'm guessing you have a pot with a lid.

Thanks so much for the specifics! Will try soon!

Anonymous wrote:We are popcorn addicts and honestly every single popcorn popper we've bought has worked great. The healthy thing is they don't require oil. You can get some nice spices and grated cheese and olive oils for flavoring. We had one in our college dorm and it kept us happy. They're only about $20...seriously almost anyone will do. Microwave popcorn is gross as you've implied. And for the folks still popping with oil on top of the stove...the 1950s are over!

You can also put shells in a paper bag and they'll pop in the microwave (better than those gross bags in the store).

I dunno, sometimes the old way is the best way. I recently converted to this method, and my whole family loves it.

Anonymous wrote:You don't need a popcorn maker. Just oil and a steel pan.

this

We are popcorn addicts and honestly every single popcorn popper we've bought has worked great. The healthy thing is they don't require oil. You can get some nice spices and grated cheese and olive oils for flavoring. We had one in our college dorm and it kept us happy. They're only about $20...seriously almost anyone will do. Microwave popcorn is gross as you've implied. And for the folks still popping with oil on top of the stove...the 1950s are over!

You can also put shells in a paper bag and they'll pop in the microwave (better than those gross bags in the store).

I have the air popper that cost about $29 on amazon. It is amazing and I use it every single day. Much healthier than microwave and easier clean up than a steel pan. You don't have to use oil or anything.

Anonymous wrote:I just had this conversation with someone. We did microwave popcorn for years and I could not stand the smell of it. Then I wondered about the health risks. But everytime I went to the grocery store I kept buying it. Finally one day I made it on the stove and thought that was the easiest thing I had ever done and now it is the only way we eat popcorn. I think we just get so in the habit of doing things the same way over and over again.

bleagh I hate microwaved popcorn.