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If you're considering a popcorn machine for your home theater, school, or business, you've no doubt noticed that there's a huge variety of popcorn poppers available. It's important to choose the one that's right for your needs. To make the best choice, you might find it useful to think about some of the following factors.
How to Choose a Popcorn MachineWatch our video on how to select the right size popcorn popper for your situation. Professor talks about popcorn kettle size and why it's important to know the output you need to select the right equipment. He also speaks to your usage and how that will effect your decision on the popper.
This is the most obvious factor when making any purchase, and popcorn poppers are no exception! It's important to bear in mind that the least expensive machine may not be the machine that's best for you. This device will be making popcorn for you and your guests for a long time, so it's best to find a compromise between cost and quality, and make sure you don't regret passing up a popper that's a little better!
You'll notice that popcorn machines are available with a range of kettle sizes, from 4oz machines all the way up to 16oz. This is the amount of unpopped popcorn kernels the kettle can pop in one go. 1oz of unpopped popcorn makes roughly 2.5 cups of popped popcorn, so a 4oz kettle will make 10 cups per batch, and a 16oz kettle will make 40 cups! A 4oz or 6oz kettle is ideal for many home theater owners. If you're going to be making popcorn for a large family or a business, however, you may wish to consider a popper with one of the larger kettles. In general, we recommend popcorn machines in the 4-8oz range for home theater depending on how much entertaining you do in the theater. For commercial purposes like School events, we recommend 8oz to 16oz depending on the usage and output you need.
| Machine Size | 1 oz. Servings Per Hour | Popped Cups Per Batch | Popped Cups Per Hour |
| 4 oz. | 80-1 oz. | 10 Cups | 200 Cups |
| 6 oz. | 120-1 oz. | 15 Cups | 300 Cups |
| 8 oz. | 160-1 oz. | 20 Cups | 400 Cups |
| 12 oz. | 240-1 oz. | 30 Cups | 600 Cups |
| 16 oz. | 320-1 oz. | 40 Cups | 800 Cups |
Popcorn poppers come with a variety of features, each of which may or may not be something you desire in a popper. Some have their own lighting, and many feature doors, carts, or cabinets for oil and other popcorn supplies. A warming deck can keep popcorn warm until it's ready to be enjoyed, which is a good thing when you're hosting events. Kernel drawers, anodized non-stick kettles, push-button oil dispensers and popcorn supply storage are just a few of the many useful features to consider.
Last but certainly not least, poppers come in a wide variety of designs. Whether your home theater has a classic or contemporary feel, there's a popcorn popper that fits your decor perfectly. Your popcorn machine will be a very visible part of the room, so consider how its colors and design will fit in. Style matters!
Hopefully, this guide has helped you select the perfect popcorn popper. We retail the best brands including Paragon International, Benchmark USA, and Cretors. The best advice comes from our experienced staff, so if you have any questions about a particular model, or popcorn machines in general, just give us a call at 1-888-764-9273 and our experienced staff will be happy to help!
