Popcorn Machine Accessories

Now that you’ve made the choice to have a popcorn machine in your home theater or rec room, it’s time to consider the various accessories for your popcorn machine. While you may think that buying popcorn machine accessories is as simple as buying popcorn kernels and calling it good, there’s actually a lot more to it than that. There’s a lot of different accessories, some of which may be useful for your particular rec room, some of which you don’t need. You’ll learn about the different accessories that are available in this article.

Common Accessories

• Popcorn Kernels. If you’re actually going to use that popcorn machine, you will of course need popcorn kernels. You might find it hard to believe, but you actually have a lot of different options with kernels. You can buy them in bulk (huge bags), buy them in measured, individual packages, and buy them in kits (which means you won’t have to buy oil separately). Buying in bulk is definitely the cheapest over the long run, but only if you plan on making lots of popcorn. Otherwise, buying individual packages of popcorn kernels is a good idea.

• Oil and Salt. You won’t need to worry about buying these separately if you go with the kit option mentioned above. However, if you don’t, you’ll need to buy oil and salt. Oil generally comes in pre-measured packets that you can simply pour onto the kernels when you make the popcorn. You’ll want to buy the packet that fits your machine best (so if you have a 4-ounce popper, you’ll want oil packets that are meant to be used in 4-ounce poppers). As far as salt is concerned, you can get regular salt or buttery salt—which you choose depends on your taste in popcorn.

• Popcorn Buckets/Cups. When you’re serving popcorn to your guests, you’re going to need something to serve it in. Popcorn buckets/cups come in a variety of styles, shapes and sizes, so you’ve got plenty of options here. If you have a smaller popcorn producing machine, consider getting small cone-shaped cups. Otherwise, you might find medium buckets/bowls sufficient for you and your guests.

• Popcorn Scoop. Since you’ll need something to actually take the popcorn out of the machine with, you’ll want to get one that won’t break on you and is the appropriate size. You may consider getting an aluminum one, or perhaps an very durable plastic scoop. For small machines, get small scoops; for big machines, get big scoops.

Other Accessories Worth Considering

• Popcorn Cup Dispenser. A good dispenser can make serving guests their popcorn much easier than simply grabbing cups out of a bag. For some popcorn machines, you can mount the dispenser to the machine, or you can put it right next to the machine on the countertop, depending on the dispenser you get.

• Kettle Cleaning Kit. That popcorn machine of yours will get grimy after a lot of use, and when it gets that way, it’s time to clean the machine. You can get a kettle cleaning kit to clean out the popcorn machine, which will help to bring it back to its original condition. Keeping your machine clean will make it last longer and make the popcorn taste better.