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I Never Thought a Popcorn Maker Could Leave Me Speechless - Until Now
Hosts, foodies, and home cooks listen up: a new culinary obsession just popped up in the most unlikely of places. Meet my newest find: a delightful mix of nostalgia and attention-grabbing design, with a touch of high-end culinary creativity.
You don’t want to miss this.
One thing you should know about me...
My favorite thing in the world is hosting.
My second favorite thing is keeping a clean, cozy, aesthetically pleasing house. The problem – and you can probably see where this is going – is when you combine the two.
Then combine that with a group of friends that are enthusiastic foodies, and… you’ve lost the organized, curated home somewhere underneath piles of dishes. And as someone who loves a beautiful house and getting experimental in the kitchen, that's a hard reality to face.
So, having gone around this circle of cleaning > cooking for friends > making a mess and cleaning again one too many times, I came to a conclusion:
Other people are certainly doing it, so there must be a way to get creative in the kitchen, wow your guests, and keep your kitchen looking cute.
After a little research and firsthand experience, I’m glad to say it’s the latter. Enter: the sleekest, most stylish & premium popcorn maker you’ve ever seen.
Yes, a popcorn maker. And it’s about to change your life. Here’s why –
The packaging 👌
Even the protective layers are popcorn shaped!
The Unboxing:
When my Popsmith starter kit showed up on my doorstep, I was pleasantly surprised.
Delivery day!
I was certainly excited to be among the first to try it: it was fully funded on Kickstarter in just 48 hours, and it officially launched in late September, so there was definitely some hype preceding it. But as someone known for their love affair with Kettle Corn, I was cautiously looking forward to being able to make my own… hopefully without some junky carnival-style popper taking up space in my kitchen.
From the moment I opened the box, I realized this was not that. Instead of another novelty kitchen appliance, this immediately felt like high-end cookware.
The box – which greeted me on my doorstep with bubbly Let’s Pop! lettering – was brilliantly thought-out. Compared to the frequent but inglorious experience of opening Amazon boxes, this felt luxe.
Each piece (popper, lid, popcorn kits, and note from the founders) was secured in its own little display compartment, separated by popcorn-embossed card paper. Even the protective packaging on the popper was scalloped to make it look like a freshly burst piece of popcorn (!).
It’s this attention to detail that makes me honestly excited about the quality of the product – another pleasant departure from my usual online shopping experience.
Lifting the actual Popsmith popper out of the box, I realized it felt wonderfully classic in more ways than one:
Its gorgeous "sleek vintage" design: rounded edges, chrome accents and a clean lacquered-eggshell finish. Swoon.
The feeling of TOP quality: there’s some weight to this thing! They, quite literally, don’t make cookware like this anymore (Unless you’re ready to drop $500 on a single pan). This is the Le Creuset of popcorn.
In short, this is a conversation piece I’m excited to keep on my stove and show off. A new appliance that actually adds to my intensely curated decor? Unheard of.
Delivery day!
Gorgeous details & construction
Even the protective layers are popcorn shaped!
The Assembly:
None. Seriously. Set it on the stove and start popping. Love that.
The Popping:
For my first try, I chose the classic “Oh Sooo Buttery” kit (my Popsmith Starter Bundle came with 10 all-inclusive popcorn kits: 5 butter and 5 kettle corn!).
So, I put the Popsmith over medium heat, and after a couple minutes, I cut open the popcorn kit and dumped it in – no measuring needed.
And truly: as soon as the butter-flavored coconut oil, corn kernels, and butter-flavored salt (!) hit the pan, the smell was delightful.
The buttery, salty, warm steam brought back all the memories: movie theater outings as a child, fall carnivals with the family… all warm, fuzzy scenes. I’m a nostalgia-lover, so I was instantly hooked.
I started cranking the stirrer, and soon I heard my first “PING” as a popped kernel hit the steel walls of the popper. The whole cooking process takes about 5 minutes in total, but the anticipation is real! Something about being surrounded by the scent and waiting for that first “ping” is such a full sensory experience. It feels present in a way that cooking should be – no sterile microwaves or instant ingredients.
"It's such a full sensory experience ... It feels present in a way that cooking should be."
Pro tip: you'll get excited to see it working. Do not open the lid like I did, unless you want popcorn flying everywhere: those kernels have some momentum behind them!
Failed attempts to peek in aside, it was pretty clear after a few minutes that the popping was slowing down. So I stopped stirring and removed the popper from heat according to the instructions.
And let me tell you: if the smell was good with the lid on, the burst of buttery steam that rises up when you remove the lid is mouthwatering.
I quickly dumped it into a bowl to let the steam escape and the popcorn crisp up. (FYI: These are generous servings. A single packet of ingredients yielded me a full bowl for sharing – probably a “Large” at a movie theater.)
This is the point at which it’s recommended to add any ingredients you want: spice blends, candies, dried fruit, flavored salts or sugars… the sky is truly the limit here.
For those curious: my later Kettle Corn experience worked just as well! The only difference is that you'll want to wait until the kernels start popping before adding your salty sugar blend. Add too early and you might scorch the sugar. But mixing it in once it's popping? Gorgeous salty-sweet, caramelized Kettle Corn.
The Main Event
Full disclosure: I never really understood what “Non-GMO corn” was. I know it had to do with sourcing higher quality ingredients that aren't lab-created mutants (always nice to avoid), but I wasn’t quite sold on the idea that it made better popcorn.
That is, until I tried Popsmith popcorn.
Here’s the play-by-play of my internal monologue as I tried my first handful:
Oh wow, this is crisp. I don’t know if I’ve ever had popcorn this light and crispy before, even at the movie theater. The texture has a real snap to it. Super satisfying.
Even the non-salted pieces taste SO much different than the bagged popcorn I’m used to!
The flavor is distinctly fresh and nutty. Do they have popcorn sommeliers? Because there are NOTES in here.
Secondary thought: I can’t wait to try the Kettle Corn.
Spoiler: I did try the Kettle Corn next. It was everything I enjoyed about the butter flavor plus a sweet, toasty, delicious caramelized coating. What I’m saying is... it's good these come in packs of five.
^Crispy, caramelized Kettle Corn!
Clean Up
Once I’d thoroughly enjoyed a single serving and definitely no more than that ... I was jolted back to reality in a moment of post-popcorn-bliss clarity: I had to clean up.
For the Kettle Corn, my expectations were grim. I imagined the hassle of caramelized sugar, burnt into a sticky mess on the sides of a pan.
I prepped my best sponge and Bar Keeper’s Friend powder (the recommended non-abrasive cleanser for the Popsmith, FYI) and… I didn’t need it at all.
With the popper still warm, I ran it under some water, and the melty residue slid right out.
Can I promise this will happen every single time? That depends on how you follow the instructions. Especially if you don’t stir the popper as instructed and really let it burn on there. But for my first use, this no-fuss clean was a bit of a revelation.
Remember that pile of dishes that plagues all my food-based get-togethers? This may be my permanent solution. I’m so impressed.
Once the residue was rinsed out, I gently washed with dish soap and water (it’s 100% dishwasher safe, but we do things a bit old-fashioned in my house!) and dried.
Good as new.
A New Entertaining Holy Grail? A Recap:
Swipe to see the results!
The Popsmith Popper | Make Your Kitchen Pop
5.0/5.0
The Popsmith Popper | Make Your Kitchen Pop
5.0/5.0
Be the star of your next get-together with a new kind of high-end snacking experience.
✔ Dishwasher-safe
✔ Stainless steel durability
✔ Even heat distribution with multi-clad bottom
✔ No burning/sticking with patented stirring handle
Explore colors:
Any questions popping up?
How much is shipping?
How do I use my Popsmith? Is it easy?
Is the Popsmith dishwasher safe?
Will Popsmith work on an induction stovetop?
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