Making popcorn yourself is easy and fun with a hot air popcorn popper. When you make your popcorn with this method it comes out airy and fluffy instead of oily. It also has the added benefit that you can choose how much butter and salt to put on your popcorn. This is very nice if you find the pre-packaged microwave popcorn to be too salty or oily for your tastes.

Step 1: Gather Your Equipment

Equipment Required:

hot air popcorn popper

large bowl

measuring spoons (your popcorn popper may come with it's own custom measuring device)

knife

Step 2: Gather Your Ingredients

½ stick (¼ cup) of butter or margarine (more or less as desired)

salt

popcorn kernels

Step 3:

Plug in popcorn maker.

Place bowl under spout of popcorn maker.

Step 4:

Measure out your kernels (if your hot air popcorn maker comes with a measuring device, use that, otherwise anything between a half and three quarters cup should be sufficient)

Step 5:

Pour the kernels into the popcorn maker from the top.

Step 6:

Place the plastic guard that comes with your popcorn maker on top. ( if your popcorn maker came with a measuring cup like the one in the picture, make sure to place the measuring cup over the hole on top of the popcorn maker.)

Cut off the amount of butter or margarine you would like. (2-4 Tbsp typically)

Some hot air popcorn makers use the measuring cup on top as a place to melt the butter while the popcorn pops. If your popcorn popper has this feature, place butter in the measuring cup to allow butter to melt as the popcorn pops. Otherwise, put the butter in your measuring cup and melt in in the microwave (30 seconds or less should do).

Step 7:

Turn on popcorn maker. (Do not remove the top cover while the popcorn popper is on. Do not touch the inside of the popcorn maker while it is on as it may burn you).

Wait for the kernels to stop popping.

Tilt the popcorn maker towards the spout to pour the remaining kernels into the bowl.

Turn off popcorn maker.

Pour melted butter on popcorn according to desired taste.