Photo: Courtesy of HalfPops

I’m a firm believer that popcorn doesn’t just make trips to the theater more fun, it makes TV watching better, too. So at least twice a week I haul out my air popper or spend some time at the stove, popping popcorn the old fashioned way. But my homemade habits could never lessen my love of quick, easy, and tasty shortcuts. With these three new popcorn treats, you’ll be munching and crunching in no time.

DIY Movie Popcorn at Home
One way that fresh popcorn trumps the prepackaged version is the rich, buttery aroma--until now. This summer, Popcorn, Indiana is launching a new type of bag that allows you to tear a small hole to vent the bag and then warm up the popcorn in the microwave. (Traditional bags spark and may catch fire if you tried to zap them.) The popcorn is tasty eaten cold from the bag and phenomenal when warmed.

Super-Natural, Gourmet Popcorn (from the Microwave!)
When the US Environmental Protection Agency tested the steam that rises from conventional microwave popcorn bags, the agency identified nearly four dozen different chemicals. But Quinn Popcorn’s microwave bags are free of Teflon and plastic and are made from compostable paper. Even better? The flavors are awesome: Parmesan and rosemary, Vermont maple and sea salt, and lemon and sea salt. Little packets of seasoning let you customize the flavor with as much or as little intensity as you'd like.


A New Take on the Popcorn Party Snack
For some of us, those half-popped bits of popcorn at the bottom of the bowl are the best part. The folks behind HalfPops must agree, because these novel kernels are air-popped only halfway. The result is a super-crunchy, dense treat, lightly dusted with sea salt or aged white cheddar.

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