![Popcorn Pumper 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Popcorn_Pumper_1.JPG)
A popcorn maker (also called a popcorn popper) is a machine used to pop
popcorn
Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion.
A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the se ...
. Since ancient times, popcorn has been a popular snack food, produced through the explosive expansion of kernels of heated corn (
maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maĆz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
).
Commercial large-scale popcorn machines were invented by
Charles Cretors
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...
in the late 19th century. Many types of small-scale home methods for popping corn also exist.
Commercial popcorn machines are commonly found in movie theaters and carnivals, producing popcorn in a pan of hot oil, so that approximately 45% of the calories are derived from fat. Hot-air popcorn poppers for home use appeared the late 1970s; these produce popcorn with only 5% of its calories derived from fat.
The majority of popcorn sold for home consumption is now packaged in a
microwave popcorn bag for use in a
microwave oven
A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce t ...
.
As a result, the popularity of popcorn makers for home use has greatly decreased in the last few decades.
History
Charles Cretors
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...
traveled the Midwest, settling in
Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The city is located south of Kansas City on the Marmaton ...
, and then
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Ce ...
. He worked in the painting and contracting business and later opened a bakery and eventually a
confectionery
Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...
shop. To broaden his offerings in the confectionery store, he bought a peanut roaster, which he redesigned to improve its operation. Driven by a small
steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...
, it was the first automated peanut roaster. In 1885, he moved his family to
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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to focus on selling his machine.
To test his peanut roaster and earn money, Cretors purchased a vendor's license and placed the machine on the sidewalk in front of his shop. The date on the license, December 2, 1885, marks the inception of C. Cretors & Company. A
traveling salesman, J.M. Savage, offered to sell the machine in his territory, and became Cretors' first salesman. Cretors' machines, being automated, made operation more predictable; in addition, the novelty of the steam engine and the Tosty Rosty Man, a small mechanical clown that acted as a merchandiser, made the machines themselves attractive.
By 1893, Cretors had created a steam-powered machine that could roast 12 pounds of peanuts and 20 pounds of
coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
S ...
, pop corn, and bake
chestnut
The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.
The unrelat ...
s. Since popcorn was becoming a popular choice for snack food, Cretors redesigned his machine to roast peanuts and pop popcorn at the same time. It was the first automated machine that could pop popcorn uniformly in its own seasonings, guaranteeing a predictable product. Cretors applied for a patent on his automated peanut roaster and popcorn popper machine on August 10, 1891, and U.S. Patent 506,207 was granted on October 10, 1893.
Cretors took his new popcorn wagon and peanut roaster to the midway of
Chicago's Columbian Exposition in 1893[ and introduced the new corn product to the public in a newly designed machine that included a popcorn wagon.
]
Variants
Specialized popcorn pots, also called stove-top poppers, have been marketed under various brand names, including The Detonator, Whirley Pop, Theater II and Sweet & Easy; all of them are basically a pot that has an integrated stirring blade operated by turning a crank. This is to prevent burning of the kernels on the bottom and, under limited conditions, enables users to make sweetened popcorn by mixing sugar directly with the kernels before they pop.
In 1978, Presto introduced the Popcorn Pumper, a popper for home use that used hot air blown up through the kernels. By cooking without oil, it reduced the calories and fat in the finished product. It was also faster and easier than pan fry popping.
Home popcorn makers are also available, consisting of an electrically heated circular tray with a powered stirring arm, into which corn and oil can be placed, and a dome-shaped cover that often doubles as a serving bowl.
Around 1974, Pillsbury made microwave popcorn available for sale in vending machines
A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The fir ...
; as microwave oven sales increased, the product was released to supermarkets. This reduced the need for a separate kitchen appliance, and more consumers now buy microwave popcorn bags than use home machines. To improve flavor, texture and shelf life of pre-packaged microwave popcorn, companies started adding diacetyl
Diacetyl (IUPAC systematic name: butanedione or butane-2,3-dione) is an organic compound with the chemical formula (CH3CO)2. It is a yellow liquid with an intensely buttery flavor. It is a vicinal diketone (two C=O groups, side-by-side). Diacet ...
, PFOA
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA; conjugate base perfluorooctanoate; also known colloquially as C8, for its 8 carbon chain structure) is a perfluorinated carboxylic acid produced and used worldwide as an industrial surfactant in chemical processes a ...
, and trans-fats to the packages, which has led to concern among health-conscious consumers.
Gallery
File:West Bend Industries Stir Crazy Popcorn Popper.jpg, Stir Crazy popcorn popper
File:Army and Air Force Exchange Service popcorn making.jpg, Army and Air Force Exchange Service worker making popcorn in a modern popcorn maker
File:Popcorn vendor at Paris- Illinois, August 3- 1912.jpg, Popcorn vendor at Paris, Illinois
Paris is a city in Edgar County, Illinois, south of Chicago and west of Indianapolis. The population was 8,291 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat and largest city of Edgar County.
History
Paris was established in 1826 on land donated by ...
, on August 3, 1912
File:Popcorn Cart 1.JPG, Modern vending cart
File:JiffyPop.jpg, Jiffy Pop
Jiffy Pop is a popcorn brand of ConAgra Foods. The product consists of popcorn kernels, oil, and flavoring agents contained within a foil-covered, disposable aluminum pan. Once the paper outer covering is removed, the pan is held by an attached ha ...
popcorn, single-use
See also
* National Presto Industries
National Presto Industries is a company founded in 1905 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Originally called "Northwestern Steel and Iron Works" the company changed its name to the "National Pressure Cooker Company" in 1929 and then National Presto Industr ...
* Jiffy Pop
Jiffy Pop is a popcorn brand of ConAgra Foods. The product consists of popcorn kernels, oil, and flavoring agents contained within a foil-covered, disposable aluminum pan. Once the paper outer covering is removed, the pan is held by an attached ha ...
References
{{reflist
Cooking appliances
American inventions
Popcorn
Products introduced in 1893
19th-century inventions