Popcorn maker

Since ancient times, popcorn has been a popular snack food, produced through the explosive expansion of kernels of heated corn (maize).

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.

After hitting the lever on its opening, air will immediately flow in and puff the grain inside, making the content shoot out.

[6][7] According to University of Hong Kong researcher Xiaomeng Liu and Chinese media, the earliest form of popcorn cannon was invented by American botanist Alexander P.

[6] In 1940s, Yoshimura Toshiko (吉村利子) heard German people were using old cannons to puff grain; thus, she designed a portable grain-puffing device called Pongashi ki (ポン菓子機) in 1944 to 1945.

[7] Another photo in China showed the machine under inspection by an American officer in a military supply factory in Chongqing.

[7] Some stovetop popcorn makers such as The Detonator, Whirley Pop, Theater II and Sweet & Easy consist of a pot with a hand-cranked stirring blade.

[12] Other home popcorn makers are also available consist of an electrically heated circular tray with a motorized stirring arm, into which corn and oil can be placed, and a dome-shaped cover that often doubles as a serving bowl.

This reduced the need for a separate kitchen appliance, and more consumers now buy microwave popcorn bags than use home machines.

[2] To improve flavor, texture and shelf life of pre-packaged microwave popcorn, companies started adding diacetyl, PFOA, and trans-fats to the packages, which has led to concern among health-conscious consumers.

A hot-air home popcorn maker
An early popcorn machine in a street cart, invented in the 1880s by Charles Cretors in Chicago
A popcorn "cannon" seen in Taiyuan, China
The Detonator stove-top popcorn popper