If you are a popcorn lover, you must have heard of popping corn with the use of hot air. But, you may not know, that this results in one of the healthiest, yet tastiest snacks ever! Popcorn popped with revolving hot air in an air popper will contain practically no fat, cholestorol or sodium, and is a good source of dietary fibers. Air popped popcorn can be seasoned at the end, so your popcorn snack can be unique each time you pop a new batch.

What it the method of making Air Popped Popcorn?

To make air popped popcorn, you will be needing a hot air popper. Its a small, 12 inch tall machine that comes in a number of shapes nowadays. All hot air poppers have a kettle, where you add the popping corn.

Once the hot air popcorn popper is turned on, it circullarly revolves hot air in the kettle, which sends the kernels on a wild ride around the side of the kettle. The circulating hot air heats every single kernel, which eventually ruptures as it would if you were using an oil popper. As more and more corn start to pop, they are literally shot through the spout of the air popper into a serving bowl you need to prepare beforehand.

Once all the kernels have popped, you can decide and eat it as is, or add some seasoning. There are numerous quick recipes available free of charge on the Internet, some of the most tastiest, yet healthiest ones are the following:

- brewers yeast (adds cheese flavor, really!)

- garlic powder

- garlic powder

- onion powder

- sugar and cinnamon (2 teaspoons cinnamon per 1/3 cup sugar)

Hot air popcorn poppers are great value kitchen appliances. A Presto hot air popper, which is a quality brand name popper, will cost around $20. These have a simple, general design, but if you want extra aesthetic appeal, go for a retro style popper, you can buy those for as low as $40. No matter which one you choose, you will see that air poppers will pop amost every kernel in about 3 minutes.

But how much do natural corn kernels cost? Probably more than microwave popcorn, since its a healthy food, right? Wrong! Natural corn will cost much less than microwave popcorn bags, so the initial expense of having to purchase the hot air popper will be returned in a very short while. You can find natural popping corn at any supermarket or grocery store, sometimes in the same aisle as the microwave popcorn bags.

Nutrition facts on air popped popcorn (1 serving = 1 cup or 8 g)

- 31 calories

- NO saturated fat

- ZERO cholesterol

- just 1 mg sodium

Safety tips on using a hot air popcorn popper:

- As you already know, the popper circulates the kernels with hot air, and once they start popping, they are pushed out the spout of the top see-through lid. At times hot, unpopperd kernels can fly out, so do not stand directly in front of the opening.

- The spout will emit hot air during the popping process, which can cause skin burn if you're not careful.

- It is advisable not to use bowls made of metal as serving bowls, since metal heats up rapidly under the emitted hot air. If you do use a metal bowl, let it cool off for a minute after you turn the popper's power off.