Microwave Popcorn: Reviews

Real Simple: Real Simple magazine says it microwaved "nearly 75 bags" but lists just four winners and doesn't say which products failed to make that cut or how many contended in each category.

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports rates eleven microwave popcorns, including two varieties of Pop Secret (although not Theater Butter), but a subscription is required to see the complete rankings.

Cook's Illustrated Magazine: Cook's Illustrated used staffers for this taste test of nine microwave popcorns plus a ringer -- regular popcorn microwaved in a bag with real butter added.

AudioVideo Revolution: This review says it tried "virtually every brand and type" of microwave popcorn, but we'd like to see a specific number as well as more than a top four and bottom four.

ConsumerReports.org: Editors give a brief summation of its ratings of eleven microwave popcorn brands.

Health Magazine: Editors at Health magazine rate 14 microwave popcorn varieties with an eye towards healthy eating -- choosing Smart Balance Light Butter as the winner with Newman's Own Organics Pop's Corn Light Butter next.

The Boston Globe: The Boston Globe used an unspecified number of testers to taste six microwave popcorns.

Men's Health: Men's Health says it "searched every aisle" for its picks in 125 food categories, but there's no indication how many contenders there were in each category or who the losers were.

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports' editors sum up the ratings of eleven microwave popcorn varieties, though you'll need a subscription to see the product-by-product ratings.

Men's Fitness: Men's Fitness regularly covers "nutrition" but does not give any hint about its testing methods for this roundup of six "healthy" microwave popcorns.

The Miami Herald: The weakness of this review is there are just three brands and three tasters.

Cook's Illustrated Magazine: Cook's Illustrated used staffers for this taste test of nine microwave popcorn varieties.

Health Magazine: Health magazine has a "User's Bill of Rights" that guarantees a separation between editorial and advertising content.

Cook's Illustrated Magazine: Cook's Illustrated used staffers for this taste test of nine microwave popcorns plus a ringer -- regular popcorn microwaved in a bag with real butter added.

Amazon.com: We'd like to see at least ten customer reviews for anything approaching a fair consensus, and at this writing there were just six on Amazon.com for Newman's Own Organics Light Butter, three giving it the maximum five stars and three giving it two.