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Microwave Popcorn: Ratings of Sources
Total of 9 Sources

For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.

1. ConsumerReports.org
Sept. 2007
Popcorn: Which Kernels Are King?
by Editors of Consumer Reports
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentConsumer Reports tries out eleven brands of microwave popcorn, concluding that all varieties taste pretty much the same. This report doesn't even mention the debate surrounding diacetyl, which hit the news at the beginning of September. So presumably, all the popcorn varieties tested by editors contain this chemical. Editors have not addressed the diacetyl issue at all (as of May 2008).
2. Cook's Illustrated Magazine
July 2003
Tasting Microwave Popcorn
by Editors of Cook's Illustrated
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentCook's Illustrated's panel tastes 10 brands of microwave popcorn, recommending five (with varying degrees of enthusiasm) and rejecting the other five in this rather dated review.
3. Health Magazine
Feb. 2007
The Best Microwave Popcorn
by Susan Hall
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentTesters at Health Magazine taste 14 brands of microwave popcorn, assigning letter grades to the top four finishers. Smart Balance Light Butter earns the best rating for its absence of hydrogenated oils and trans fats, and its "buttery flavor" which "makes you feel like you're at the movies." Runners up, with an A-, are Newman's Own Organics Pop's Corn Light Butter, which isn't "quite as buttery as our other faves," and Newman's Own Organics Pop's Corn 94% Fat Free Unsalted, with .5 grams of saturated fat per serving.
4. Real Simple
June 2006
The Best Microwave Popcorn
by Editors of Real Simple
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentReal Simple doesn't say how many brands of microwave popcorn it sampled for this taste test; it just lists the four winners. Bearitos Organic is named the best plain variety; it "plumped up much larger than the other brands." Orville Redenbacher's Organic Smart Pop! Butter is best low-fat, and another Redenbacher variety, Old-Fashioned Butter, wins in that category (tasters say it was buttery without being greasy). Pop Secret Extra Butter wins in the "extra butter" category; real butter is one of its ingredients.
5. Men's Fitness
Not dated
Top of the Pops
by Elizabeth Sanchez
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentIt's not clear if Elizabeth Sanchez sampled the six microwave popcorns listed here herself, or used a tasting panel. The best of the batch is Pop Secret Light Butter, which "re-creates the taste and smell of movie theater popcorn without the grease," followed by Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop 94% Fat-Free Butter, a "slightly leaner option" than Pop Secret. Jolly Time Healthy Pop 94% Fat Free Butter ranks last of the six. She says it tastes like "chemicals and plastic." Though not dated, this article predates the emergence of the issues surrounding diacetyl.
6. Boston.com
Dec. 20, 2006
Search for Kernels of Truth Leads to Overall Sense of Dissatisfaction
by Debra Samuels & Globe Staff
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentBoston.com asks a panel of tasters to sample microwave popcorn brands. Pop Secret (the variety isn't specified) is the top finisher. Debra Samuels says this is probably because it's made with real butter. Jolly Time Healthy Pop is the runner-up, and All Natural Newman's Own Old Style Picture Show Microwave Popcorn is dead last for its "industrial" flavor and "stale aftertaste."
7. AudioVideo Revolution
Dec. 2007
Microwave Popcorn Shootout 2000
by Bryan Dailey
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentDailey and his fellow audio/video reviewers purchase every brand of microwave popcorn available in Beverly Hills and put them to the test. The top finishers are Pop Secret Homestyle, because it's "very crispy and has an excellent real butter taste," and Pop Secret Movie Theater Butter, a "very good simulation" of movie theater popcorn. Weight Watchers is described as "so bland and tasteless that you would be better off just eating rice cakes instead."
8. Entertainment Weekly
Aug. 2, 1991
Pop Art
by Editors of Entertainment Weekly
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentEntertainment Weekly assembles a diverse panel -- including an agronomist specializing in maize and Cheryl James ("Salt" of the rap group Salt-n-Pepa) -- to evaluate a dozen microwave popcorn brands. Newman's Own All-Natural Flavor takes the top spot, followed by TV Time Butter; Weight Watchers takes dead last.
9. TotallyPopcorn.com
Not dated
Movie Style Butter/Extra Butter Microwave Popcorns
by Sandra Yuen
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThree popcorn enthusiasts try out six brands of buttered, movie-style microwave popcorn. The clear winner is Pop Secret Movie Theater Butter, for its "great flavoring -- without the feeling of heavy grease or extra butter." The worst of the lot is Safeway Theater Style Extra-Butter Flavor, which had a "chemical taste" and was very greasy. It's difficult to tell how current these reviews are. The last dated article on the site is from 2003.
     
 

This is our assessment of the review’s relevance, clarity of testing and thoroughness.

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