Is It Safe To Make Popcorn In The Oven?

We can say with confidence that popcorn, the official state snack of Illinois, is the quintessential movie-time snack across the world. And when it comes to whipping up a batch of popcorn for your movie nights or a light snack, the microwave and stovetop are staples of the optimum popcorn experience. But if you're making popcorn for a crowd, you may be tempted to turn to the oven, and that's not the best idea.

While preparing popcorn in the oven is not dangerous, it's not the ideal way to achieve an enjoyable light and airy crunch. A rapid temperature increase and intense heat transform a hard kernel into a fluffy snack, and that's something ovens fail to provide. In the dry confines of an oven, the temperature rise is gradual and uneven. That dries out the kernels and compromises the moisture content, resulting in unpopped kernels. And the uneven heat distribution can yield lots of burned popcorn pieces with an unappealing texture.

Naturally, home cooks and recipe developers are hacking the functions of modern multifunctional devices to make cooking more convenient. And just because the oven doesn't stand up to a popcorn popper or microwave doesn't mean no devices do. Both air fryers and Instant Pots work well for making popcorn because they provide the intense, concentrated heat needed to reach popcorn's critical popping temperature of about 356 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The way air fryers get your food so crispy is rapid air circulation, which creates an environment similar to commercial hot-air poppers. And the Instant Pot's sauté function allows the oil to heat high enough to start popping the kernels. Both appliances heat fast enough and distribute heat more evenly than ovens, resulting in fewer unpopped kernels and a reduced risk of burning. Add your favorite popcorn seasoning blends, and your popcorn is ready in minutes, even if your microwave is broken and you don't own a popper.

Unfortunately, neither of those options helps much if you need lots of popcorn. If that's the case, you can buy a popcorn maker that pops in quantity, like the West Bend Stir Crazy 4-quart movie-style popcorn popper. For a simpler device that takes up less counter space but makes just as much popcorn, a more traditional unit like the Dash hot-air popcorn popper is handy.