Popcorn – Product Review 011

A Kernel of Truth

Is there really any difference between  brands of popcorn? You bet there is! I’m not talking microwave popcorn, either; I’m talking about popcorn kernels you air pop or pop in oil.

One difference is the color of the kernel. Yellow and white kernels are two kinds widely available in stores. When I tried both colors I noticed a difference in both taste and texture. But I’ll save that for you to discover on your own. For this review, I chose yellow for the kernel color (the most common) and the brands I chose were: Orville Redenbacher’s, Jolly Time, and Great Value from Walmart (I’ll just call it Generic).

The Taste Test

For my imitation of a blind study, I had my husband air pop the corn and put it into three different containers without telling me the brands. I also skipped the butter and salt. I wanted to focus on the actual flavor and the texture of the popcorn (I don’t recommend this, by the way, it’s not nearly as good!). I then went on to have five other adults  sample them.

Results

For taste, the Jiffy Pop was picked the most (generic tasted like cardboard to some of the adults, but the teens didn ’t seem to mind as much). For texture, there was a real toss up.  Some liked Generic and other’s liked Orville Redenbacher’s.  Jolly Time was a close second.

Price

Generic was the clear winner for cost. It’s around 6.22 cents an ounce.  Jolly Time is 9.95 cents an ounce and Orville Redenbacher is 20 cents an ounce. None of these are sale prices.

The Corniest Kernel

After years of buying Orville Redenbacher’s, I finally know better. Next time I’m at the store and looking for a popping good time? I’ll choose Jolly Time. I think it’s the greatest value, being half the price of Orville Redenbacher’s, but still good in taste and texture.

Any questions or comments?  Email me at stephanie@houseoforder.com

~Stephanie