- I tried three different brands of salted popcorn to find out which snack was the most satisfying.
- I loved Lesser Evil's popcorn because it was flavorful, satisfying, and kept me reaching for more.
- I thought Skinny Pop's snack tasted a bit plain and the kernels were kind of soft.
I'm a chef who loves popcorn, but the snack aisle at the grocery store can be overflowing with options.
To find out which popcorn is the best, I tried a mix of popular bagged, salted varieties. I also removed the popcorn from the packaging before trying to cut out potential biases related to brand.
Here's how the popcorn stacked up, ranked from my least favorite to favorite:
Skinny Pop's popcorn was a bit soft and I think it could benefit from more seasoning
Skinny Pop only contained three ingredients — popcorn, sunflower oil, and salt — which I appreciated. But, unfortunately, this snack left a lot to be desired.
Within minutes of opening the bag, I thought the kernels already had a soft, almost stale texture. They also didn't have much flavor.
Although I appreciate a short and sweet ingredient list, in this case, these poor naked corn puffs badly needed a dose of butter, caramel, or cheese.
The Boom Chicka Pop kernels were crunchy, but I wanted more flavor
Despite the simple ingredients and original flavor, I was pleasantly surprised by this bag.
Like the Skinny Pop, this bag only had three ingredients: popcorn, sunflower oil, and sea salt.
The kernels had a good crunch and pep with a nice saltiness.
I would have liked a bit more flavor, but I'd imagine the brand's kettle corn or a seasoned variety would deliver.
Lesser Evil's Oh My Ghee! popcorn was so tasty I kept reaching for more
Lesser Evil's offering also had only three ingredients and the front of the bag notes ghee, or organic grass-fed clarified butter, and Himalayan salt as key ones.
The white kernels were light and crunchy.
Though there was not a strong buttery or salty taste, the popcorn is far from flavorless and definitely kept me reaching for more.