After downing far too many bags of microwave popcorn, my husband decided we should invest in an electric popcorn maker, so we purchased one made by Waring. And, although this machine does take up extra space in our cupboard, it produces such light, fluffy corn that we’d never return to the microwave variety. The model we chose has several bonuses, one being that it’s easy to use. You oil the base, add kernels, and then put on a big plastic domed lid (which doubles as a serving bowl). You wait a few minutes for the machine to heat up, and then watch as the kernels start to pop. Start to finish we count on 10 minutes. My spouse is addicted to sprinkling our popcorn with truffle salt (a definite indulgence), but kosher salt works just fine!

Waring Popcorn Maker available at Williams Sonoma and other cookware stores