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Electrical Engineering Solutions
A
popcorn maker (also called a popcorn popper) is a machine used to
pop popcorn. Since ancient times popcorn has been a popular snack food,
produced through the explosive expansion of kernels of heated corn (maize).[1] Commercial large-scale popcorn machines were invented by Charles Cretors in the late 19th century. Many types of small-scale home
methods for popping corn also exist.
Commercial
popcorn machines are commonly found in movie theaters and carnivals, producing
popcorn in a pan of hot oil, which has approximately 45% of its calories
derived from fat. Hot air popcorn poppers appeared for home use in the late
1970s, which produce popcorn with only 5% of its calories derived from fat.[2] The majority of popcorn sold for home consumption is now
packaged in a microwave popcorn
bag for use in a microwave oven.[3]
Contents
History
An
early popcorn machine in a street cart, invented in the 1880s by Charles
Cretors in Chicago
The
original method used to pop corn was to hold and shake a wire basket filled
with raw corn kernels over an open flame or fire. The result was a hot, dry,
unevenly cooked and often burned snack. The Cretors machine automatically
popped corn in a mixture of lard, oil, and salt. The result was a machine that
popped corn in its own seasoning – uniformly for the first time.
Charles Cretors originated from Lebanon, Ohio. He traveled the Midwest and
settled in Fort Scott, Kansas for a few years, and then Decatur, Illinois. He
spent his time working in the painting and contracting business, opened a
bakery, and eventually a confectionery shop. As each venture led to the next,
Cretors discovered he had a passion for how things worked. As an addition to
the confectionery shop, Cretors purchased a peanut
roaster to broaden his offerings to include fresh roasted peanuts. Not
satisfied with how the machine worked, he redesigned it to work better. It was
at this time that Cretors moved his wife and family to Chicago where he felt he
could become a commercial success by selling his new machine. It was 1885.
Cretors
wanted to test his new roaster under everyday conditions, and he also needed
money. So, he purchased a vendor's license and put his machine on the sidewalk
in front of his shop to test it and sell product at the same time. The date on
the vendor's license is December 2, 1885, which marks the inception of C. Cretors & Company. The new roaster was driven by a
small steam engine, which automated the roasting
process, which was a new concept. A chance meeting happened between Cretors and
a traveling salesman who purchased a bag of roasted peanuts. The salesman, J.M Savage, was very intrigued with the new
peanut roaster, and offered to sell it in his territory. Cretors agreed to the
proposal, and hired his first salesman.
Modern vending cart
By
1893, Cretors had created a steam powered machine that could roast 12 pounds of
peanuts, 20 pounds of coffee, pop corn, and bake chestnuts as well. Popcorn was becoming the next popular choice for
snackfood. Cretors redesigned his automated roasting machine so it would roast
peanuts and pop popcorn at the same time. Cretors' machine design offered
several advantages over the hand-operated process. First as a machine, it made
operation more predictable and it provided an attraction for both the retailer
and the customer. There was the novelty of the steam engine, and the Tosty
Rosty Man, a small mechanical clown that acted as a merchandiser for the
machine. Cretors' machine became the first automated machine that could pop
popcorn uniformly in its own seasonings. As a result, the product came out the
same way every time. Cretors applied for a patent on his new automated peanut
roaster and popcorn popper machine on August 10, 1891. U.S. Patent 506,207 was
granted to Cretors on October 10, 1893.
Charles
Cretors took his new popcorn wagon and peanut roaster to the Midway of Chicago's Columbian
Exposition in 1893
and introduced the new corn product to the public in a newly designed machine
that included a popcorn wagon. After a trial period where Cretors gave away
samples of his new popcorn product, people began to line up to purchase bags of
the hot, buttered popcorn.
Variants
Specialized
popcorn pots, also called stove-top poppers, have been marketed under various
brand names, including Whirley Pop, Theater II and Sweet & Easy; all of
them are basically a pot that has an integrated stirring blade operated by
turning a crank. This is to prevent burning of the kernels on the bottom and,
under limited conditions, enables users to make sweetened popcorn by mixing
sugar directly with the kernels before they pop.[4][5]
In
1978 Presto introduced the Popcorn Pumper, a
popper for consumer use in the home, which used hot air blown up through the
kernels. By cooking without oil, it reduced the calories and fat in the
finished product. It was also faster and easier than pan-fry popping.[6]
Home
popcorn makers are also available which consist of an electrically-heated
circular tray with a powered stirring arm, into which corn and oil can be
placed, with a dome-shaped cover which often doubles as a serving bowl.[7]
In
the mid-1970s Pillsbury made microwave popcorn for sale in vending machines (and later to wide distribution in supermarkets, as
microwave oven sales increased), thus reducing the need for a separate
appliance in some homes; however up to 60% of the calories of this type of
popcorn are derived from fat (lower fat versions are available). Many[citation
needed] people today choose to microwave
popcorn using their own bags. Popcorn can be placed in any paper bag, which is
then folded and put in a microwave for several minutes depending on the wattage
power of the microwave.
References
3. ^ "An American Original: The Popularity of
Microwave Popcorn Just Keeps Growing". AllBusiness. May 1, 2006.
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