Written by Lara Yehia. Lara researches home and kitchen products for Cupindy. · Published October 2026 · Last reviewed October 14, 2026
If you are giving up microwave popcorn bags, the useful question is not which popper is cutest. It is what touches the kernels and the hot oil. We read the makers' own manuals and pages for five popular poppers, one of each type, and the FDA's notice on the bags.
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Our quick pick
Whirley Pop Stainless Steel Stovetop Popcorn Popper, 6 Qt.
A stainless pan with metal gears. Its maker lists it as working on induction and glass-top stoves; the aluminum version does not work on induction.
See the stainless Whirley Pop on AmazonThe short answer
- No coating or plastic in the pan: a stainless steel stovetop popper, with your own oil.
- No oil at all: a hot air popper, but its body is plastic.
- Keep the microwave: a glass or silicone popper bowl replaces the bag.
- Check first: electric stirring machines may have a nonstick-coated plate; read what the coating is.
Best Non-Toxic Popcorn Makers: Our Picks
| Popper | What touches the popcorn | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Whirley Pop stainless (stovetop) | Stainless pan, metal gears | Amazon |
| Great Northern stainless (stovetop) | Stainless pot, built-in paddle | Amazon |
| Presto PopLite (hot air) | Hot air in a plastic-bodied popper, no oil | Amazon |
| Ecolution Micro-Pop (microwave) | Borosilicate glass bowl in a plastic holder | Amazon |
| Salbree (microwave) | Silicone bowl and lid | Amazon |
How we put this together: on October 14, 2026 we started from the best sellers in Amazon's Popcorn Poppers category, added the stainless Whirley Pop (which Amazon files under kitchen gadgets), then read each maker's manual or product page for the parts that touch food. We have not tested these poppers.
Is Microwave Popcorn Bad for You?
The worry with microwave popcorn has been the bag, not the corn. Bags were treated to stop grease soaking through, and some of those treatments were PFAS. The FDA says those PFAS treatments are no longer sold for US food packaging, but a study tied heavy popcorn eating to higher PFAS levels in blood.
The FDA announced on February 28, 2024 that grease-proofing substances containing PFAS “are no longer being sold by manufacturers for food contact use in the U.S. market”. Its notice names the bags: “The substances containing PFAS were applied to fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, take-out paperboard containers, pet food bags, as well as other similar types of packaging.” The FDA says this “eliminates the primary source of dietary exposure to PFAS from authorized food contact uses”.
Two limits in the same notice: packaging already made “could take 18 months to exhaust the market supply from the last date of sale”, and the FDA “is working towards a validated analytical method that would allow us to monitor the market for these food contact substances in food packaging”. So the notice is about what manufacturers stopped selling, not a test of every box on a shelf. Our parchment paper guide covers the same phase-out for baking paper.
The study most often quoted is a 2019 analysis of US national health survey data (NHANES) in Environmental Health Perspectives. It found that “Consumption of popcorn was associated with significantly higher serum levels of PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, and PFOS”, “up to a 63% (95% CI: 34, 99) increase in PFDA among those who ate popcorn daily over the last 12 months”. The 12-month question covered popcorn of any kind, not only microwave bags. The authors wrote: “Associations between serum PFAS and popcorn consumption may be a consequence of PFAS migration from microwave popcorn bags.” It is an association, the 12-month figure comes from 2003 to 2006 survey years, long before the FDA phase-out, and the paper itself cites a study that “did not find migration of four PFCAs from microwave popcorn bags into the popcorn after cooking”. The journal published a correction in 2023 for other estimates; the 63% figure is unchanged in the corrected table.
If you would rather not depend on the bag at all, any popper below pops plain kernels. And if you only want to keep using a bowl you own, our microwave safe symbol guide says to keep plastic containers out of the microwave for popcorn.
What Touches Your Popcorn in Each Type of Popper
Every popper heats kernels against something. The table shows what that something is, and what to check on the listing before you buy.
| Type | What touches the kernels | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Stovetop, stainless | Stainless pan and stirrer; your oil | Pan is stainless, not aluminum; metal gears |
| Stovetop, aluminum | Aluminum pan | See our aluminum guide; no induction on Whirley's aluminum models |
| Electric stirring | Heated plate, may be nonstick-coated | Coating type; see PFOA-free vs PFAS-free |
| Hot air | Hot air in a chamber; plastic cover and chute | No oil in the chamber; listing says plastic |
| Microwave, glass | Glass bowl; check the lid and base material | Whether the bowl sits in a plastic holder |
| Microwave, silicone | Silicone bowl and lid | Silicone grade is rarely stated; see our silicone guide |
Stovetop Poppers: Stainless Steel vs Aluminum
A stovetop popper is a wide pot with a hinged lid and a crank that turns a wire across the bottom, so the kernels keep moving and do not scorch. The pan material is the main choice. Wabash Valley Farms, which makes the Whirley Pop, publishes a comparison chart for its own poppers:
| Whirley Pop model | Pan and gears | Induction / glass top |
|---|---|---|
| Stainless Steel | Stainless pan, metal gears | Yes / Yes |
| Original Silver, Red, Color Changing | Aluminum pan, nylon or metal gears | No / “consult manufacturer’s manual” |
Whirley's first-time guide starts with “Season the Pan”, then “Add 1/2 Cup Popping Corn and 1-3 T Popping Oil into the Whirley Pop”, heated on medium to medium-high. If you cook on glass, our guide to what the stove makers allow on glass applies to poppers too: flat base, lift instead of slide.
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Our pick for a stainless stovetop popper
Whirley Pop Stainless Steel Stovetop Popcorn Popper, 6 Qt.
The stainless version of the Whirley Pop, with metal gears. Its maker lists it as working on induction and on glass-top stoves, and the listing mentions a 25-year warranty.
Good for: stovetop popcorn with oil you choose, on gas, electric, glass or induction
The drawback: it needs seasoning before first use, and the listing bundles a popping kit whose oil and seasoning we did not check. Use your own oil if you prefer.
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A lower-cost stainless option
Great Northern Popcorn Stainless Steel Stovetop Popcorn Maker, 6.5 Qt.
Sold by Amazon. Great Northern describes it this way: “Made of durable stainless-steel, this old-fashioned popcorn maker features a duplex heating pad for even cooking”. A wooden handle and a built-in paddle stir the kernels.
Good for: a bigger batch on a gas or electric stove
The drawback: Great Northern's page does not say whether it works on induction or what metal the paddle is, and the manual attached to the listing carries a different product name, so we could not match it to this model.
See the Great Northern popper on AmazonHot Air Poppers: No Oil, but a Plastic Body
A hot air popper blows heated air through the kernels and out of a chute. There is no oil and no pan to coat. The trade-off is the housing: on the Presto PopLite, the listing gives the material as plastic. Presto's manual is clear about oil: “Do not place oil, shortening, butter, or margarine in the popping chamber.”
One more thing we found in the paperwork. The 2016 version of the PopLite manual attached to the Amazon listing carries a California Proposition 65 warning: “This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.” The 2023 version of the manual on the same listing has no California warning. Presto's own Proposition 65 page says “A Proposition 65 warning is a notification that a product may include a substance on California's Proposition 65 list.” and, about its products, “Yes, it is safe to use as instructed.” We report what each document says; it does not name the chemical.
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Our pick if you want no oil
Presto PopLite Hot Air Popcorn Popper
One of the best-selling hot air poppers on Amazon. Kernels go in the chamber, the cover goes on, and popped corn comes out of the chute into your bowl. Presto says to wash the cover and butter melter by hand.
Good for: oil-free popcorn and quick small batches
The drawback: the body is plastic and one manual version carries the Prop 65 warning quoted above. If no plastic near hot food is your rule, choose a stainless stovetop popper.
See the Presto PopLite on AmazonMicrowave Poppers: Glass or Silicone
A microwave popper is a bowl that does the bag's job: kernels in, lid on, a few minutes on high. Glass bowls let you watch the popping. Silicone bowls fold flat for storage. Neither needs oil, though you can add some.
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Our pick for the microwave, glass
Ecolution Micro-Pop Glass Microwave Popcorn Popper, 3 Qt.
A borosilicate glass bowl with a lid that measures kernels and melts butter. Its instructions say “popper and lid are both dishwasher safe” and “For microwave use only.”
Good for: replacing bags without changing how you make popcorn
The drawback: the glass is not the only material. Ecolution's instructions say “Never attempt to remove the glass bowl from the plastic holder; they are not intended to separate.” Glass can also chip or break.
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Our pick for the microwave, silicone
Salbree Collapsible Silicone Microwave Popcorn Popper
A large silicone bowl with handles and a lid that collapses flat. The listing calls it BPA-free silicone.
Good for: small kitchens, dorms and RVs
The drawback: the material claim comes from the listing alone; we found no maker document naming the silicone grade. Our guide to silicone safety covers what studies have found.
See the Salbree popper on AmazonQuestions People Ask
Are silicone popcorn poppers safe?
Food-grade silicone is widely used for bakeware and lids, but the Salbree listing does not name the silicone grade or how it was cured. Our silicone guide covers what recent studies found. If you want no silicone, use a stainless stovetop popper.
Is an air popper healthy?
An air popper needs no oil, so the popcorn has only what you add afterwards. Presto's manual forbids oil or butter in the popping chamber; use the butter melter or season after popping.
Does BPA-free mean plastic-free?
No. BPA-free means the plastic or silicone is made without bisphenol A; it is still plastic or silicone. Of the five poppers here, only the two stovetop ones are described by their makers as stainless steel; the others are plastic-bodied, glass in a plastic holder, or silicone.
How much oil and popcorn go in a stovetop popper?
Whirley Pop's guide: “Add 1/2 Cup Popping Corn and 1-3 T Popping Oil into the Whirley Pop”, on medium to medium-high heat.
Can you use a stovetop popper on induction or a glass top stove?
Check the pan material. Wabash Valley Farms lists its stainless Whirley Pop as working on induction and glass tops, while its aluminum models do not work on induction. See our guide to pans on glass top stoves.
How do you get burnt popcorn smell out of a microwave?
Wipe the inside, then steam a bowl of water with lemon or baking soda. Our microwave cleaning guide has the steps.
Sources
- FDA: FDA Announces PFAS Used in Grease-Proofing Agents for Food Packaging No Longer Being Sold in the U.S. (February 28, 2024)
- Susmann et al., Dietary Habits Related to Food Packaging and Population Exposure to PFASs, Environmental Health Perspectives 127(10), 2019
- Erratum, Environmental Health Perspectives 131(6), 2023
- Whirley Pop Shop (Wabash Valley Farms): FAQ, First Time User Guide and Popcorn Popper Comparison Chart
- Great Northern Popcorn: Stovetop Popcorn Maker
- Presto: Proposition 65
- Presto PopLite instructions (2016 and 2023 versions) and Ecolution Micro-Pop instructions, as attached to their Amazon listings; Amazon listing wording for all five poppers, checked October 14, 2026.
