|  | Diet Nutrition | Nutrition

Theater Popcorn Ingredients

No matter how hard you try, it's tough to duplicate the taste of movie theater popcorn at home. That's not necessarily a bad thing. According to Web MD, a big bag of movie popcorn can have as many as 1,200 calories and 1.5 grams of sodium--that's without the soda and oversized box of candy. Still, there's something about yellow, "buttery" movie theater popcorn, in moderation. The taste comes partly from the well-seasoned popping equipment, and partly from the special ingredients.

  1. Popcorn

    • Movie theater popcorn's not-so-secret ingredient is the popcorn itself. Alone, the popcorn used is pretty much the same as the popcorn you pop at home in the microwave or on the stove top. Without anything added, popcorn is very low in fat, sodium and calories. Popcorn is a whole grain that offers a gram of fiber in just a handful. It's also cheap, especially when purchased in bulk, as movie theaters do.

    Oil

    • One of the secrets to movie theater popcorn is the fat its often popped with: a solid form of hydrogenated coconut oil. Some theaters have switched to lighter canola oil, which cuts the amount of fat, but it's still usually added in a hydrogenated solid, not a liquid, form. The solid oil is also dyed yellow, which gives popped movie theater popcorn some of its color, and has artificial butter flavor added.

    Salt

    • The salt that's added to movie theater popcorn isn't just salt; it's a potent combination of salt, artificial butter flavoring and artificial color. The powder resembles the orange powdered cheese used in boxed macaroni and cheese. This salt blend is pre-measured and added to the popper along with the popcorn kernels and oil. Between the orange-colored oil and the orange-colored butter salt, the result is the familiar bright yellow movie theater popcorn.

    "Butter" Topping

    • Once the popcorn is popped and scooped into a bag or bucket, there's one last ingredient: the "buttery" topping. While some theaters offer a real butter-based popcorn topping, most use a blend of soybean oil, artificial butter flavoring and salt. The oil is heated and distributed over the popcorn with a pump. Some theaters allows patrons to add their own "extra butter," but watch out--each pump can have as much as 130 calories.

Nutrition - Related Articles