Month: March 2012

38.) Pillsbury FROZEN?! Microwaveable Popcorn

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…. because I know (even in the early 1980s when microwave popcorn was just being developed) to search for my popcorn in the FROZEN FOODS DEPARTMENT. 

The book “Popped Culture: a social history of popcorn in America”, states that early versions of microwave popcorn was sold frozen because back in the early 1980s, food scientists could not find a way to preserve the coconut oil used in heating up the popcorn kernels so the popcorn could stay on the shelves. Freezing was the only option. 1

This New York Times article about the Great Pop Corn Wars of 1987, lists the competing brands of microwave popcorn at that time:

One pattern in the highly competitive packaged-snack-food industry is that, where there is demand, an abundance of supply will surely follow. Indeed, there are now five major brands slugging it out: Pillsbury’s Microwave Popcorn, General Mills’ Pop Secret, American Pop Corn’s Jolly Time, Nabisco’s Planters Premium Select and, of course, Beatrice’s Orville Redenbacher’s Microwave Popping Corn. Several smaller companies, including the food concern of the actor Paul Newman, have also jumped into the fray.

The two popcorns not being manufactured today? Pillsbury, and to a lesser extent, Planters, which I didn’t even know discontinued their microwave popcorn, until I Googled it, and saw nothing. Maybe they discontinued it when they discontinued the precious cheez balls. 

Did you know that Orville Redenbacher had a frozen popcorn too?!

Related Links:

“Pillsbury Leads Growth in Microwave Food Products – Pittsburgh Press 10/5/88

38.) Pillsbury FROZEN?! Microwaveable Popcorn

{commercial}

{source}

…. because I know (even in the early 1980s when microwave popcorn was just being developed) to search for my popcorn in the FROZEN FOODS DEPARTMENT. 

The book “Popped Culture: a social history of popcorn in America”, states that early versions of microwave popcorn was sold frozen because back in the early 1980s, food scientists could not find a way to preserve the coconut oil used in heating up the popcorn kernels so the popcorn could stay on the shelves. Freezing was the only option. 1

This New York Times article about the Great Pop Corn Wars of 1987, lists the competing brands of microwave popcorn at that time:

One pattern in the highly competitive packaged-snack-food industry is that, where there is demand, an abundance of supply will surely follow. Indeed, there are now five major brands slugging it out: Pillsbury’s Microwave Popcorn, General Mills’ Pop Secret, American Pop Corn’s Jolly Time, Nabisco’s Planters Premium Select and, of course, Beatrice’s Orville Redenbacher’s Microwave Popping Corn. Several smaller companies, including the food concern of the actor Paul Newman, have also jumped into the fray.

The two popcorns not being manufactured today? Pillsbury, and to a lesser extent, Planters, which I didn’t even know discontinued their microwave popcorn, until I Googled it, and saw nothing. Maybe they discontinued it when they discontinued the precious cheez balls. 

Did you know that Orville Redenbacher had a frozen popcorn too?!

Related Links:

“Pillsbury Leads Growth in Microwave Food Products – Pittsburgh Press 10/5/88