There’s more than a kernel of truth to the philosophy that movies and popcorn just go together. Conveniently enough, our family happens to really love both. As does just about all of America. Movies and popcorn are staples of the makings of a fantastic Friday night in, finger-lickin’ buttery drippings and all.

My husband and I have always relished down-time moments curled up together with our kiddos and dog on a couch made for three, enjoying both newly (and anciently) released animated movies during those precious, fleeting evening hours tethered between the day’s nonstop ruckus and bedtime tuck-ins.

We enjoy these sweet, stolen moments of respite regardless of what feature presentation du jour’s onscreen, because it’s an intermission, delicately timed between loading the last dingy dinner dish and firing up our bedtime story docket.

In the past, our family would share an occasional bag of microwave popcorn, but I definitely questioned the greasy bags’ ingredient labels filled with chemical content. I was more than mildly concerned about various news reports’ carcinogenic claims about these bags that look innocent enough. Is there anything top secret about Pop- Secret? The world may never know.

I also erred on the side of choking-hazard caution, as popcorn’s generally not recommended for young tots.

Oh, how I longed for such buttery delicious-ness just the same.

But the cons of questionable ingredients mixed with an unnecessary added snack cost pushed my corny craving off the radar and into a hydrogenated soybean oil propyl gallate oblivion.

Until now.

My husband surprised me recently with a hot air popcorn popper, because he knew how much we craved kernel-y goodness.

And what a marvel it was – easy to clean, easy to use, an absolute dream for parents who’ve so little time to dawdle over scrubbing extra kitchen contraptions.

Hot air poppers are especially fabulous as kiddos can enjoy watching the crazy popping action, something that could easily evolve into a Lucy episode gone wrong if not monitored carefully. Lucy we love; a mess we don’t.

Hot air poppers are also ridiculously cost-effective by comparison to an accumulated Act II microwave stockpile.

Bottles of little kernels go a very long way, as a quarter cup of the teeny unpopped pips make for overflowing bowls of popcorn bliss.

Moreover, without the added butter and unpronounceable ingredients associated with microwave popcorn, popcorn itself is actually a decent healthy snack– not too shabby.

Of course, if you want to add extra flavoring for yourself, but less for the kiddos – no judgement here – you can easily make separate portions and switch out the bowls. With a hot air popper, you control what exactly goes into the mix.

You can get imaginative and experiment with adding DIY gourmet flavors, such as parmesan cheese, garlic, pecans, caramel, cinnamon sugar or a variety of nuts. Nutty is what you won’t be for bringing out your creative side. As for my choking-hazard concern, I reserve the smallest bowl for my smallest child, dicing up the popcorn bits before I serve him. One day he’ll devour the scrumptiousness full size like the rest of us, and like just about everything baby/toddler/kid-related so far, that time will come before I know it.

I’ll probably think back nostalgically to these simple, popcorn-dicing times as I sit white-knuckled beside him during drivers ed.

So consider adding a hot air popcorn popper to your kitchen gadget canon when planning fun family activities. It goes well with movies, games, and indoor tenting, too. It’s inexpensive, unbelievably easy to clean, makes for healthy snacking, serves as a carteblanche for mixing in flavors, and is as fun to snack on as it is to watch pop.

It doesn’t get much butter than that.

— Michelle Cote is the art director of the Journal Tribune. She enjoys cooking, baking, and living room dance-offs with her husband, two boys and a dog. She can be contacted at mcote@journaltribune.com.