Is Aldi's Special Buy popcorn maker top of the poppers?
Sign up for our What's On newsletter to keep your finger on the pulse of an ever-changing Manchester Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice  You can't beat a bit of popcorn when curling up on the sofa in front of a good film. For ease many of us just grab a bag off the supermarket shelves along with other sweet treats and that's our night in sorted. But what we don't realise, or don't tend to think about, is pre-packaged microwave popcorn can be loaded with fat, salt, and extra additives. By using a popcorn machine you know exactly what is going into your blockbuster snack, and it's a simple way to keep popcorn healthy. It's why many popcorn machines are popping up (excuse the pun) across supermarket shelves and in our baskets on online retailers. If you end up picking the right one, you can achieve that authentic cinema experience at a fraction of the cost, in the comfort of your own home. There are various types of popcorn machines out there - the differences are how the popcorn kernels are heated, whether or not oil is needed to cook, and how much popcorn each can make. We decided to take a look at Aldi's Special Buy version - the Ambiano Popcorn Maker priced at just 14.99. The machine, which comes with a three year warranty, uses hot-air circulation to turn the kernels into popcorn, without the need of oils or fats. Scroll down below for our personal review on the product. (Image: Gemma Sherlock)  For a fairly simple product, there was definitely some key information missing when it came to setting this little machine up. The 900w popcorn maker comes with a user manual and a promise on the box of recipes inside. There were no recipes inside. This wasn't a big deal though because I already had some in mind and got my snacks beforehand. The user manual talked you through the contents and offered a diagram of how to place the kernels into the machine as well as powering it up. Well, yes and no. I had no idea how many kernels I needed, no idea how much the machine could hold and no idea how long I was supposed to leave them in for - the user manual offered no advice on this. As you can tell I normally just buy popcorn from the supermarket! I was determined to have a go though so I used the black lid, which also acts as a measuring spoon, to scoop the kernels up and place them into the cylinder inside the machine. With a flick of the button at the side it began to shake ever so slightly and get hot as it worked its magic turning the kernels into popcorn. (You need to be careful when touching the machine when it's on, the sides get very hot!). I placed a bowl under the opening of the machine and stood waiting for a few seconds before it reacted. It spat out a kernel, obviously not a fan of that one, and then began to slowly release the others. I felt good that I cracked this little machine but this thought quickly evaporated when pipping hot kernels began to spit out everywhere. The machine had realised how many kernels were in there - too many for it to handle. (Image: Gemma Sherlock)  Popcorn and hot kernels began to spit, missing the bowl and falling all over the kitchen floor. My partner could only laugh as I panicked, picking the kernels up (and burning my fingers in the process) before my Dachshund puppy could eat them. Note to self: don't put loads of kernels into the machine. Once it had enough of misbehaving, the machine began to property distribute the popcorn into a bigger bowl (which I later placed underneath after the previous debacle). I tried the popcorn straightaway, and it tasted fresh just like the cinemas, without the added preservatives of sugar and salt. What I should have done next was to try the healthy popcorn with a bit of a sugar or even a little bit of honey and cinnamon, a tasty yet healthy snack nonetheless. Nope. (Image: Gemma Sherlock)  Instead I loaded that popcorn with melted Nutella and Dairy Milk Cadbury's Nibbles, and another portion with strawberry sauce (usually used on ice creams), strawberry sweet laces and strawberry cheesecake pretzels. A sweet-tooth's dream essentially. (Image: Gemma Sherlock)  The Nutella portion was gone in minutes and my partner even went back for seconds, the strawberry portion however became too sickly and too sticky to eat. But I marvelled over my creation, thinking to myself...you'll never get this in a cinema! Next time though, I will try a simpler recipe to actually benefit from a healthier way of eating popcorn, oh and place less kernels into the machine. If you're looking for a popcorn maker and don't want to buy Aldi's version then check out the below: