Americans consume an average of 54 quarts of popcorn annually. So it's not surprising that you've decided to treat yourself to a professional popcorn machine, either for home entertainment or perhaps to fundraise for your church or Boy Scout troop. But there sure will be a lot of disappointed popcorn fans if you don't stock up on a variety of popcorn machine supplies in order to keep your machine humming with buttery fresh popped kernels.

The most economical way to purchase popcorn kernels is by the bulk 50 lb. bag, but if that amount seems overwhelming, try a case of 1 pound bags or popcorn kits containing pre-measured amounts of kernels, oil and salt. A professional grade of canola or coconut popping oil is also important to ensure even popping. This results in fluffy kernels with that movie-theatre popcorn taste. Like the kernels, oil comes in large sizes (one-gallon containers), an amount that can be used quickly enough before the quality of the oil dissipates.

How best to serve your freshly popped popcorn? Companies specializing in popcorn machine supplies offer you a variety of containers, including disposable decorated paper bags, each designed to serve 1 oz. or 1.5 oz. of popped corn; popcorn scoop boxes (holding .75 ounces of product) decorated in nostalgic red and white stripes;  heavy duty paper popcorn buckets in a wide range of capacities (24, 46, 64, 85 and 170 ounces); as well as the latest popcorn supply technology, laminated butter bags made from natural fiber papers considered "green" for the eco-friendly popcorn fan.

 Plain popcorn might be the least fattening, but the right seasonings can make all the difference to fresh popcorn enjoyment, so don't leave these off your popcorn machine supplies list. Many gourmet salt-shaker style seasonings have been recently developed to add sweet or savory flavors to fresh popcorn, including garlic/Parmesan, white cheddar, nacho cheese, jalapeno and even chocolate marshmallow. There are also butter sprays offered by popcorn machine supply vendors that add a rich buttery flavor to popcorn and  a buttery taste that matches the flavor of movie-theatre produced popcorn.

 Because variety is the spice of life, popcorn machines can now be equipped to produce authentic caramel corn, thanks to such popcorn machine supplies as a caramel mix, neutral glaze and non-stick lethicin spray that prevents the caramel-coated corn from clumping and sticking together. White Cheddar and Gold Cheddar formulas are also available for creating cheese corn right in your professional popcorn machine.