Movie Theater Butter vs Real Butter
Movie theater butter is actually an artificially butter-flavored oil, which does not make popcorn soggy like real butter would do. The butter flavoring is called Flavacol, a butter-flavored salt that contains yellow dye giving popcorn its classic color and flavor. Clarified butter can also be used since it has a higher smoke point and provides a buttery flavor without making the popcorn mushy.
Popcorn becomes salty and crunchy when air pops the kernels. The smell is linked to movie theaters and the amount of popcorn consumed may correlate with a country’s income and preference for it.
Health Concerns and Nutritional Differences
Movie theater butter usually contains fewer calories and fat than regular butter and does not require refrigeration. However, it mimics the taste and texture of real butter with unhealthy fats. Experts argue that the oily butter flavor added to movie theater popcorn contains no nutrients but is high in calories. Most movie theaters pop their kernels in coconut oil, which has a high percentage of saturated fat.
Flavacol and Other Products
Ultimate Butter has a stronger butter flavor while the Movie Theatre Butter is supposed to taste like the popcorn available at movie theaters. Flavacol contains just four ingredients: salt, artificial flavor, and two types of FD&C yellow coloring.
Purchasing Flavacol
You can buy Flavacol from Gold Medal on Amazon.
Conclusion
The butter flavor on movie theater popcorn comes from a combination of chemicals that give off a buttery taste rather than real butter. This often includes ingredients like Flavacol and Butter Flavored Topping which lend the popcorn that special theater flavor.