The Best Chicago-Style Popcorn Brand Available On Amazon Isn't Garrett

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Some think popcorn is best jazzed up with boxed mac and cheese powder, while others might sprinkle it with pumpkin spice, but Chicagoans have an affinity for a blend of cheese and caramel-coated fluffs of popped goodness. For many, the go-to brand is Garrett, which has been popping up kernels since 1949, though it didn't begin selling the iconic cheese-and-caramel combination until the late 1970s after customers got crafty making their own mix of the two flavors. However, according to Food Republic's taste tester, there's another brand that edges Garrett out of the top spot when it comes to the best Chicago-style popcorn brands: Argires Snacks.

Our tester had high praise for Argires Snacks' Chicago-style popcorn, noting that it may be at the top of the list of any popcorn she's tasted. The treat's freshness was a factor in its high ranking, but its flavor also stole the show. "The caramel has it all. It's rich, salty, sweet, and complex — delish," she said. "And the cheddar cheese? It will bowl you over with savory, cheesy goodness." It also got bonus points for cheese that actually sticks to the snack.

Many reviewers on Amazon agree on all points, with one self-proclaimed Chicagoan stating, "I WILL tell you that this is the real deal. Super Fresh, The caramel is buttery heaven and the cheese is cheddar paradise." Meanwhile, others praise it as the best that they've ever had, with many echoing that it's superior to Garrett and other brands.

Argires Snacks has been in business for nearly three-quarters of a century and boasts that its popcorn is made with non-GMO corn and that the coatings are all made in-house. While the brand's caramel and cheese variety is popular, it also offers each of those flavors separately. And if you want to kick it up a notch, they also produce a hot cheddar popcorn, which can be snacked on solo or combined with the other two. You can snag any of them in various sizes, from small and large packages to cases or large tins for major popcorn enthusiasts.

If you're opting for the caramel and cheese variety, once you've procured it, you can, of course, just dive right into your bag of deliciousness, but you can also repurpose it. Try adding it to trail mix or using it as a garnish for ice cream. It can also be pulsed in a blender to make a finer crumb that could be sprinkled over other desserts — apple pie would be the perfect pairing since we already know that apples and cheddar mingle well. Or, make a sweet and savory variation of Rice Krispies Treats by replacing the rice with popcorn.

Finally, you can fold the popcorn pieces into other desserts when you're preparing them. Use them to jazz up plain chocolate bark or sugar cookies, or mix them into a homemade no-churn ice cream.