Best Macadamia Nuts

Last Updated: Apr 26, 2023 @ 11:07 am.

The Secrets To Great Popcorn

Here at the home office, we take our popcorn seriously.

We’ve tried all the standard ways of making popcorn—stovetop, air-popped, microwave and more. 

Along the way, we’ve learned these key secrets to amazing popcorn:

• Toppings are essential. The butter toppings reviewed below are essential for great air-popcorn . . . that’s because salt won’t stick as well.

• Not any salt will do. The best popcorn salt is FINELY ground. Forget Kosher salt or other coarsely ground salt—it won’t stick. Later in this article, we’ll recommend a salt plus topping combo that is a fave.

• Topping or popping? All the top popcorn butters in this article can either be used topping or popping—that is, oil to pop kernels!

Here are our top popcorn butter options:

Finding the Best Macadamia Nuts: Tips & Advice

Let’s talk macadamia nuts.

Did you know that macadamia nuts are native to Australia? 

According to new research quoted in the Guardian, a small town in Queensland is the origin of 70% of the world’s macadamia nuts:

“New research into the fatty seed has revealed the world’s dominant commercial cultivar – grown in Hawaii – originated from a single tree in southern Queensland from the 19th century.

Native to Australia, macadamia trees are only found naturally in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. The Hawaiian macadamia industry was grown from one cultivar from Australia that was repeatedly cloned.”

When shopping for mac nuts, consider these tips:

• Macadamia nuts are very oily! They can go rancid if exposed to heat. Hence, it might be best to order these nuts to be shipped in the cooler parts of the year.

• Store mac nuts in a fridge. Again, macadamia nuts can go bad if left out at room temperature.

• If you buy salted macadamia nuts for baking, consider adjusting recipes to reduce salt. Yes, you can use the macadamia nuts recommended in this article for baking cookies and other items—but since these nuts are salted, you may need to reduce the salt in your cookie recipe as a result.

After doing a blind taste test with several major brands, here are our favorite macadamia nuts! Enjoy!

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do hands-on testing—we buy the products with our own money and evaluate with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!