Whirley-Pop all the way! It has a thin aluminum bottom that distributes heat evenly but doesn't retain heat so that as soon as it's done popping, you can take it off heat and the popcorn on the bottom won't burn. The swirling arms also make sure that you get pretty much 100% poppage and that everything pops at the same time. It's amazing because normally in a pot or a wok, there's a gap of maybe a minute or so between when the first kernel pops and the last one does. With the whirley-pop, it all shoots off at once. Like, a five second interval start to finish. It also makes distributing melted butter very easy.

Pro-tip: clarify your butter. The water content is what will turn popcorn soggy.

I buy bay leaves, yeast, and an assortment of dried chilies in bulk and freeze. They are always in my freezer.