You’ve Probably Overcooked Corn
Hey it is me, your friendly internet corn consultant, have to tell you that you are probably digesting corn on the cob. If you’ve been reading me for some real time, you know I love to scream that you do n’t even have to cook the corn , but sometimes people like that their corn is hot so the butter melts (and I get that one) …
The problem is that most corn on the cob “recipes” or methods advise cooking the corn for too long. Corn enthusiasts have been screaming about it since 1992 , but people refuse to listen. (Yes, even I am guilty of telling people to cook corn for too long, but I saw the light and now I have to spread a good word.)
In fact, modern corn is much softer and sweeter than it used to be. (My great-grandfather didn’t even eat sweet corn, which was sugary compared to the field corn he grew up on.) But these sugars start to turn into starch as soon as the corn is harvested, and the heat only speeds up the process. Overcooked corn is soft yet chewy and nowhere near as sweet as you deserve. (However, my great-grandfather would have loved it.)
However, hot corn on the cob is very good and the butter does not melt on cold grains. Fortunately, heating the corn is easy — it only takes a few minutes. Here are two of my favorite ways when you need hot corn on the cob nowadays.
Method # 1: Quickly submerge the corn in boiling water.
You can imagine low temperature butter milk baths , but after trying many different methods, including milk bath, I find myself falling back to plain water more often. Boiling water, as we all know, is very hot and in just two minutes is enough to bring corn to the melting point of butter. Peel the corn off by chopping off the ends with a sharp cleaver or knife, then grab as much of the husk and silk as possible and peel them off. Repeat as necessary.
When the corn is husked, bring the water to a boil, then submerge the corn in the water, cover the pot and leave for two minutes. Come back, remove the hot corn from the pan and eat it. (If you cook a lot of corn at the same time, you may need to cook it for a minute or two longer, as the sudden addition of cold food will lower the water temperature to below boiling point.)
Method # 2: nuclear bomb
I would like to think that we, as a society, have moved beyond the arbitrary hatred of the microwave because this is a really awesome little stove. (My stepmother almost exclusively cooks corn in the microwave and has never had any complaints, but she also doesn’t share her secrets unless insisted on.)
Microwaving is a really effective and quick way to steam corn in its own husks to a hot and juicy goodness, but conventional wisdom leads you to believe that you need to grind the corn for a full five (5) minutes. No, you don’t. Half of that is sufficient, especially if you are only cooking a pair of ears.
Leave the corn husked — the strings and all — and run it briefly under running water. Wrap it in a paper towel and microwave it on full power for two and a half minutes, maybe three minutes. Expand it. Eat this. Repeat as necessary. (Keep in mind that this all depends on how full your microwave is, but err on the side of shorter times and increase in 30-second increments as needed. Last time I went all-in with a full five minutes for two cobs. I ruined a lovely corn.)
I like both methods because they are quick, but microwave cooking is limited by the size of your microwave, and I prefer boiling if I’m making a whole bunch of ears at once. Even if I have to work in batches, the boiling water can be used over and over to prepare an even stream of cobs for your family and friends. If they demand more corn, tell them to blow it up themselves – it only takes two and a half minutes.