Everything you think you know about sweet corn is wrong.
Recently, I’ve been doing some sweet corn research online because ‘tis the season for sweet corn here in Indiana. And what I’ve learned is stunning. Everything about how I’ve been buying, shucking and cooking corn is downright wrong.
The first thing I didn’t know is that corn should be cooked and eaten as close to its harvest as possible. Every day that passes after its purchase, the corn’s flavor lessens and it becomes tougher. If you have fresh corn, you can cook it in as little as 3 to 5 minutes, but if it’s a few days old, you may have to cook it anywhere from 6 to 9 minutes to get it cooked enough to comfortably eat, and it won’t taste as good as when it was fresh.
The second thing I’ve learned is that how-to-shuck and when-to-shuck corn changes based on your cooking method. And also there’s more than one cooking method. I know! More on that later. Anyway, there are various cooking methods where you leave the husk on the corn while cooking, and then remove it after. Some cooks even recommend pulling the husk down, and brushing the ear with butter or olive oil and then replacing the husk again before cooking. I can’t help but think that’s a little bit of genius, since with that method whatever oil or butter you use would cook right into the corn instead of instantly dripping off. THEN, instead of traditionally shucking your corn, you wait until it’s cooked, wear gloves to protect your hands from the heat, and use a sharp knife to cut the larger end off of the ear of corn, husk and all. The ear of corn should then come right out of the remaining husk. Easy!
So, growing up, and even a fair bit into adulthood, I thought that there was only one way to cook corn on the cob, which is shucked and boiled in water. But it turns out there are a lot of ways. You can bake it, broil it, grill it and even microwave it. If you’re in a hurry and only want one or two ears, microwaving in the husk is the way to go. If you want to make a lot of corn, and add some spices or flavorings, try adding them inside the husk, and then baking or grilling the corn in the husk for 5 to 10 minutes (length of time is based on freshness of the corn.) If you’re grilling the ears, turn them for even cooking, and take them off when the husk starts to char.
The final “new, mind-blowing corn info” is that there are more ways to eat them than just salt and butter. Although that tried and true method is tasty. Try out the following recipe one night when you’ve got some fresh corn and are feeling adventurous:
INGREDIENTS:
8 ears corn, shucked
1/4 cup melted butter or olive oil
1 tablespoon cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chile powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
Lime wedges, for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat.
Brush the corn with melted butter or olive oil. Grill the corn until hot and lightly charred all over, 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the temperature of the grill. While the corn is charred, mix the cilantro, garlic, chili powder, salt, mayonnaise, and lime juice.
Spread the mayo mixture evenly over the corn, and sprinkle with Romano cheese. If desired, return the corn to the grill or broiler for just a few minutes. Serve warm with lime wedges.