Want to learn how long to cook corn on the cob the right way? You’ve come to the right place.
How Long to Cook Corn on the Cob
Every season we got to sail through summer with cold drinks, refreshing salads, grilled steak and chicken, fresh fruit and of course, corn on the cob. While everyone has their own unique preference for toppings—whether it’s butter, salt, cheese, chili powder, etc—one thing that everyone can agree on is that it’s an absolutely delicious treat.
Sweet corn is at its best during the late summer months to early fall. I know how badly you want your corn to stay fresh and naturally sweet just before you cook them, so here are some important things to consider:
- Whenever possible, buy locally grown, freshly picked corn. The shorter the time between it getting picked at the farm and being put on the shelf, the better the flavor.
- When buying, look for husks that have a good green coloring with pale colored silk. Check for freshness by pulling the top of the husk away from the ear and piercing a kernel with your fingernail.
- To store corn, leave the corn in the husk and refrigerate. If corn has been husked, place it in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator.
1. Boiling
Boiling is the classic way to cook corn on cob. When boiling sweet corn, avoid adding salt to the water because it will cause the corn to toughen when it cooks. Also, it is important to cook the corn only until it is tender. Overcooking will cause the corn to lose its sweetness. With very fresh corn, it only takes 3 to 5 minutes. For corn that’s a few days old, go for 6 to 8 minutes of boiling time.
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn, shucked
- Water
- Salt and butter, optional garnish
Instructions
1. Shuck the Husks: Shuck your corn husks into the compost, then rinse off the corn. This method can easily cook more than 4 ears of corn, just make sure you have a large enough pot for cooking adequately.
2. Boil the Water: Heat a large pasta pot full of water to boil.
3. Drop the Corn in the Water: Carefully drop in freshly shucked corn into the boiling water. Poke the ears a little bit so each side gets covered in water.
3. Cook the Corn: Cover the pot with a lid and lower heat to medium. Set a timer. For just softened corn kernels, cook for 4 minutes. If you like softer corn, cook for 6-8 minutes.
4. Serve the Corn: Serve corn immediately with butter and salt.
2. Microwave
The microwave has become one of the easiest tools for quickly cooking a few ears of corn on the cob. When cooking corn using microwave, leave the ears of corn in their husks. This helps trap heat and moisture, cooking the kernels evenly. It also, quite conveniently, makes the ears easier to shuck. Cooking time would be 3 to 5 minutes, with a maximum of 4 ears of corn. The cooking time will vary slightly depending on the strength of the microwave.
Ingredients
- 1 or more ears fresh, un-shucked sweet corn
Instructions
- Place 1 to 4 ears of corn in the microwave: Arrange 1 to 4 ears of corn, un-shucked, in the microwave. If you prefer, you can set them on a microwaveable plate or tray. If you need to cook more than 4 ears of corn, cook them in batches.
- Microwave for 3 to 5 minutes: For just 1 or 2 ears of corn, microwave for 3 minutes. For 3 or 4 ears, microwave for 4 minutes. If you like softer corn or if your ears are particularly large, microwave for an additional minute.
- Allow to cool: Set the ears on a cooling rack or cutting board to cool. When the silks and top leaves are cool enough to handle, quickly shuck the husks off the cobs. The corn will stay quite warm in their husks, so wait to shuck them until just before serving.
3. Grilling
Grilling is probably the best way to cook corn on cob. Why? Because it preserves the sweetness and flavor of the corn when done correctly. It also gives it that smokey taste, which is probably the best part of it. Grilled corn on the cob is tasty and juicy!!! The whole process will take around 25 minutes: 10 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes cooking process.
Ingredients
- 6 ears corn
- salt
- butter-flavored cooking spray
Instructions
We hope that this post will help you the next time you need to cook corn on the cob!
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