It's sweet corn season and believe it or not, it actually lasts up to 8 weeks long depending on the weather! So, as a seasonal eater, that means eating a lot of sweet corn for 2 months...
To keep your sweet corn game fresh, try these alternate methods for cooking corn on the cob!
1. The steam method. This is tried and true and easy, especially if you are making a big pot full of corn. If you have a large family, I think this is the easiest way to cook corn on the cob. You'll need a big pot and a steamer basket. Fill your pot with water only to the bottom of the steamer basket then bring the water to a good boil. Shuck the corn, trim the ends if necessary (or cut in half if they are big and can't fit in your pot) and steam with the lid on for 4-10 minutes depending on how soft you like your corn. Just make sure you don't run out of water in your pot while steaming!
2. The traditional boil method. This is the classic way to cook corn on the cob. Get a pot full of water to a boil (just like you would for pasta) and in the meantime, shuck your corn and trim it so it fits in the pot. Boil the corn at a rapid boil for 5-10 minutes depending on how soft you like your corn.
3. The microwave method. This is an incredibly easy way to cook corn if you only have a few ears to cook. Plus, it doesn't heat up the kitchen! You can microwave corn in the husk or with no husk.
IN THE HUSK: Put 1-2 ears on a microwave safe plate in the microwave and cook 3-5 minutes. Cook times will depend on your microwave. Let rest for 2 minutes and then remove corn husk carefully, it will be hot!
NO HUSK: Grab a microwave safe baking dish (like an 8x8 pyrex), fill it with a little bit of water, put your shucked and trimmed corn in the dish and microwave for 4-5 minutes for 1-2 cobs and 8-10 minutes for 3-4 cobs. Rotate the cobs every couple minutes so they cook evenly. Each microwave will be a little different, so tweak it to your own!
4. The grill method. Like the microwave, you can grill sweet corn in the husk or with no husk! Both provide a wonderful smokey grilled flavor!
IN THE HUSK: Remove silks before grilling. Just pull the husk back, remove the silks and then put the husk back up. Soak your ears of corn in water with the husk on for about 20 minutes prior to grilling. Simply put the whole cob directly on the grill for 20-22 minutes, rotating the cob so that the outside blackens evenly. This has excellent flavor and stays nice and juicy!
NO HUSK: Pull back the husk but don't remove it (it makes a great handle for turning it on the grill!). Remove the silks. Brush the corn well with oil and place directly on the grill for 12-15 minutes, turning the ears until they are blackened on all sides. The corn dries out more with this method but has excellent char right on the kernels!
5. The oven method. This is a super easy way to cook corn! The only downside is that you have to turn on the oven! Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim the silks off the top of the ears with a knife. Place the corn with husks on directly on the oven grates and bake for 35 minutes. Let them sit for a few minutes before peeling off the husks. Simple, super moist, and almost no clean up!
Let me know which method you prefer and if there are any tweaks you made to these recipes that make the corn even better!
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