How to Cook Fresh Corn - Part 1, Pick Your Corn Not Your Nose

This blog may contain affiliate links. These links will take you to websites that sell items. If you use these links to buy items from these sellers you are helping to support Professor Kitchen at no extra charge to you. Thank you very much!!

__________

You have probably watched my video on the history of corn (if not, what are you waiting for????) but you may be wondering exactly how to prepare corn.

I'm talking fresh corn, right off the stalk.  Or, at least as soon after harvest as you can.

Stolen from DailyDot.com

The Types of Corn

Let's step back a second and give you a little corny info.  

There are, basically, four types of corn: Sweet, Field, Pop, and Indian.  All of them are eatable just not in the same way.

Field corn is the "original" corn.  It is very starchy like a potato instead of sweet like, well, sweet corn.  Most of the corn grown today is field corn.  It is largely used for things like cattle feed, deer feed, hog feed, or ethanol.  Normally, it is left on the stalk to dry out, then a combine is used to pick it.  If picked when ripe, it can be eaten by humans.  We just prefer the taste of sweet corn.

Yup, you can pop it on the cobb!

You probably know popcorn.  It is a type of corn that has a thinner outer shell and a hollow bit inside that holds water.  When heated, the water turns to steam and expands causing the corn to pop open.  Most popcorn we eat are types of field corn but there are some sweet corn varieties.

Indian corn is that beautiful colorful corn that you see around Thanksgiving time.  Most Indian corn is a type of field corn.  Some are of the popcorn variety.  There are some sweet corn varieties that are also Indian style.  Indian corn is cultivated for its beauty and is not normally eaten and that's a shame.    We love colorful foods and there are very few foods as colorful as Indian corn!!

_____

Click To Get Your Beautiful Indian Corn Decorations Here!!

_____

Sweet corn was purposely cultivated from field corn to give us its sweet taste.  This is the type of corn that you will normally find in your grocery store, farmer's market, or supermarket.  It doesn't matter if it's canned, frozen, or on the cobb; most likely it is the sweet variety.

How You Can Buy Corn

Most folks are used to getting their corn in a bag or can.  While convenient, it's not always the best option for your application. 

Stolen from cheatsheet.com

Canned corn is super easy to use.  It's already cooked and many times already seasoned.  Just open the can, heat it up, and enjoy!  If you're not particular, even the heating-it-up-bit is non-necessary.  Cold canned corn is just as much of a meal as hot canned corn.

Frozen corn is, for most applications, the best way.  You can get frozen corn pre-cooked or non-cooked, seasoned or plain, all by itself or with some other friendly veggies.  As long as you have freezer space and power, you should be good to go!!

_____

You Can Get Bulk Frozen Corn Delivered!

_____

Fresh corn is, IMHO, the best corn.  Straight off of the cobb is the way to go!  It is surprisingly easy and quick to cook this way.  It can be frozen while still fresh on the cobb if you have too much for one meal.  

You can buy fresh corn from grocers when it's in season but it, most likely, isn't as good as you'll get from a farmer's market.  Most farmers who sell through a reseller have to pick their crops before they are completely ripened so that they don't go bad on the way to the store.  However, if your market buys from local growers, you might be getting it as fresh as you can.  (Depends on their definition of "local.")  The only real way to know is to try it!

What To Look For When Buying Fresh Corn

Now that you've decided to cook yourself up some fresh corn, how do you know if corn is any good?

First, always buy fresh corn that still has the husks and silks still attached.  Unhusked corn goes bad quickly and the silks are what let you know the quality of your corn.

Sometimes you just need a quick fix.

Like bananas, a little color on your corn silks indicates ripeness.  You want them to have started turning brown (gold is their color when unripened) but not black.  They should feel moist but not spongy.  Dry silks indicate old corn.  Silks that feel and smell moldy mean that the corn has gone bad.

Now, look at the husks.  They should be bright green.  A little browning around the edges is fine.  Husks that look old and wrinkled indicate an older, dryer ear of corn.

Put the ear in your palm and give it a gentle squeeze.  It should feel firm with just a touch of give.  It should feel like the center (the cobb) is hard but that the outside (the kernels) have some flexibility.  A soft cobb shows a bad ear.  If there is no give in the kernels then the corn isn't ripe yet.

NOTE: Never peel back the husk to look at the kernels.  You are destroying someone else's property by doing that.  You can tell just fine through the husk.  If in doubt, move on to another ear.

Keeping Your Corn

Corn can be kept for a few days to a week on the counter.  The only caveat to this is that you

Stolen from Dinner-Mom.com

don't know how long your grocer had it sitting out.  When you bought the corn it was, most likely, not under any refrigeration.  

If you're planning on cooking it that, or the next, night just leave it on the counter.

However, if it's going to be a few days, you might want to put it in the chill chest.  Better safe than sorry!

If you're planning on putting it back for later in the year, you can use your freezer.  Keep the husk on, seal the ears in an airtight bag, remove as much of the air as you can from the bag, and put them in the freezer.  Not removing the husks will help keep the kernels from getting frostbite.  Not having frostbite is always a great thing!!

Next Time... Cooking Your Corn!!