The first real sign of summer isn’t the weather—it’s the mountain of corn at the farmers market. Suddenly every cookout, picnic, and Tuesday night dinner starts orbiting around sweet corn, whether grilled alongside burgers or eaten straight off the cob with butter dripping down your chin. But for such a simple vegetable, people get surprisingly opinionated about the “right” way to cook it.
Grill it? Boil it? Steam it in the husk? Everyone seems convinced their method is the one. To settle the debate, I asked three chefs how they make corn at home. The bottom line: Fresh summer corn deserves a little care, and the cooking method really does matter.
Meet the Experts
Credit: Simply Recipes / Getty Images
Best Choice: Fire up the Grill
For all three experts, grilling is the method that feels most synonymous with summer. “If I already have the grill going, I’ll throw it on there, husked and wrapped in foil,” says Reynolds. “Slathered with softened butter and sprinkled with salt, it’s the perfect summer side.”
Gavin calls grilled her preferred method overall. “The high heat (around 400ºF to 450ºF) quickly cooks the kernels while lightly charring the surface, adding a subtle smoky flavor through browning,” she says. “Ready in about 10 minutes, it delivers juicy, tender kernels with a slightly crisp bite.”
Formicola takes a two-lane approach: either wrap the corn cob in foil with compound butter for evenly seasoned, ultra-juicy kernels, or cook it directly on the grates for char and smoky flavor before finishing it with compound butter while it’s hot.
When it comes to serving, the chefs have no shortage of ideas. Elotes—Mexican street corn slathered with a creamy lime mixture, chili powder, and cojita—is a favorite. Gavin often cuts the kernels off the cob to make a fresh corn salad with yogurt lime dressing, while Formicola folds leftover grilled corn kernels into anything from rice pilaf to cornbread.
Sometimes Boiling Is Better
Grilling may get the glory, but boiling corn on the cob still has loyal fans for good reason. It’s especially hard to beat boiling for sheer practicality. When you’re feeding a crowd or the grill is occupied, a simple pot on the stove is tough to argue with. During peak season, Reynolds says corn is “most plump and delicious when boiled…in salted water until bright yellow and crisp-tender.”
For a more succulent boiled corn with sweeter, plump kernels, Formicola recommends adding butter and milk to the pot. The old-school “butter bath” trick does more than sound indulgent. The butter infuses richness, while the milk’s lactose accentuates corn’s natural sweetness.
Out of Season, Reach for Frozen
When out of season, all three chefs reach for frozen corn. It’s convenient and consistent, easy to toss into fried rice, chili, and casseroles alike. Gavin points out that it’s typically processed at peak ripeness, so “the flavor is reliably sweet and the texture is tender, whereas fresh corn can sometimes be tough or starchy if it’s not in season.”
Reynolds admits she used to think canned and frozen were basically interchangeable—until she started going through serious amounts feeding her corn-loving toddler. “I’ve come to find canned more waterlogged and lacking the crispness of frozen,” she says. In other words: when fresh corn is out of reach, frozen gets you surprisingly close. Canned just doesn’t feel like summer.
Read the original article on Simply Recipes
Dining and Cooking