You know summer is in full swing when ‘sweet corn’-oriented stories start to flood the Foodernet. And by far the most-addressed issue among these is, how to properly cook corn on the cob. There is only one ‘right’ way…
The perfect pot: Don’t crowd the pot! Corn cobs float. Any cobs forced under
the water by a second layer will be overdone when those on top
top (partially out of the water) are still underdone…
I fondly recall summer family reunions, when everyone from my Dad’s side of the family would show up for an afternoon of lawn games, pick-up softball and a climactic outdoor feast. The highlight of the latter was the setting of the traditional bonfire, at the bottom of our deep, wide back yard. And the placement of the corn-boiling pot on top.
A ‘spectacle’
It was, in my young eyes at least, an amazing spectacle. Our Corn Pot was an old 5 gal. / 20 L pre-serving kettle long past its usefulness in that capacity. And after duty over the open fire it wasn’t really fit for anything else. It went on the fire right after the first batch of wood burned down to a steady, low flame. Because it took ages for all that water to come to the boil.
Watching the process, checking at frequent intervals for the first sings of rising steam, I entertained fantasies of witches’ brews and cannibal feasts…
But that was all just preamble to the main event: the pronouncement that the water was finally ‘on the boil’, and the addition of about a dozen golden cobs of shucked sweet corn to the pot.
It took quite a while to cook the corn that way. Because – as I now know – adding too much food to a boiling pot lowers the temperature of the water. But Mom’s – and everyone else’s – expectations were con-ditioned by that reality. And everyone just took it for granted that each batch of a dozen cobs would take up to 25 minutes to cook.
The RIGHT way…
Now, we know much more about the science of cooking and the physics of heat. And contemporary culinary experts have codified the process for preparing the perfect cob of corn.
Some basic rules must be followed:
- The corn must be at ‘room’ teperature.
- The water must be at a full, rolling boil before adding the corn.
- Don’t overload the pot. The pot will fall off the boil briefly when the food goes in, but it should return rapidly to the ‘roll’.
- Don’t add salt to the water, as you would boiling spaghetti or potatoes. That will result in tough kernels.
- Don’t bother stirring the cobs. The rolling boil should keep them in gentle motion, and separate from each other.
How long?
A recent post from The Food Network erases all uncertainty about the proper time to boil corn. If all conditions are perfect, it should take only 3 to 5 minutes to boil a cob of corn to perfection.
Fresh corn (picked that day, purchased from a roadside stand) will always be superior to cobs pur-chased from the grocery store. They’re probably had top travel, and are likely more than 1 day old. Dyed-in-the-wool sweet corn aficionados will tell you, the best corn is that which has been popped in the pot immediately (within minutes) of being picked.
Post-boil protocol
There is an accepted procedure for preparing the cooked cobs for serving. While still steaming, the cobs should be puttered all over, then sprinkled with a generous shower of salt. Corn is starchy, like potatoes, and a certain amount of salt is needed to bring out the flavour to its max. Adding the salt after the butter ensures the salt will adhere properly to the cob.
Serving etiquette
You should always provide enough pairs of corn ‘picks’ to equip all diners at the table. These handles keep you from burning yourself on the steaming corn, and at least reduce the chance of getting all that melted butter on your hands. have long, sharp nail-like spikes that are pushed into each end of the cob. The finished presentation should remind you of a knobby, yellow rolling pin.
Some folks break cobs of corn in half, for both boiling and serving. You see that in most restaurants that serve the delicacy. But the traditional way is to serve full cobs, and let folks break them them-selves if they feel they can’t handle a whole one.
My take
I was shocked to discover that The Food Network post left out one crucial factor for supreme enjoy-ment of fresh summer corn on the cob. Sweet Corn just doesn’t taste the same to me if I’m not sitting by a bonfire, surrounded by a crowd of family and friends, washing it down with an ice-cold beer…
~ Maggie J.