Corn on the cob is summer itself! It tastes the best at the public swimming pool, but it is also the most expensive there. You are much better off if you buy it at your local marketplace, and it is no big deal to cook it. So, it is worth preparing it at home.
How to choose good quality corn?
Good boiled corn comes from good quality raw corn to begin with. But, how can be sure we buy good quality corn?
The basic requirement is to buy fresh GMO-free sweet corn. Common corn is not suitable, no matter how much it looks like sweet corn. Don’t buy corn with withered, dried or yellowed leaves. It is a good first sign if the leaves are green; in this case, you should pull the leaves down to look at the seeds as well. The first requirement is that they aren’t wrinkly, which would mean the corn is old.
Also, the seeds shouldn’t be too small or the gaps between individual seeds too large; the seeds shouldn’t be too crammed together either. If you press a seed and you see white, milk-like liquid coming out, you may buy the corn – except if the cob is reddish or pinkish. In this case, you are about to buy forage corn. White or yellowish cobs indicate that you are buying true sweet corn.
Cooking tips
- If you cook deep-frozen corn, don’t thaw it first. If you don’t need all the corn you picked or bought, freeze the cobs.
- The corn will taste better if you line the bottom of the cooking pot with the leaves peeled off from the cobs, and you cover the cobs in the top layer with them as well. Also, you should add a little butter or fat into the cooking water along with some sugar.
- The corn seeds will keep their yellow color if you add several drops of lemon juice to the cooking water a few minutes before straining them.
- Remove all covering leaves from the cobs. Boil up the cooking water first, and then add the cobs; cook at low heat. Don’t put any salt into the water, as the seeds will turn hard.
- Only use freshly picked young corn. If the leaves are withered and the seeds are dark yellow, the corn will never turn soft. The corn is fresh if we are able to squeeze out white liquid if we press the seeds.
- Boiled corn can be eaten by itself, or as a side dish and in salads. It can be preserved in the freezer.
