Having been in the produce business for more than thirty years and married to a corn lover, I have learned more about corn than any one person ought to know. Corn is one of the most versatile vegetables you can buy. Nearly everybody likes corn and it goes with just about anything you want to serve. However, cooking corn on the cob on a stove involves more than simply dropping it into the water and boiling it. Don’t you hate it when you bite into that juicy looking corn on the cob only to get a mouthful of dry, tasteless kernels?
Corn comes in several varieties, from silver queen (white sweet corn) to cow corn. Cow corn is what we call feed corn which grows on large ears and is sent to the mills. Good tender corn should be relatively small, except silver queen. When it comes to silver queen, it’s hard to go wrong.
The secret to cooking corn on the stove is never overcook it. Basically, you simply warm it up, and seasoning the cooking water will add to the flavor. Choose a pot that will allow at least an inch of water to cover the corn and add about a tablespoon of salt. If you’re cooking with an electric stove, bring the water to a full bubbling boil then turn the heat off, cover and let it stand for at least five minutes.
If you are cooking on a gas stove, follow the same directions, but when it comes to a full bubbling boil, let it boil for only one minute, turn off the burner then cover and let it stand. Regardless of the type of stove you use, you can let the corn stand for a long time, or until the water starts cooling down too much to keep the corn hot.
Before serving, drain and insert corn holders then cover with butter. There are several ways you can butter the corn. Some people melt butter and pour it over. I put a stick of butter on a plate before I start cooking and by the time the corn is ready to serve, the butter is room temperature then I just roll the cobs in it; which gives me sweet, juicy, buttery corn on the cob.
Boiling isn’t the only method for cooking corn on the stove. I am going to tell you how to cook good old southern style fried white corn. Trust me when I say that once you eat fried white corn, you won’t want it any other way. Silver queen is the best white corn you can get. And for fried white corn, it is perfect because it has large kernels that cut nicely off the cob, leaving plenty of milky juices.
Cut kernels off the cob, but don’t cut too close to the cob. Once you’ve cut all the kernels off, scrape a knife as close as you can over the corn cobs to get the milky juice out of it. This will make the corn nice and creamy. In a hot skillet, (medium high) cover the bottom with butter and rake the corn off into it. Do not overcook. Simply brown and turn and brown some more for about two to five minutes, depending on how much corn you’re cooking. You really can’t foul it up either way. It’s always good.
Finally, a word to the wise. The secret to cooking corn on the cob is do not overcook it. But the secret to cooking corn period is choose good corn. With sweet yellow corn, smaller kernels tend to be more tender. As for white corn, nothing beats silver queen.
Remember also that when you’re choosing corn, don’t shuck it. Pull part of the top shuck back and examine the top kernels. Typically, if the tops are good, the rest of the cob is good. That way, your corn will be enclosed in its shuck and stay fresher longer. Also, you can avoid having the proprietor run you from the store for shucking the corn!
Always store corn in the husks. The best method is to wet the husks, put it into plastic bags and refrigerate. The wet husks keep the corn from drying out.
Enjoy!
