New Ways to Cook and Prepare Corn on the Cob!

Host Bee on Thursday, July 24th, 2008

Corn on the Cob – New Twists on the Summer Classic!

In a recent Tip of the Week, Corn on the Cob, I suggested that Busy Bee readers try my family’s crazy technique for eating corn – using a sharp knife to score the kernels horizontally before adding the traditional butter and salt! The tip was inspired by a big bag of fresh corn that my dad had dropped off at my house and then deciding on how to cook all of those ears prompted the writing of this article!

Cooking and Preparing Corn on the Cob

How do you cook your corn? For a simple item of produce, there are many options! Here are three that I’ve tried this summer:

Microwave

Normally, I cook our corn in a single layer in a Pyrex dish covered with plastic wrap for about 2 minutes an ear.

Grilled in the Husks

This recipe called for pulling back the husks, removing the silk, replacing the husks and then soaking in water for 2 to 4 hours. Before cooking, I peeled the husks back again, dried the ears with a towel and brushed on melted butter before replacing the husks and tying the tops with 100% cotton kitchen string.

Using a gas grill on medium heat, turning occasionally, the corn was done and tender in about 25 to 30 minutes. Although this was the most labor intensive method, the result was corn that looked and tasted terrific!

Grilled in Foil

For this version, I shucked the ears, wrapped them individually in foil and grilled them on the upper rack for about 20 to 25 minutes. This technique produced corn on the cob with a mild grilled taste and is a great choice for serving a crowd by just filling a basket with the ears still in the foil.

Creative Seasonings!

Here are some delicious upgrades to the tried and true butter and salt!

Mediterranean – hummus blended with olive tapenade and roasted red peppers
Herb Garden – fresh sage, fresh rosemary and butter
Fruity – Fruit chutney and melted butter
Southwest – guacamole and fresh lime juice
Italian – pesto and grated parmesan cheese
Mexican – mayonnaise, Mexican cojita cheese, chili powder and a sprinkle of lime juice (this unlikely combination is actually a popular street vended snack in Mexico)
Moroccan – curry powder, chopped pistachios and melted butter
Sweet – cinnamon sugar and melted butter
Spice Cabinet – coarse sea salt, black pepper, cumin seeds, olive oil

Fabulous Serving Dishes

If you’d like to upgrade your serving dises as well as your corn preparation, here are some really terrific options!

Wrapables

This fun website offers two adorable sets of corn dishes!

The “Summer Splash” style features four colorfully striped ironstone dishes and coordinating corn picks! (Summer Splash Dishes, $21.99)
The “Stars and Stripes” option is patriotically inspired with four red, white and blue ironstone dishes and star trimmed holders! (Stars & Stripes Dishes, $21.99)

I hope that you’re as excited about these new twists on an old favorite as I am and that you’ll add some pizzazz to this summer classic with these ideas! Do you have a favorite way of preparing corn? If so, please share it by leaving a comment below!

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