For best flavor, (1) roast ears of bare corn on the grill or in the oven, (2) roast it wrapped in foil with some butter and salt or (3) microwave it in the husk (silk and all) 3 1/2-5 minutes (then cut off about 1" of the stem end and squeeze the tassel end - the ear will slip out of the husk clean of any silk.) Those methods seem to get me the best corn flavor.
Steam or boil the ears if you wish, but that tends to dilute the flavor a little.
The key is to get the absolute freshest corn possible!
Smaug, didn't note that this post is from over 3 years ago, sorry. I need to pay attention! My answer is from today, May 7, 2016. Wonderful, sweet, lovely corn right now, 3 for $1.00.
1) Get good corn, which means very fresh yellow corn.
2) Shuck and cook over a hot barbecue until some of the kernels start to brown, turning several times (5+ minutes, depends on your fire)- some prefer to fold back the husks and tie them for a handle- either way, remove the silks.
3) Brush with melted butter (you could add salt, ancho chile powder, or anything else that strikes your fancy)
Wrap in waxed paper and twist the ends to trap some moisture. Microwave about three minutes, rolling over once. Leave on the counter a few minutes for residual heat to cook slightly more.
You won't find really good corn on the cob this of the year. Frozen off cob is decent alternative. Butter, a bit of water or stock, some black pepper is my go to for bagged frozen.
A more topical answer than mine certainly though you can apply the same principle to IQF (frozen) corn by thawing it very gently then rapidly bringing up the heat.
I guess it depends on where your produce comes from. We have great corn this time of year. We get it from California and it is crisp, very sweet and delicious right off the cob, no cooking needed.
Just like Mama used to make. I would like to take this opportunity to plug Trader Joe's organic sweet corn, the best frozen I've ever had. A great way to cook it- add some Salsa Mexicana (Pico de Gallo),maybe a couple tablespoons per cup of corn, and maybe a bit of salt and butter; steam (you usually don't need to add water with frozen veg.) just long enough to thaw and heat the kernels through.
Berry Baby- hard to tell what time of year that post was made. Here in NorCal, the first sweet corn is just coming in (early May) from Brentwood; unfortunately, you hardly ever get yellow corn grown locally any more.
The *very* best way is to not cook it at all. The *only* problem with that is butter won't melt on cold corn and salt won't stick. 1 to 2 minutes in boiling water will do the trick.
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Steam or boil the ears if you wish, but that tends to dilute the flavor a little.
The key is to get the absolute freshest corn possible!
2) Shuck and cook over a hot barbecue until some of the kernels start to brown, turning several times (5+ minutes, depends on your fire)- some prefer to fold back the husks and tie them for a handle- either way, remove the silks.
3) Brush with melted butter (you could add salt, ancho chile powder, or anything else that strikes your fancy)
Beyond that, butter + salt = heaven. Or in succotash. Or in chili. Or in black bean salsa. Or in cornbread.
A more topical answer than mine certainly though you can apply the same principle to IQF (frozen) corn by thawing it very gently then rapidly bringing up the heat.
Voted the Best Reply!
The *very* best way is to not cook it at all. The *only* problem with that is butter won't melt on cold corn and salt won't stick. 1 to 2 minutes in boiling water will do the trick.