Freezing corn on the cob

Well give it a try, Droplet. Anything that makes one think of summer when it's winter is reason enough. Tonight's the night for the first hard killing frost in Maine (we've had a couple of close calls already) and everything tender is either under cover or picked. That's it for the tomatoes and corn, alas, and I'm really not ready yet for brussels sprouts.

Mainecook, the season really is very short and sometimes I find myself thinking about corn in the winter but know that I have to wait for the whole upcoming summer to pass before I can have it, and that's why I wondered the other day if I could freeze some whole. Not having enough room in the freezer for it was one of my concerns and the other is whether it won't end up being tough when I boil it after having sat in the freezer. And it is strange but as much as I like it on the cob, I hardly ever crave it off of it...I guess I will try it with several young cobs and see. I always find your inputs valuable.

I freeze a lot of corn, enough for a whole winter, but never on the cob. Certainly it can be done, but to my mind it's not close to the experience of eating fresh-picked corn on the cob, and it's a big waste of freezer space. On the other hand, fresh corn that's quickly blanched (1 min. or so) and then cut and scraped off the cob is sweet and delicious and is quickly reheated to eat plain or to add to something else. And if the corn's not perfectly fresh to begin with, preserving it is not worth the effort. I miss fresh already; the season is gone in New England.

Thanks for the input. I am going to freeze 5-7 ears for a midwinter boil.

I use my Food Saver and without blanching, just freeze. Works fine for me. Currently have 2 dozen ears in the freezer to enjoy thru the winter. And I know this will brand me as a heratic (sp?) , but I nuke mine for 2 minutes with great results.

In the rare instances when I have extra corn on the cob, I peel back the husks, remove the silks, replace the husks and then freeze in ziploc or vacuum freeze bags. Not quite the same as one hour off the stalk in the summer, but better than canned or supermarket frozen!

Sam, because of your endorsement, I purchased the Ziploc vacuum bag at my local mass supermarket. Haven't used it yet, but it's an affordable solution (even had a coupon downloaded from the website) if you don't own a food sealer. I eat a lot of chicken and buying in bulk would really help me out - ooh, and stew meat. Thanks.

@SKK
I've done both, for short term blanching doesn't make a big diffrence. For more than a few months, the enzymes in the corn convert the sugar to starch even while in the freezer. Blanching stops the enzymes and 'fixes' the sweetness of the corn.
I've only frozen cob-on-the-cob tho.
I wonder if cutting it off the cob helps retain the sweetness while frozen.

I actually like to stick with it raw. The way that corn sugars work, you want to freeze it as soon as humanly possible and then just cook it normally once you take it out.

@Sam, keep on pushing your products, they are all great! Never thought of freezing whole corn on the cob so thanks Droplet for the question.

Just wondering if it is necessary to blanch it? When I freeze just the corn, I simply cut it off the cob and put it in containers. No blanching and it turns out great. What do you think?

I blanch it just a min and vac pack it and freeze it. And then boil in bag later.
Yes, it's worth it, it'll probably taste better than supermarket frozen corn.
Just let it rest in the warm water a bit to thaw in the bag..then remove the bag and boil the water..and replace the bag.
When I freeze it I put in bit of butter in the bag. I usually let it all freeze before sealing the bag so you won't have butter or water interfering with the seal.

It seems like I'm pushing this product a bit too much here..so, I'll let this website do the talking.
http://seattlefoodgeek.com/2011/06/ziploc-vacuum-bags-vs-foodsaver-for-sous-vide-at-home/