#ewew cooks Corn on the Cob 3 Ways

Yes, I can't believe I've dedicated one whole post to the cooking of the humble corn! ;P  I was at the market the other day when my regular vegetable seller gestured me to buy his corn as he had lots of them for sale that day, so I bought some.

I like to eat sweet corn, especially when they're corn kernels tossed in butter (my favourite snack while watching movies in cinemas), but I've never bought and cooked corn at home (the only time I've ever bought corn was to make soup...and once when I tried to grill it in the oven and failed!).  So, I had to ask the seller how long I need to boil them for (coz when I buy them from a stall, that's how I find them...steeping in a big pot of hot water!).

But then he told me, "Aiyo, don't boil it, all the taste would be lost in the water.  Steam it!  10 minutes should be enough."  Aiks, till now, I've never thought that corn can be cooked by steaming, I thought it has always been boiled.  So, when I reached home, I googled how to cook corn!  Well, most sites will tell you to boil, microwave, bake or grill it.  I found only one that says to steam it.

So, after googling on how best to cook corn on the cob (other than boiling), I decided to experiment with my corn and try my hand at cooking it.....in 3 ways! ^_~

1.  Steam It

Shuck your corn and remove the silky threads.  Put a steamer rack or just any rack into your pan or wok. Make sure the water does not touch the rack.  Once the water comes to a boil, place your shucked corn on the rack and steam over medium heat.

I found a recipe online that say to steam it for 4 mins.  I steamed it for 10 minutes (I chose to listen to the vegetable seller) or until it becomes a deep yellow (that's how you tell or you could always poke it with a fork to see if it's tender enough).

Eat it just as it is for the most healthy option :)

2.  Oven-Roast It

Place the corn on the cob (with husk) directly onto the rack just as it is (if you happen to have many ears of corn to roast).

Or just put the single corn on a sheet pan.

And roast at 180°C for 30 mins.

Remove from the oven and peel off the husk.

Be careful, as the corn will be hot, so use a kitchen towel to hold onto your corn.  But the best (and most convenient) thing was, the layers of husk came off easily along with almost all the fine threads, so you don't have to deal with the messy job of removing the silky threads.

At this point, you can eat it as it is or slather some butter (I used half a knob of slightly salted butter but you can use the whole knob of 10g if you want to) and sprinkle more salt (and freshly cracked black pepper) over it.

The melted butter on the hot corn, the hint of salt and black pepper together with the sweetness of the corn makes the corn taste so much better...enjoy! ^.^

3.  Microwave It

Now this method was a revelation for me when I found out....what?.....microwave it while it's still in the husk without the need to even shuck it first? :O

Just put it on a microwave-safe dish and microwave it on high for 5 minutes.  Some websites will tell you to microwave it for 3 mins.  I did but found it a bit hard still when I pressed the cob, so I put it back and microwaved it for a further 2 mins and it came out perfect.

Beware as microwaving tends to trap steam, so use kitchen towels to hold on to your corn.  Take it out from your microwave oven, cut off the bottom of your corn and it will slide out easily (or so they say).  No, it didn't happen...at least not to my corn...haha!  I had to peel off the layers of husk (which was much harder to handle as it was hotter than the one that was oven roasted).  This method also eliminates the stringy mess of removing the fine threads.

Again, you could eat it as it is or slathered with butter and salt.  But my favourite way of eating sweet corn is remove the kernels from the corn.  I know, I know, a lot of us don't like to do that as it causes such a big mess...with the kernels ending up all over your chopping board (or around your sink or even on your floor)! >_<

That was until I discovered the trick to do it (from an episode of The Kitchen).  Simple...just use two bowls. Place a small bowl upside-down inside a large bowl.  Stand the end of the corn on top of the small bowl and cut the corn off the cob (the reason for the small bowl is so that you can cut right to the bottom of the corn). The kernels, instead of flying everywhere, will just fall and collect in the bottom of the larger bowl.  Or, if you're a baker and you have one of those Bundt pans, you could just prop the corn upright in the centre hole of the pan and slice down on the cob to remove the kernels.

After the kernels have been removed, toss them with butter and salt (and black pepper if you like)....and it'll be just like those corn in a cup you'd buy as a movie snack.  Yum, yum! ^o^

Of course, you could do it the most common way...boil it but since the flavour of the corn will be lost in the water, I think not.  I have boiled corn soup before where I'd agree that all the corn flavour is in the soup, so I believe cooking corn other than boiling it will certainly taste better.  Also, you don't have to deal with the messy threads when you microwave or oven-roast it.

Then there's the grill it method on a barbie (which will get you some nice charring) but since most Malaysian homes don't own a barbecue grill + it'll take too much trouble to set up a makeshift one, this doesn't seem like a viable option.

Of the 3 methods, which one would be your favoured option to cook corn on the cob?  I think all 3 methods have their own merits.  Microwaving will be the fastest and an option to consider when you want to make something quick to munch in front of the idiot box.  Can you imagine getting to eat fresh corn in just 5 minutes?  Wonderful, just wonderful :)

Oven roasting will be a choice if you're already using the oven to roast (say) chicken, then throwing in a few ears of corn into the same oven sounds like a wise option.  This would also be the best option if you intend to cook many ears of corn at one go (as many as the rack can fit).

Well, whichever way you choose, you're assured of perfectly cooked fresh, juicy, sweet corn in the comfort of your home.....anytime....every time! ^_~