Sweet corn comes in an array of yellows and whites. There are ears that are full of white kernels, yellow kernels, or both yellow and white. The open-pollinated varieties begin to lose sweetness, converting sugar to starch from the moment they are picked. Modern hybrids have been bred to keep their sweetness for a few days, but some argue that these varieties are too sweet and lack “corn flavor.” What better way to decide than by experimenting with a few varieties to discover your own favorites? No matter the variety, corn is still best eaten fresh, the day it’s picked. Look at the cut end to gauge the freshness. Select ears that are plump, juicy, and bright in color, with a fresh cut. The brown silk may look a little sticky on a very fresh ear of corn. Don’t be put off if there is a worm at the tip—not that one wishes for a worm, but its presence is a healthy sign that the farmer is not using pesticides. If you can’t eat it immediately, store corn in the refrigerator, unhusked. Shuck corn right before you cook it, removing the husk and all the silk. If there has been a worm visitor, slice off the evidence; no harm has been done to the rest of the ear. To remove the kernels from the cob, hold onto the stem end, pointing the tip of the ear down, and run your knife down the cob, cutting off the kernels. The trick is to gauge the right depth at which to cut—not so deep as to take some of the cob with the kernel, but not so shallow that too much of the kernel is left behind. It is less messy if you tip your ear into a roasting pan to catch all the kernels as they are shaved off. If you wish, rub the cob with the back of the knife to remove all the corn milk from the kernel bits left behind.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Corn on the cob is one of the simplest ways to enjoy summer eating. Shuck the ears of corn: tear off the husks and wipe the corn silk away with a kitchen towel. Cook the ears in a large quantity of boiling salted water for 4 minutes or so. (Or grill them, as on page 159.) Remove, drain, and serve with butter, salt, and pepper.
Step 2
You can also serve corn on the cob with butter, salt, lime wedges, and ground dried ancho chiles; or with a compound butter made of softened butter, chopped parsley, chopped savory, and finely sliced scallions. (To grind dried ancho chiles, first remove their seeds and veins and then pulverize the chiles in a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder.)
