5 Different Ways To Prepare Corn On The Cob

It is corn on the cob season here in Western New York, and the corn is perfect this year.  How do you prepare it when it's time to eat?

There is just something about that first crunch of corn on a hot summer day.  It's dripping in butter and dusted with a little salt.  Maybe you went the Mexican street corn route and seasoned it that way.  There are tons of ways to season it but how do you cook your corn on the cob?

It seems like everyone has their own method of cooking corn on the cob that they use every time.  Some of them might surprise you that they work like they do.  In this list of ways to prepare it, you'll find some that seem like a no-brainer but there are some that you've never imagined would work.  They all do, but which is your favorite method?

1. Boil it

This one is probably the most old-school method.  You'll have to husk it before you throw it in the pot, but that's most of the work.  Start a huge pot of water boiling.  Once the water is boiling, you can add the corn to pot.  You'll probably want some tongs to avoid getting splashed with the boiling water.  Then just leave it in until the kernels are crisp and tender.  It'll normally only take about 5 minutes before they're done.

2. Grill it

You'll need to plan ahead for this.  If you're going to grill corn, you're going to want to leave the husks on.  Soak the corn for about 30 minutes before putting it on the grill.  This is just to keep the husks from getting charred and difficult to get off the corn itself.  Then just put the corn directly on the grates and cook for around 8-10 minutes.  The corn should essentially steam in the husk and will give you a little bit of a smoky flafor.

3.  Throw it directly in the fire

If you have a campfire going, you can actually put the corn right in the coals to cook it.  For this method, you'll want to either leave the husks on the corn and soak it like you did for the grill, or, you can husk it, throw some butter on it and wrap it in some foil.  Make sure you wrap it up good so that your corn doesn't get ashes on it though.  Then just throw it in the fire and let it cook for around 10 minutes.  You can pull it out with a shovel if you need to.  Be careful when opening it.  It will be extremely hot.

Read More:  The Best Cheap Corn On The Cob In Western New York

4. Microwave it

This one might sound a little bit gross, but it actually turns out perfect and it's probably the least amount of effort.  All you have to do is to throw it in the microwave, husk and all for around 3-5 minutes.  That's it.  The corn will steam in the husk.  Be careful when opening it.

5. Use the cooler method

Someone showed me this one a couple of years ago at a wedding.  This is another one where you'll want to husk the corn ahead of time.  Take the husks off and put the cobs in a cooler.  Then, boil a huge pot of water.  You're going to pour this boiling water over all the corn on the cob in the cooler.  You'll want the water to completely cover the corn.  Close the top and let it sit for at least 30 minutes undisturbed.  Don't open the lid to check on it.  Just let it sit.  Once the time is up, the corn will be ready.

This method is probably the best if you're making a large amount of corn, or if you have limited kitchen space because you can just put it in a cooler on the back deck and forget about it.