Corn is a treasured ingredient of Appalachia and other regions around the United States. As an ingredient indigenous to many parts of the country, corn holds cultural significance and emotional ties for many people. So, when corn season comes around, we know many people are ready to flock to the farmers market to pick up their favorite variety and cook up a nostalgic favorite. But are you cooking your corn correctly? I spoke with chefs and farmers from different regions to get their tips on how best to prepare this beloved summertime staple.
How to Cook Corn on the Cob
Enjoy Corn Raw or Pickled
Eric Voll, 6th generation family member and Vice President of Soergel Orchards in Wexford, PA says “eating corn in its raw form brings out the best flavors and texture.” He suggests a chilled street corn, adding raw corn to fresh salsa, or using it in a salad. Eric grew up eating fresh raw corn from the fields during harvest season saying, “My grandfather would bring Brunton’s glass-bottled chocolate milk along with some fresh donuts, and we would always eat an ear or two of corn along with it for breakfast.”
Mike Costello is a chef and farmer at Lost Creek Farm in Harrison County, WV where he and his partner Amy Dawson host the Farm and Forage Supper Club. As both Costello and Dawson are James Beard-nominated chefs, their guests are treated to thoughtful seasonally-inspired dinners with storytelling that allows their culture and tradition to shine. One of Mike’s favorite preparations for fresh sweet corn is a pickled sour corn because it can be pickled at peak harvest and then used throughout the year. They have even made ice cream using the pickled sour corn, which Mike says offered an acidity that can be difficult to achieve in a frozen dessert. If the idea of a corn ice cream intrigues you, try our recipe for Blue Corn Gelato.
Simple Corn is Best
Other chefs feel that simple preparation for sweet corn brings out the complexity and sweetness of the vegetable. Zachary Basto, is the chef and owner of Casa Cardoza in Atlanta, GA where he makes and sells empanadas to coffee shops and markets. He says a simple sautéed corn is nostalgic, as his grandfather would cook chicken, corn, and rice for their family a few nights a week. As Basto ages, he still loves this preparation with local sweet corn simply in butter with salt and pepper.
TABLE Magazine Editor in Chief Keith Recker maintains that the only way to cook corn is to bring a pot of water to full boil, toss in the corn, cover the pot, and extinguish the flame. Let the corn blanch for four or five minutes. Drain and eat immediately. Mike Costello prefers roasting over boiling because he feels the corn retains more flavor and it is easier to avoid overcooking. For an easy supper featuring roasted corn, try our recipe for Summer Scallops and Corn Sheet Pan Supper.
Bake with Corn
Recognizing there are multiple varieties of corn, some chefs offered their favorite ways to bake with it. Costello says the corn bread that his partner Amy Dawson makes for their Farm and Forage Supper Club is hard to beat. Her cornbread is made using their Bloody Butcher corn, an heirloom variety that they grow from seed gifted to them by a dear friend. The cornbread not only nourishes and impresses their guests, it allows the farmers to pay tribute to a friend who is no longer with them and introduces this heirloom variety in an accessible way.
One of the goals of their dinners is to showcase heirloom vegetables in exciting ways that might inspire their guests to seek out farmers who are taking the time to preserve these varieties that offer flavor and texture profiles that are not prevalent in conventionally grown produce. For a different take on corn bread, try Not Your Mama’s Cornbread Recipe.
Zachary Basto remembers his time in a Chicago restaurant where they would make a corn souffle. He says the preparation may sound complicated, but it is actually fairly simple. They would start with a cast iron pan and add a filling to the bottom. Basto says you can use any filling, but they create a beef filling similar to a ragu for this dish. “Then we had corn that we would blend with egg yolks, and then whip egg whites and combine them to make a souffle…It creates this really cool corn batter on top of your meat.”
Common Mistakes When Cooking Corn
There was consensus among everyone with whom I spoke that overcooking corn is the most egregious offense. You cannot leave corn to boil without timing. Eric Voll explains, “when corn is heated for a longer time period, the natural sugars turn to starch, which gives you a creamier taste, but the sweetness is sacrificed along with the crunchy bite.” If you are aiming for creamy corn, Basto says to treat it as you would risotto, stirring constantly to develop the starch, and taste often for doneness.
Basto maintains that it is possible to undercook corn due to its starchiness. He says the outside skin should hold its snap, but the inside should not have the chalkiness that remains with undercooked starch. He says to try the five-bean test, “you want to eat, like a spoonful of beans, because you might get two or three that taste great, and then fourth or fifth one is under-done.” You can apply the same technique to corn to make sure the whole batch is consistent.
Lastly, Costello says oversalting can be a problem. While there is a certain ritual to being able to add your own butter and salt for personal taste, try to take a modest approach.
The Cultural Significance of Corn
Speaking with these chefs reminded me of the cultural significance a single ingredient can hold and the importance of building memories around food. Whether you are trying something new or whipping up an old family favorite, the best way to prepare corn is with those you love. Shucking corn on the back porch or rolling sweet corn on the cob in a stick of butter until it creates an indent can create lasting summer memories that become the stories of the next generation.
Story by Kirsten Chervenak / Photo Courtesy of Bakd&Raw
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