Jerrybo66
AZ
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Joined: 10/07/2003
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When I grew corn back in Pa. I would put the water on to boil then I would go to pull it. I agree with HaftaCamp on the cooking. A lot of folks don't know what really good corn is because they can't get fresh from a store. Pull back the husk a little bit and press on a kernel with your fingernail. It shouldn't take much pressure to pop the kernel and see the juice squirt. That's fresh corn. The newer "sugar enhanced" strains that have been developed in the last several years yield some corn that keeps pretty well. If the husks look fresh then the corn is probably pretty good. I think fresh corn is too good to mask it's flavor with any "additives"..... IMO..
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Pangaea Ron
Anacortes, WA, USA
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We put Skagit Valley sweet corn in cold water, bring just to a boil, and remove.
I've read somewhere that the sweetness is related to how long since it has been picked. The sooner the better.
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Jerrybo66
AZ
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dgo1369 wrote:If it's not Olathe (CO) corn, it isn't sweet corn!!!
I agree...
I won't buy corn unless it's advertised as being from Olathe....
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Supercharged
Az.
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Joined: 01/01/2005
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yankeeblue wrote:Supercharged wrote:All sweet corn cooks different. Depends on how soon it was picked.
Ok, so let's say your answer is to really help me with this...can you please elaborate a bit more?
how long if it was picked the day before?
how long if it was picked three days ago?
what if the seller/grower lies to me?
what is the best rule of thumb? When it was picked to early, people at your table say nothing, they go home and say, boy she don't know how to cook sweet corn. And they never ever come back to your house.
The amount of juice in the corn when it was picked will show you how long it take to cook. Some corn may take 50% longer to cook.
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Heathertee2002
Connecticut
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Joined: 07/18/2003
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Wow! Everyone so far has said they BOIL corn. That takes a lot of water, and a lot of time and energy to heat the water.
I have never boiled it. Steaming is much more earth-friendly and much quicker. You just put a rack in the bottom of the pan with about an inch of water, add your ears, and steam them about 7 to 15 minutes, depending on the age of the corn. Steam comes up almost immediately, as opposed to waiting for a huge pot of water to boil, and steam cooks it just as fast as water would. Also, the corn tastes much sweeter and is never soggy from being submerged in water.
Adding sugar to cooking corn just toughens the skins on the kernels. Anyway, you shouldn't need to do this at all with the super-sweet corn of today.
Heather
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mike4947
N. Syracuse, NY
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Sweet corn has undergone a revolution in the last 10 years with the newer hybrid varieties designed to increase and keep longer the sugar content.
The old saying was have the pot boiling before you go out to the garden to pick and if you trip on the way back, throw it out and go back for fresh.
Now some of the new varieties have as much as 100% more sugar to start with and keep the sugar from converting to starch much longer than the olden ones.
One of the families favorite ways to cook sweet corn is to cut the kernels off the cob and sauté them in butter. But with the new varieties you really have to keep an eye on the pan as the time from caramelize to burnt to a crisp is really short now.
Even grill roasting has to be checked earlier to prevent burning, no matter how wet you get it to start.
As an aside our local vegetable dealer runs yellow/white varieties from the first week in July (they start some under plastic for early ripening) till mid September. They use 8 different varieties to cover the time. My favorite comes in the first week of August. The ears are HUGH but the kernels are tiny when fully developed.
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jeanspach
New Mexico
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Pull the husk down but don't remove it. Remove the silk. Pull the husk back over the ear. Secure the husk with cooking string. Soak in cold water for at least 20 minutes. Grill for 8-10 minutes.
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Skid Row Joe
On the road in America
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Joined: 04/26/2006
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Heathertee2002 wrote:Wow! Everyone so far has said they BOIL corn. That takes a lot of water, and a lot of time and energy to heat the water.
I have never boiled it. Steaming is much more earth-friendly and much quicker. You just put a rack in the bottom of the pan with about an inch of water, add your ears, and steam them about 7 to 15 minutes, depending on the age of the corn. Steam comes up almost immediately, as opposed to waiting for a huge pot of water to boil, and steam cooks it just as fast as water would. Also, the corn tastes much sweeter and is never soggy from being submerged in water. 
"Steaming 7 to 15 minutes is Earth friendly," but boiling isn't? How does that work?
I submerge the ears in water, cover, and bring my sweet corn to a boil, turn off the heat and let stand 10 minutes and the sweet corn comes out perfectly cooked and sweet every time. Takes less than 10 minutes to bring to a boil, then no power/flame to let it stand.
I have a sweet tender nature, however I enjoy sharing my thoughts and opinions. 
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rockhillmanor
On the Road
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Joined: 12/06/2003
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yankeeblue wrote:Supercharged wrote:All sweet corn cooks different. Depends on how soon it was picked.
Ok, so let's say your answer is to really help me with this...can you please elaborate a bit more?
how long if it was picked the day before?
how long if it was picked three days ago?
what if the seller/grower lies to me?
what is the best rule of thumb?
Corn is at its all time sweetest when eaten 'right after it is picked'. Each 'hour' after it has been picked the sugars slowly turns to starch and makes for a not so sweet ear of corn. No matter how you cook it the sweetness is not coming back any time soon.!
The warmer the corn is the faster the sugar to starch process is, refridgerating it slows it down but does not stop it.
Henceforth why the grocery store corn takes so nasty since its probably days to weeks old by the time it arrives at the store.
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Jim&Peg
Central Ohio
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Joined: 07/14/2004
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I agree with Heathertee. Once you have eaten steamed corn you will not go back to boiling it. I love most any corn but my favorite is Silver Queen. White corn is difficult to find anymore.
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