Corn: Lend Me An Ear

by Judy Sobeloff, from the July 2006 newsletter

Preferences for preparing and eating fresh corn are so personal that I hesitate to broach the subject at all, much less to offer suggestions. But folks, the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye right now, so let’s throw caution and pollen to the winds.

Unlike almost every other crop we eat, corn originated in the Americas, most likely in Mexico or Central America around 3400 B.C.E., and now grows on every continent except Antarctica. Both a grass and a grain, corn was a staple of native peoples for thousands of years, and is currently the most common field crop raised in the United States. Given the widespread use of corn syrup and corn oil, one “cannot buy anything at all in a North American supermarket which has been untouched by corn” (Margaret Visser, Much Depends on Dinner), though, it goes without saying, that’s not the case at the Co-op. Corn is widely used in the production of non-edible products as well, such as degradable plastics, ethanol, nylon, wood resin, paints, soaps, paper, antibiotics, and linoleum. Recipes for these not included here.

Given the proliferation of food improvements such as square tomatoes, one might wonder why no one has found a way to dispense with those pesky corn silks. I personally was surprised to learn that these are not merely a decorative accessory but that there is indeed one silk (the “stigma” of the female flower) for every kernel, and that each silk plays a crucial role in receiving pollen from the tassels (the male flowers above). Kernels, the end result of each pollen-fertilized ovary, are always arranged in an even number of rows, with an average of 16 rows and 800 kernels per ear.

So, how fresh is fresh enough? Eating corn raw right off the stalk is one of life’s great pleasures, and Mark Twain is said to have remarked that the best way to eat corn would be to set up a kettle right in the field. If immediacy proves impractical, one is advised to look for firm green husks and pale silks with only a little green on top and to refrigerate the ears still in the husk until cooking, because corn loses “up to 40 percent of its sugar content after 6 hours of room temperature storage” as the sugar converts to starch (<www.foodreference.com>). Corn sugar is such powerful stuff that apparently the U.S. Department of Defense is testing its potential for removing toxic materials from groundwater, as its “chemical structure attracts such wastes as solvents, pesticides, and hydrocarbons” (oklahoma4h.okstate.edu).

In looking for cooking ideas beyond the usual boiling or steaming (author Mark Bittman asserts “there is no reason at all to boil corn”), I tried an unexciting baked method and a fabulous new huskless grilled method. I resisted suggestions to try boiling corn in water with added sugar to make the corn sweeter, nor was I tempted to soak the corn for an hour before grilling to make husking easier.

As Steven Raichlen writes in How to Grill, “A bitter controversy surrounds the best way to grill corn. At the heart of the debate is this: Does corn taste better grilled with the husk or without? Advocates of the former argue that the husk protects the delicate kernels from the harsh heat. Proponents of the huskless school (of which I am a member) point out that corn steams rather than grills in the husk and that the husk blocks out that wonderful live-fire flavor.”

While my family has always enjoyed the drama (and ease) of removing the blackened husks, we fully enjoyed Raichlen’s (labor intensive!) huskless Parsley-Garlic-Buttered Corn, courtesy of our friend Joe, described by his wife, Amy, as “so good, it’s like a whole different thing. I don’t think it should be called corn any more.”

Remember in asking people how long they boil or steam corn that they may be unwilling to admit the truth, as there seems to be some kind of unspoken machismo in stating a brief cooking time. For those striving to improve the lives of themselves and the people around them, see also the tip at right on how to butter corn on the cob.

BUTTERING CORN ON THE COB (adapted from homecooking.about.com)
Find a wide-mouth jar tall enough to submerge a single ear of corn. Fill the jar ¾ full with hot water, and pour melted butter on top of the water. Steam, grill, or otherwise cook corn with the husks on. When ready to butter, peel back the leaves without removing them and make them into a handle. Dip the corn in the jar and as you remove it, it gets a nice coating of butter.

PARSLEY-GARLIC BUTTERED CORN (adapted from How to Grill)

4 ears sweet corn in their husks
6 Tbs. butter at room temperature
2 Tbsp. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
coarse salt and black pepper

Set up grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.

Strip back the husks (starting at the top, like a banana) leaving the husks attached at the stem end to form a handle and tie with butcher string.)

In mixing bowl, whisk together butter, parsley, and garlic until smooth and creamy. Lightly brush each ear of corn with some of the butter mixture and arrange on hot grate with husks away from the fire. Grill until kernels are handsomely browned, 8 to 12 minutes in all, turning as needed, brushing with the remaining butter and seasoning generously with salt and pepper. Remove from grill and serve at once.

BASIC STEAMED CORN (adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything)
Place the corn in a pot with an inch or two of salted water; it’s okay if some of the corn sits in the water and some above it. Cover and cook over high heat until it is just hot, 10 minutes or less (if the water is already boiling when you add the corn, or if you have a powerful stove, the cooking time could be as little as 3 minutes). Serve the corn with salt, pepper, and butter.

Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective contributors, except were otherwise noted.

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