Kitchen Hip Tip: To Cook Corn, Skip the Pot Of Boiling Water and Nuke it Instead

 

^{Photo by Olga Massov}

I'm not one of those microwave enthusiasts who champion the box for all manner of cooking. For the most part, I use it for reheating (especially rice), for melting butter and chocolate, for giving the dregs of my cooling morning cup of tea another stemaing boost before I swallow it down.

One reason I haven't gotten more serious about the box is because it's been built into a cabinet high above my head in our kitchen. Using the microwave requires me to hop on a step stool every time.

But there is one place where I rely on the microwave and that is for cooking corn.

The advantages are many. You don't have to sit there waiting for the giant pot of water to come to a boil. You don't have to then drain said heavy pot full of water after the corn is done. The kitchen doesn't heat up. And the corn tastes just as good if not better.

Getting the timing down might take a few tries since everyone's microwave is a little different. Here's what I do (start here and adjust to suit your microwaves and your taste for corn doneness, I like mine al dente, though isn't all corn on the cob, in a way, al dente?).

To Microwave Corn: Husk the corn and cook it in your microwave, on high, for 2 minutes. If you have several ears of corn, just add 30 seconds for each additional ear. And that's it.

To cool it down immediately to use in salads, I rinse the cobs under cold water, then dry them off. Or eat them piping hot with lots of dripping, salted butter (yum!).

Here are some corn-related links that have been on my mind lately:

1. The super-helpful video by Merrill Stubbs on food52 on how to cut the kernels off the cob.

2. Times' recipes for corn pudding with nothing but corn - simply genius.

3. Last year's recipe on this blog for caramelized corn.

Enjoy the corny bounty!

Comments

[Curt]

That's great, and I would do that, but I'd never get my wife to do that. She'd still rather heat things up in a saucepan than put it in the microwave.

[Nina]

Hey, I feel your pain. I have to use a step-stool at least a couple of times a day in the kitchen!

I just discovered microwaving corn this past weekend. I didn't husk it first. I nuked two ears on high for four minutes and then let them sit for 10. The husks - and the silks, especially - slid right off.

[Caroline in San Francisco]

Thanks for the awesome tip! Tried it this weekend, and worked great.