Storage and Preparation:
Store corn in the husk in the
refrigerator until ready to prepare it. And corn should definitely be
prepared the day you buy it. If plan change and you must wait 24 hours,
place the unhusked corn in a perforated vegetable bad and store in the
vegetable section of the refrigerator. Use as quickly as possible. If
all else fails and you cannot serve the corn right away, hush the ears,
boil them in water to cover for 5 minutes, cool and cut the corn from
the cob. It can then be refrigerated from another day or two or put
into freezer bags or containers and frozen.
Much has been made about removing corn silk before cooking. If the ears
are to be boiled, obviously the husks must be removed and the silk
stripped off. A damp paper towel often makes it easier to remove the
silk and keeps it from flying all around.
If the recipe calls for corn cut from the cob, you can use leftover
corn that has been cooked on the cob or fresh uncooked corn. In either
case, husk the corn, remove the silk and rinse. Stand the ear on end,
holding it at the top. Use a very sharp knife and cut down from top to
bottom to remove the kernels, as close to the cob as possible. I find
it convenient to stand the ears in a wide bowl so that the kernels do
not scatter everywhere.
If you are making creamed corn and the recipe calls for slitting the
kernels, slice down the middle of each row of kernels on the cob with
the point of a sharp knife before pressing the back of a knife down the
cob to push out as much of the inside of the kernels as possible. This
method releases the milky liquid inside the kernels which will thicken
the final dish slightly.
Tip:
If you want to boil corn, add salt to the water in which corn is cooked will toughen the
kernels. Some cooks suggest stirring a pinch (up to 1 teaspoon) of
sugar into the water before adding the ears of corn. I am not convinced
the sugar adds anything - if the corn is very fresh it will be very
sweet; if it isn't, it won't be as sweet, even with sugar added.
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