Corn melts in your mouth! How to cook it to make it delicious

The other day my mother-in-law brought her grandchildren boiled corn. “Eat, eat, I cooked it myself, put it on at 6 in the morning, and got ready for lunch.” I tried to cook the corn so that it was soft and juicy, but it turned out the opposite. It became as hard as an airplane landing gear. The older generation often sins with this - they overcook corn. Apparently, it’s hard to believe that you can spend 20 minutes preparing a delicacy.

How long to cook corn depends on the type

For me, the best corn is Dutch and Bonduelle. I like it softer and sweeter. In addition, the cobs cook very quickly. It is enough to wait 15 minutes after the water boils. But my husband prefers homemade, rustic corn. He says that Bonduelca is too soft, like corn porridge. He likes to bite into the grains, enjoying the juicy contents.

When buying cobs, the first thing I pay attention to is:

• variety;
• degree of maturity.

There are dozens of varieties of corn. But all of them can be divided into food and feed (for animals). The former have a sweet taste and boil well and quickly. It is easy to find out the food grade. As a rule, the cobs are 15-18 cm long and barrel shaped. The grains of this corn are light, beige and light yellow. But I rely more on my taste buds.

Advice. Before buying corn for cooking, ask the seller to chop off a raw kernel. Taste it. In food grades, even raw grains are tasty and sweet.

Corn happens:

• Feed and food corn.
• Old and young.

young

I think everyone knows that the softest and juiciest corn is young. But even in inexperienced hands it can become completely inedible. Many people make a big mistake. They cook it the old fashioned way for several hours.

Long cooking of young corn is contraindicated!

It is correct to cook it for 5-20 minutes, no longer. After this time, the grains become hard and lose their sweetness.

Advice. When cooking young corn, you need to pierce the kernels with a toothpick every 10 minutes after the water boils. Once the toothpick starts to slide in and out easily, turn off the heat.

old

As corn kernels mature, they become denser and lose their juiciness. Old cobs take longer to cook than young ones. But there is also a plus - they are cheaper. You can buy as many cobs as your heart desires. When cooked correctly, the taste will be wonderful.

Old corn turns out especially juicy and soft if you boil it in milk or steam it.

The cooking time for cobs varies from 1.5 to 3-4 hours. Old feed corn can be cooked for the full 6 hours. But it is very important not to add salt to the water. Salt water makes the bean shell hard. It is better to use sugar instead of salt. You can add salt to the delicacy before eating it.

Advice. To determine the degree of maturity of corn, you need to press your fingernail onto the kernel. The younger she is, the more milk juice will be released.

Old cobs do not release juice at all; depressions appear on the grains, indicating the evaporation of moisture and the conversion of sugar into starch.

Cooking juicy and soft corn step by step

There is no need to reinvent the wheel with dairy edible corn. It cooks very quickly and simply, it always turns out juicy and sweet. Here's what to do:

1. Cook the cobs as early as possible.Freshly picked corn is the juiciest and sweetest. If cooking is postponed for some reason, you need to put the unopened cobs in the refrigerator in the freshness zone.
2. Remove leaves and hairs from the cobs. Leave 5-7 leaves and discard the rest.
   
3. Rinse the cobs and leaves with cold water.
   
4. Place in a large saucepan (preferably with a thick bottom and walls).
5. Cover with leaves to prevent them from floating.
6. Fill the pan with cold water.
7. If the variety is fodder, you can add 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar per 3 liters of water.
8. Place the pan on high heat.
9. After boiling, reduce heat and set aside for 7-10 minutes. Check the grains for softness, and if necessary, increase the cooking time to half an hour (maximum).

After the cobs are ready, you need to let them “rest”. I leave them for 20-30 minutes in a saucepan with a lid. After that, I take it out and grease it with a piece of butter, salt and pepper to taste. It turns out delicious - you'll lick your fingers!

Advice. You only need to buy corn with leaves. They give it that delicious aroma. Leaves are also needed to retain moisture in the grains.

Only unscrupulous sellers remove leaves. The fact is that they can be used to judge the naturalness of the product. When a large amount of nitrogen fertilizer is applied, the leaves become covered with dark spots.

Corn in milk recipe

Bright yellow, almost orange, feed corn is best cooked in milk. It turns out incredibly sweet and juicy. Can't be distinguished from food. I prepare it as follows:

1. I put water in a saucepan to boil.
2. I clean the cobs from leaves and stigmas and wash them thoroughly.
3. I carefully lower the corn into the boiling water.
4. Drain off excess water (it should barely cover the cobs).
5. I reduce the heat to low.
6. I add a glass of milk, 50 g of butter, 2 tbsp to 2 liters of water. spoons of sugar.
   
   
7. Leave to cook for 40 minutes covered.
8. After 40 minutes, I taste the corn for doneness every 20 minutes. Usually 1 hour is enough for it to become soft and milky.

Even middle-aged corn turns out like milk corn, very soft and tasty!

How to cook cobs in the microwave?

I like this cooking method because you don’t have to dirty the dishes. The kitchen is clean, and your favorite treat is ready in 10-15 minutes. True, only young, sweet corn can be cooked in the microwave. So it remains juicy and tasty, but when ripe it turns out to be dry and more reminiscent of baked than boiled.

So, the recipe:

1. Peel, wash and salt the corn.
2. Place in a baking bag. Can be replaced with a regular thick bag or parchment.
3. Microwave for 10 minutes at 800 W. If necessary, increase cooking time to 15 minutes.
   

Corn does not explode in the microwave. The only thing I would advise is to pierce the bag in several places so that it does not swell.

Juicy corn in a steamed slow cooker

When steamed, corn always turns out soft. All useful substances are preserved in it. There is a lot of juice in the grains. I prepare it like this:

1. I pour hot water into the bowl to make it boil faster.
2. I put 5-7 washed leaves in water for aroma.
3. I put the cobs on the grill, cut into 2-3 parts (otherwise they won’t fit).
4. I close the lid and select the “steam” mode. I set the timer for 20 minutes if the corn is young, and 40 minutes if it is mature.

This method has only one disadvantage - you can cook 2-3 cobs at a time. Not enough for a large family.

Cooking juicy and soft corn is easy. But it can just as easily be ruined. In order not to make a mistake, you need to understand what kind of variety is in front of you and what degree of maturity it is.And from this you can “dance”: cook in water or milk for 15 minutes or several hours. I can tell you from my own experience that any corn can be cooked so that it melts in your mouth.