All about corn ripening. How to Boil Corn on the Cob

Now it’s the end of summer and a purely summer delicacy has appeared on the streets - boiled corn. Personally, the sight and smell of boiled corn makes me salivate. I want to, I can’t! This is connected with the best childhood memories, when my mother and father and I went to the sea and my parents always bought me corn. That’s how it’s connected in memory - sea, sun, corn. Therefore, as soon as young corn cobs appear on sale, I buy, cook, eat and enjoy.

How to cook corn - recipe

You need to choose young corn, so that its grains are not bright yellow, but very light; they will turn yellow during cooking. That's why boiled corn remains a summer delicacy. The imported corn that is sold in supermarkets all year round is overripe and will become tough after cooking.

We clean the corn cobs from leaves and corn silks (thin hairs).

Place half of the leaves on the bottom of the pan.

If your dish is spacious enough, then place the whole cobs on the leaves, and if whole cobs don’t fit, then break them in half.

Cover the top of the corn with the remaining leaves, fill it with cold water and put it on the fire. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer the corn over low heat until the water simmers slightly, but does not boil.

You will have to cook the corn for a very long time, at least 3 hours if it is completely “milk”, but usually about four to four and a half hours if it is well ripe.

As you yourself understand, over such a long time the water can completely boil away more than once, therefore, when we see that the water has noticeably decreased, we heat the water in another bowl and add it so that the cobs are covered with water.

After three hours of cooking, you can begin to taste readiness. You can determine whether the corn is cooked by trying to pierce the kernels with a fork. In properly cooked corn, the kernels are easily pierced and even burst.

We take the cobs out of the water, place them on plates, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Cooled corn is no longer as tasty as hot corn, so if you have already cooked it and your loved ones have not yet gathered, wrap the bowl with corn in a warm blanket. In this form it cools down very slowly and you can please your household.

Ready boiled corn on a plate

Well, now you know how to cook corn. I hope you find this knowledge useful.

Bon appetit!

There's nothing better than flavorful sweet hot corn. After green peas, they are considered the second summer delicacy. There is probably not a single person who has not tried it at least once in their life. Some people buy it already boiled, others prefer to cook it themselves. How to cook young corn on the cob correctly and for how long, learn all the secrets from this article.

Many people buy canned or frozen corn for salads, soups, and stews. This is a healthy food product recommended by nutritionists. It is low in calories, rich in protein, starch, and contains vitamins and minerals.

Good for health: normalizes digestion, removes toxins and other harmful substances. Corn silk is an excellent remedy for removing salts from the kidneys.

How to choose corn

Before welding, you need to choose it correctly. There are several subspecies of corn. We grow only three:

Dentoform;

Sugar;

Siliceous.

Amateur gardeners can grow starchy and bursting ones. Popcorn is made from it. It is cultivated on an industrial scale in the USA and South America.

In turn, the subspecies have many different varieties, which differ in ripening time, color and grain size, taste, and shelf life.

For cooking, it is better to choose sweet corn. But other varieties are also quite suitable for consumption. The main thing you need to pay attention to is its ripeness. The younger it is, the faster it will cook. The degree of ripening also affects the taste.

The most delicious, quick to prepare - milky ripeness. Therefore, choose these cobs.

Fresh, just picked, have green leaves that tightly cover the cob. They should not be curled or dry. This type, in the worst case, may indicate treatment with pesticides; in the best case, it may indicate shelf life, i.e. they were torn down a long time ago.

The stigmas are light brown at the top. On the cob itself - light.

The color of the grains is slightly yellow. More saturated - the corn has already passed the stage of milky ripeness and it will take longer to cook. And they will taste harsher.

Unfortunately, age cannot always be determined even by bending back the leaves. At the very end, there may be unripe grains on the cob. To check ripeness, lightly press on it at the base.

When can I buy it? It all depends where it was grown. In the southern regions this may be the end of June, the beginning of July. In more northern ones - later.

Buy it when you are going to cook it right away. After harvesting, it begins to dry out and some of its sugars begin to turn into starch.

If possible, try to buy at the market, since gardeners pick as much as they can sell on the same day.

Pay attention to the stems. When fresh, they are still a little damp.

The cobs should be free of wormholes, worms and other damage from rodents and pests.

How long to cook corn

Cooking time for corn will depend on ripeness. The riper it is, the longer it takes to cook. Young cobs are ready quite quickly and taste juicier. They only take 30-40 minutes to prepare. Ripe ones are cooked for two to three hours.

How long you need to cook corn depends on the size of the cobs and how long they were stored after harvesting.

If it was picked and stored in the refrigerator before cooking, then cooking may take about an hour and a half.

How to boil corn

Most people cook corn in a regular pot on the stove. But there are other cooking methods, for example in:

Pressure cooker;

In the microwave;

In the oven;

In a steamer.

Everyone can choose for themselves the method that is most suitable. The main thing is that it turns out soft and tasty. There are also secrets here:

It cannot be salted. It is better to add sugar or vegetable oil.

After boiling, you need to reduce the heat. With a strong boil, the grains will be tougher.

These simple rules will help everyone learn how to cook corn on the cob.

It is better to eat it immediately while hot. Otherwise, its appetizing taste will be lost over time.

Before boiling, it must be cleared of leaves and fibers. While the first is easy to do, the second can be difficult.

To remove all stigmas, dampen a paper towel and wipe the cob from tip to tip.

To tell if the corn is cooked, simply pierce the kernels with a fork or skewer.

How to cook corn in a saucepan

This is a classic cooking method. You need to take a pan so that the water completely covers all the cobs.

Bring the water to a boil and, as soon as it boils, reduce the heat and cook until tender. You can immediately place the cobs in a saucepan and cover with cold water.

How to cook corn in the microwave

This method is good when you are cooking 2-3 ears. For larger quantities, it is better to choose another method.

Place the prepared corn in a microwave-safe container.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of water.

Cover the container with cling film, leaving a small hole in the corner to allow steam to escape. You can cover it with a special lid.

Turn on the microwave for 4-6 minutes at maximum power. The time depends on the power of your microwave oven.

Very young milk cobs can be ready during this time. Leave them in the oven for 2-3 minutes and carefully remove the film.

If not ready, finish cooking by turning on the microwave again for a few minutes.

How to cook corn in a slow cooker

For those who like to cook in a slow cooker, you can cook the corn by steaming or as in a regular pan. Cooking time depends on the ripeness of the cobs. The younger you are, the less time you need.

The cooking mode depends on the specific model: “Stewing” or “Soup”. There may be a mode for cooking legumes or vegetables.

Place the prepared cobs in a bowl and fill with cold water. Water is poured to the maximum level. If they do not fit whole, then cut in half or into three or four parts.

Milky ripe corn is ready in 15-20 minutes. For more ripe ones, it takes 40 minutes or more.

For steaming, a special insert is included with the multicooker. Place the prepared cobs on it and pour water so that its level is just below the bottom of the grate. Close the lid and set the desired mode.

How to cook corn in milk

Unfortunately, the milky ripeness of corn passes quickly, but you want to pamper yourself with this delicious summer delicacy for as long as possible. To make the grains softer, it must first be soaked in a mixture of milk and water. To do this, the prepared cobs are cut in half and poured with milk and water in equal proportions. Leave for 4 hours. Then drain and boil in a saucepan in the usual way.

The result is a smooth, creamy flavor from the beans.

Now you know how to select and cook young corn on the cob. It's time to go to the market to buy.

If you like to cook and experiment in the kitchen, we recommend visiting the site with recipes recepti24.ru. The site provides home cooking recipes and also publishes useful information, such as how long to cook frozen unpeeled shrimp.

The latter part of the hottest time of the year is simply paradise for corn fans. This grain is prepared in a variety of ways: browned on the grill, dried in the oven, or simply boiled.

Cooking takes the least time and effort, so even a beginner can cope with this simple culinary solution. It would seem that cooking this cereal should not raise any questions, but in fact, how much time should be devoted to this stage in order to get the most delicious product?

It is important to achieve a “golden mean” so that the product does not turn out too raw or overcooked.

Read further in the article about how to properly cook corn.

How to choose corn?

To create a successful dish, it is important to purchase the right product. Buy sweet corn, so it will still have a pleasant taste, while varieties bred specifically for animal feeding do not have a pleasant taste.

So, how to distinguish one variety from the other? The fact is that the shape and size of the cobs of both varieties can be completely different, which is their common feature. The main difference in the choice of these two varieties may be the shade of the hairy part of the heads of cabbage.

Forage varieties have brownish hairs, while young sweet cobs have light, sometimes even transparent hairs. More mature sweet varieties have a light hairy part, but the tips of the hairs may have a brownish color.

After purchasing corn, it is important to talk a little about its proper storage. It is better not to store the product outside the refrigerator for a long time, otherwise it will lose its juiciness and richness of taste.

If you buy too much corn, boil most of it and place the rest in the freezer. This way the cereal will retain its structure, rich taste and juiciness under freezing conditions.

In order to defrost it, simply place it on a plate at room temperature. This way the cob will retain its structure without changes in taste and other characteristics.

By the way, you can often find this product frozen in stores. Next, let's talk about how to cook corn on the cob in a saucepan so that the final product leaves a pleasant impression on everyone who tastes your dish.

The choice of this cereal is, perhaps, the key point that determines its further taste. In a store or supermarket, look for cobs that have a light yellow tint. They have reached the ideal state of ripeness, while darkish varieties will have an unpleasant dryish taste.

Prepare the required cooking container. Pour water into it and fill it with the required amount of corn cobs. Add a little salt to the water and turn on the stove. Once the water reaches a boil, simmer the contents of the pan for about fifteen minutes. After this time, the young corn will be able to reach the correct level of cooking.

Some cooking techniques may add a pinch of sugar to the water to enrich the overall flavor of the cereal.

Mexicans add syrups and even milk to the water for cooking this product. You need to add sugar at the rate of 1 tablespoon per ten heads of cabbage.. We will tell you more about how long to cook young corn below.

Check the final product for readiness. To do this, prepare a fork and lightly pierce the cooked cobs. If the corn has reached a suitable level of readiness, the fork will go in easily; it will take a little force to work on the damp grain.

For proper cooking, you must ensure that the water level in the saucepan is high enough to completely cover the entire contents. If the water is two to three centimeters above the fruits, they are guaranteed to cook evenly and correctly.

After the product is cooked, you can bring it to an even more “tasty” state. To do this, rub it with salt, oil or a mixture of various spices.

If you add salt to the water while cooking the cabbage, it will become coarser. Therefore, they need to be salted five minutes before they are ready or already while serving the finished product.

Do not cook the product over constant high heat. Reduce the intensity of the flame after the water boils.
It is best to eat a freshly prepared warm product. The fact is that when the fruit cools, it begins to harden noticeably, which noticeably reduces its taste.

It is best to immerse the cobs not in cold water, but in water that has already been brought to a boil.
In addition to sugar, you can add a little butter to the water: this will make the product more tender and soft.

How long to cook young corn

Let's talk a little about cooking young cobs. It is worth considering that the younger the product, the less time it requires to prepare. The same rule applies in reverse: the older the corn, the longer it will take to reach a state of complete readiness.

So, by placing young products in a cauldron, they will reach a state of readiness in 20-25 minutes. After you remove the water from the pan, cover the container with a lid and wrap it in a warm towel.. This method will help the product to steam thoroughly, become soft and juicy.

How to cook corn correctly

After the water in the pan reaches a boil, you need to slightly reduce the gas and cook it for twenty minutes.

After this time, the water in the cauldron will become more cloudy and begin to foam: in this case, it is urgent to remove the product from the pan. Cloudiness of the water indicates that the cereal has begun to secrete sugar, and if this is not stopped, the fruit will lose its rich, slightly sweet taste.

There is an idea among people that this product needs to be cooked for at least forty minutes. This opinion passed from housewife to housewife from generation to generation until someone decided to reduce the cooking time.

This decision prompted culinary experts to think that this fruit reaches readiness much earlier than this time and its taste is even more rich.

How long to cook bonduelle corn

This variety of corn is a real find for vegetarians and the elderly. The fact is that in the first case, the product is able to provide the required amount of protein that can be easily digested, and in the second case it helps prevent atherosclerosis - a disease of cholesterol plaques.

If you decide to purchase this variety, you will probably be faced with the question of how long it will take to cook bonduelle corn.

To prepare this variety of cereal, you need to start processing it. Clean the corn from unnecessary darkened particles, wash thoroughly and place in a container. Hairs and leaves can be placed at the bottom to enrich the overall flavor.

Break cobs that are too large into several pieces so that they can be conveniently placed in a container. If desired, add a pinch of sugar to the cauldron and turn on the stove. After the water boils, cook the contents for ten to fifteen minutes.

After this time, leave the cobs in the water for about five minutes to soften them. Serve the product on a plate along with butter or salt.

To prepare cereal in a multicooker, you will have to go through all the cooking steps described above, but you need to specify the “legumes” cooking mode. If this item is not available, you can turn on the classic “cooking” or “soup” mode.

During cooking, you can periodically check the readiness of the product using a fork. Don't forget to fill the kitchen "machine" to the top and cover the top of the cobs with leaves.

Cooking corn in different ways: cooking time

There are many options for preparing this cereal in a way that brings out the multi-faceted flavor of corn. To successfully create a dish, the cook must be well aware of how long to cook corn on the cob, and what tricks there are to make it as tasty as possible.

To cook cobs in the oven, you need to prepare a deep baking sheet and grease its surface with butter. Next, sort, peel and wash the cobs thoroughly.

Place them in a baking tray and fill it halfway with water. Next, cover the container with foil and bake it for one or two hours. The exact baking time depends on the ripeness of the cobs, so in this case you need to pay attention to the degree of cooking. More details about this will be written below.

Double boiler

The steamer must be filled with water. Grease the grate with butter, place the cleaned cobs in it and close the lid tightly. In this case, the cooking time most often reaches forty minutes.

Microwave

A microwave is a piece of kitchen equipment that is found in almost every home. In order to cook corn using a microwave oven, place the cobs in water for about an hour, then in a plastic bag, pour a little water into it and tie it tightly.

Don't forget to make several holes in the bag so that steam can escape from it periodically. Turn your microwave on the highest power setting and cook the corn for fifteen minutes.

Air fryer

To prepare the product using an air fryer, wrap them in cling film and lay them out. Next, adjust the temperature to approximately 205 degrees and cook the cobs for forty minutes.

How to check the doneness of corn

We've figured out how long to cook corn on the cob, but how do you know if it's ready? In order to understand this, there are several ways. Remove the head of cabbage from the pan with a fork, place it on a board or plate and cut off a few grains. Taste them and then determine the degree of readiness of the product. Stick a fork into the grains and determine their softness, and therefore readiness.

The final product can be stored in the refrigerator for a day. After this time, the heads of cabbage will lose their juiciness and become dry. This will make them practically unfit for consumption, which is why you need to calculate the amount of food you prepare.

“Extra” heads of cabbage can be placed in a bag and frozen. Defrosting can take place at room temperature or using a microwave oven.

Overripe corn: can it be fixed?

In order to get rid of the unpleasant qualities of overripe cereals, there is one way. To do this, peel the heads of cabbage, cut them in half and fill them with a mixture of cow's milk and water in equal proportions.

After four hours, the heads of cabbage will become soft, juicy and sweet again. Therefore, they are suitable for further use. By the way, old cobs can be cooked for two or even three hours to achieve readiness.

How long should you cook beans?

We've figured out how to cook corn on the cob in a saucepan, but how long does it take to cook different types of legumes? Very often, a novice cook finds himself at a loss when thinking about this question, since most packages of legumes do not indicate the exact cooking time. In order to avoid such an unpleasant situation, we recommend that you read the following recommendations.

Cooking whole peas will take a long time. Before cooking, you need to place the beans in a container of water and leave it for an hour or an hour and a half. Then drain this water and fill with new cold fluid.

Cooking whole peas will take about an hour and a half, while halved peas do not require pre-soaking and cook for about half an hour.

Large beans require pre-soaking before cooking, just as with peas. Soak it in cold water for about six to ten hours.

Drain the water and boil it for an hour. The green beans will be ready within seven minutes after the water starts boiling. Frozen beans will take about the same time to cook.

To cook lentils, place them in boiling water. The variety affects the cooking time: red lentils are ready 10 minutes after boiling, green lentils after 30, brown lentils after 40.

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How to cook corn

Young corn

Already at the end of July, the first pale golden ears of corn appear on the markets of Central Russia, sold by enterprising grandmothers with large, tightly wrapped buckets. And when the treasured lid opens for the next buyer, such The inviting smell of boiled corn is impossible to resist! You run, sniffing where they sell it?! Then, burning with greed, you take the hot cobs out of the hot bucket... you don’t even need salt. Just pick up corn... a lot and quickly. And enjoy. Nibbling its tender sweet grains from the cob.

But not every housewife produces soft corn. And not all corn needs to be cooked for a long time. Today we will tell you how to choose delicious corn and how to cook it correctly.

How to choose delicious corn

Ears of young table corn

Friends, the best corn is young, table varieties. It cooks quickly and turns out to be the softest, juiciest and most delicious.

• The color of young corn is light yellow.
• In size it can be small, short, or long.
• The grains of young corn have not yet grown and do not fit very tightly together; there is still space between them. On the cob of mature corn (which takes longer to cook and has a tougher taste), the kernels are already bursting and they feel cramped.

In any case, try a kernel of corn before buying - don’t be shy, pick it off the cob. If the corn is young, when you bite into it, the grain will turn out to be soft and juicy; it has not yet become starchy and contains a lot of moisture. If it’s hard, then either the corn is old and hard, or you came across not a table variety of corn, but a fodder variety of corn.

Feed corn is distinguished by dark yellow cobs with hard kernels. Although it is edible, it is still called aft and as intended by the breeders, it is grown for livestock feed, and not for human nutrition. You can eat feed corn, but it will take an infinite amount of time to cook.

Feed corn on the cob. Photo: elsoms.com

Corn storage time

Fresh corn on the cob can be stored for several days in a cool place or in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.

It is better not to store boiled corn, but to eat it immediately (at least the next day). Cold cobs are not as tasty, and they dry out and become stale, and the aroma is no longer the same.

Cooking corn on the cob at home!

How to cook corn correctly

• Remove leaves and panicles from corn cobs. Wash.
• Place in cold unsalted water. There should be quite a lot of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly and cook corn cobs until softened.
• Remove corn from water. Cool slightly, sprinkle with salt. And enjoy its wonderful taste!

How long to cook corn

• Boil young corn for 10-15 minutes.
• Cooking time for feed or old corn can range from 1.5 to 3 hours.

How to tell when corn is ready

To find out if the corn is ready, you need to pry a kernel with a fork, pick it off the cob and taste it. If it is soft, you need to remove the corn from the water. She's ready.

If the grain is hard, cook the corn further.

Boiled corn cobs

How to Serve Boiled Corn

Gourmets suggest not just sprinkling salt on the cobs and rubbing it in (well, you probably know how delicious it is to feel that juicy salty moisture when you bite the kernels off the cob?!)... they grease the corn cobs with butter, and some even sprinkle with grated cheese.

Boiled corn

In Greece, I tried boiled corn in oil, which was then dried and lightly fried. These bright yellow cobs were served wrapped in green corn leaves and a red napkin. Bright, nothing to say. That's why it's tempting. But it tastes very dry... I don’t understand why it needs to be dried further. It’s tough, I want to wash it down with something.

Many people are interested in when corn ripens and when to start harvesting it? Experts answer - when the hairs dry out on the cobs. But the harvest depends on the chosen variety and purpose, that is, for what purposes it will be used. The areas of its application are very wide.

A little history

This is an ancient plant and belongs to the cereal family. It was first cultivated by man in Mexico eight thousand years BC. In ancient, highly developed American cultures, it was precisely this that was the main component in highly productive agriculture. There are historians who believe that without him a developed society would not have emerged.

The origin of the cereal - the Aztec legend says that the Sun God, in order to feed people, sent a hail of golden grains to the earth. In fact, after Columbus discovered the American continent, corn appeared in European countries, and then took root well in our part of the world. Corn was not very popular at first because it was only used to make flour. It became widespread only in the nineteenth century.

Application of cereal crops

Corn stalks are actively used in everyday life in the manufacture of amazingly beautiful interior decor items and wicker bags.

Around the world, corn is used as a food product. More than eighty percent of its harvest goes to feed livestock. In European countries, it is used as green and roughage, and the tops of the plant are eaten.

In the processing industry, corn is the main source of flour, cereals, syrups, edible oils, starch, glucose, alcohol, and various processed food products. The flour, in turn, is used to prepare a wide range of modern dishes - various pastries, pancakes, puddings, porridges, etc. The cobs are used to produce paper, cellulose, lignin, and are a raw material in the production of synthetic substances.

Only the presence of characteristic signs of crop ripeness allows us to answer the question - how to determine the maturity of corn on the cob.

Phases of ripeness

Harvesting corn is hard work. Improper implementation of such a process entails the loss of a significant part of the harvest, so we do everything correctly and on time. The optimal period for harvesting corn is from July to October, but they mainly look at its condition, which in turn differs in the phases of ripeness. There are three of them:

Dairy

This is the period when the maximum amount of sugar has accumulated in the grains. The cobs are light, soft, and sweet in taste, located in tight-fitting leaves that are difficult to separate. The long hairs are moist, silky to the touch, dark at the base, and light at the end. When pressed, creamy or white juice squirts out of the delicate grain. Such specimens are collected only by hand, they are boiled, grilled, and some are consumed raw.

Waxy ripeness

This is when the grains do not splash, the juice has the consistency of thick sour cream, and when ripe, it hardens. Accumulated sugar becomes starch, white-cream juice becomes pulp. When pressing on the grain, a depression remains

Biological ripeness

Follows the wax one. In this phase, the grains on the cobs are rich orange and yellow in color, depending on the type of cereal. The leaves that hug the head of cabbage are already dry and look like parchment paper. The hairs turned dark brown and became dry. In private gardens, corn in the stage of biological ripeness is harvested manually, in the fields - with combines.

Domestic use

Due to its taste, the cereal is used fresh, boiled, grilled, or fried in a frying pan. But how do you understand that the corn is ripe so that it can be collected on time, preserved in good quality and used for its intended purpose?

For this purpose, milk corn is used. Its readiness can be seen visually - the cobs have deviated from the stem and are in a horizontal position. You don't need to collect them all. The top ones are picked first because they ripen faster. It is advisable to consume them within 24 hours. At this time, they still retain a sweet taste, but then the sugar is converted into starch. They slow down the loss of sugar by lowering the temperature, that is, you can store the picked corn, covered with a damp cloth, in the refrigerator for a whole week.

To select seeds for sowing and making popcorn, ears of biological ripeness are used. They are collected when the stems and leaves are completely dry. They are easily broken off from the stems, then cleared of leaves and placed in a cool, well-ventilated room for drying and ripening (post-harvest ripening) for up to two months. How the grains dry should be checked by placing several copies in the refrigerator, after placing them in a plastic container. If there is condensation on the cobs, it means that there is moisture in them and the drying process has not yet ended. Grains that have been dried correctly remain viable for up to ten years.

For popcorn, corn collected from already dry stalks is dried so that moisture remains inside. The required humidity parameters for this storage are from twelve to fourteen percent. Such cobs are placed in a warm, ventilated room for one and a half months. They are hung and laid out. Readiness is checked periodically by heating small portions of grains in a frying pan. Full disclosure indicates their readiness. The harvest should continue to be stored in a cool, dark place.

Medicinal properties

Corn is very beneficial for the human body. The germ of the grain is used to extract edible oils with medicinal properties - lowering harmful cholesterol in the blood, the main indicator of a biochemical blood test (total level of bilirubin), thereby helping to reduce the viscous state of bile and normalize organ functions. They also prevent the development of atherosclerosis. Stigmas are used as a choleretic agent.

Medicines containing this grain stop various degrees of bleeding. In addition, they contribute to the required extent to a significant increase in blood clotting.

Possessing a high calorie content and rich in nutrients, the cereal crop can moderate the appetite of those who want to lose weight.

Corn is also widely used in folk medicine. The main argument is the presence in it of a large amount of useful minerals and vitamins, which save humanity from many ailments. And this is a confirmed fact.