Cook corn like a pro: Tips for perfect, tender kernels every time

Fresh, hot ears of corn coated with butter and sprinkled with salt are the taste of summer and a hit on seaside beaches. Sweet, soft, and creamy kernels need no special treatment. The absolute minimum is enough to bring out their full flavor. However, many people make the mistake of overcooking corn, which makes the kernels tough and chewy.

The sweet corn season starts in the summer and lasts until early fall. Vacation time is the best time to relish this delicacy. Fresh sweet corn tastes best when harvested at full maturity, which occurs from July to September. So, how do you prepare a sweet cob to ensure the kernels are soft and tender?

The cooking time for corn is extremely important. If the ears spend too much time in the water, they will become tough and chewy. To get soft corn, you should cook it for 15 minutes, and from the moment the water in which the cobs are placed starts to boil again. This is the optimal cooking time for corn to ensure soft kernels, though it's worth checking the kernels' condition occasionally with a fork or a skewer.

First, you must clean the corn of leaves and "silk thoroughly" and cut off the stem if it's too long. Then, prepare a large and wide pot that can accommodate the entire corn. Ensuring the right amount of water completely covers the ears is crucial. This is ideal if the pot is large enough for the ears to rotate freely in the boiling water.

It's also important not to add salt to the water in which the ears will be cooked. Salt will make the corn tough. Instead of salt, you can add a bit of sugar to the water, but this is not necessary. Sugar enhances the corn's natural sweetness. Of course, you can add salt after cooking when seasoning the corn, for example, with butter. You can cook the corn in water with a bit of milk for a more delicate flavor.

To enjoy the unique taste of corn, paying special attention to selecting the right ears is essential. The key is the appearance of the leaves surrounding the cob–they should be green and easy to remove from the ear. If you see the leaves are yellow, it’s a sign that the corn is old and likely has been sitting too long. Mature ears are characterized by abundant yellow and closely spaced kernels. It’s best to avoid ears with pale yellow and plump kernels, as these may indicate the corn is old or was poorly stored.

If you decide to buy packaged corn, it's worth highlighting a few details. First and foremost, the packaging should not be fogged up on the inside. The stem should not show signs of blackening, and the tip should not be dried out. The best choice will be medium-sized ears, characterized by an abundance of yellow kernels of similar sizes in a given cluster (they may be slightly smaller at the tip). Remember that Polish sweet corn is less sweet than the imported kind.