Grilled corn tips, husk on or husk off
When it comes to corn, Gwen Parker says we should trust her. “I’m a Hoosier. I grew up surrounded by cornfields,” she says, and even her high school girlfriends were impressed with her corn-cooking prowess.
A recent column asked for your best techniques to produce a perfect ear of cooked corn. When it comes to corn, Plates readers keep it slightly simpler than the America’s Test Kitchen crew, which grills the corn with flavored butters, as you saw last week.
Plates readers’ tips are all about ease of preparation, using the best corn available.
“My husband buys Brentwood corn at the farmers market every Sunday when it’s in season,” Parker says. “Use scissors to trim just the floppy husks and the brown silk peeking out the top. This creates a streamlined package, with the husk left on.”
Parker cooks the corn on a medium hot charcoal grill for 20 to 30 minutes, turning every five to seven minutes. “Remove only the burned husks, and put the corn in a paper bag until you’re ready to serve,” she says.
Need a potluck contribution? Parker suggests preparing 30plus ears at home, and packing the ears in a cooler lined with newspapers or a crate lined with a blanket to transport. “Peel the husk completely back over the shank and cut the excess to form a handle,” she says. “Pull the silk straight off the top and serve with a stick of butter for rolling the cob and saturating the kernels before eating. It’s absolutely delicious, you won’t have any dishes to wash, and everyone will
be very impressed — even the Hoosiers.”
Judy Brooks likes her corn grilled as well, but she soaks the corn in a sink filled with water for an hour or so first. “If out camping, use a charcoal grill and a bucket of water for the corn,” she says. You can pull down the husks before grilling to remove the silk, then replace the husks, tying them with string. “But that is too much work, in my opinion,” she says.
Judy Blakemore, Jean Gillette and a reader named Eugenie say microwaved corn can’t be beat. Eugenie says it is “the fastest and no mess.” She advises cutting both ends off, but not removing the husk. Just wrap each ear in a wet paper towel and microwave for two to five minutes. “It will be very hot, so hold with a small cloth towel while peeling,” she says. The silk comes right off with the husk.
If you can resist eating the grilled corn right away, it works well in this fresh corn salsa recipe a friend passed along a few years ago. The recipe, included with this column, can easily be doubled or tripled.
Request line
Peanut butter and sometimes other nuts are often no-nos at schools. Maddy’s mom is struggling to find recipes for homemade energy bars or bites that don’t include nuts or nut butter of some type. She hopes Plates readers can offer alternatives for the upcoming school year.