One of the delicacies that summer gives us is boiled corn. We immediately buy a few cobs as soon as it hits the shelves, and we enjoy the taste familiar from childhood.
Only until the end of August will the corn be young and fresh, later it will be overripe, and therefore tough. The maturity of maize can be determined by its color. The brighter it is, the more ripe the ear. For cooking, corn with milky white grains, or light yellow grains, is best suited. When choosing the cobs, you should also pay attention to the fact that the grains should be a little soft, but rather elastic, be located tightly to each other and be of the same size.
A young ear contains a viscous white liquid that resembles milk.
If the grains are dimpled, and not round, then this indicates its ripeness and unsuitability for cooking. It is worth paying special attention to the leaves of the cobs, if they are not there, then such corn should not be taken. In mature corn, the leaves are lagging behind the cobs, they are yellow and dry.
Maize preparation
Leaves from the cobs can not be peeled, but boiled with them. Only spoiled leaves are subject to removal.
It is recommended to soak corn for an hour before boiling.
So that the whole corn is cooked evenly, the cobs are selected of the same size. If they are large, then you need to cut them in half.
What to do with overripe corn
Overripe corn is stripped of fibers and leaves, cut in half and poured with a mixture of milk and water in equal proportions. The corn is soaked in diluted milk for about four hours and then boiled as usual.
How much to cook corn
Cooking time depends only on the degree of maturity of the ears. It will take about half an hour to cook young corn, maybe even less, but ripe corn is cooked from 40 minutes to two or even three hours.
It is important not to miss the moment when the corn kernels are ready, otherwise they will harden.
For boiling the ears, thick-walled cast iron cookware with a tight-fitting lid is best suited. Corn can be baked in the oven and boiled in the microwave or double boiler.
A few tips:
You need to dip the corn into boiling water.
In no case should you salt corn during cooking, otherwise it will turn out tough. This must be done five minutes before the end of cooking, or salt the ready-made corn.
If you add butter or a little sugar to the water in which the corn is cooked, then its taste will be softer.
Corn is not cooked over high heat, after it boils, the fire immediately diminishes.
When it cools, the corn hardens, and therefore you need to eat it immediately after cooking.
