[0 - 3] - Fresh sweet corn is one of my favorite summertime foods.
[3 - 4] I love picking out ears at the farmer's market.
[4 - 5] I love husking corn.
[5 - 7] Yes, even husking.
[7 - 10] And I love nothing more than scraping crisp, creamy kernels
[10 - 11] from the cob with my teeth.
[11 - 17] I also love butter and salt, so... (cheerful music)
[17 - 20] Corn was first domesticated from a wild grass
[20 - 23] called teosinte in Mexico, by some estimates,
[23 - 25] as many as 9,000 years ago.
[25 - 27] Since then, it's been on a pretty wild ride,
[27 - 29] supporting entire indigenous civilizations
[29 - 30] and taking on countless forms.
[30 - 32] Today, I'm going to drill down on sweet corn,
[32 - 34] which makes up a tiny, tiny percentage
[34 - 36] of overall world corn production,
[36 - 37] is eaten immature as a vegetable,
[37 - 40] as opposed to being treated like a cereal grain,
[40 - 42] and like all great summertime vegetables,
[42 - 44] needs to be embraced when it's in season.
[44 - 46] All sweet corn eating starts with sweet corn shopping,
[46 - 47] so let's start there.
[47 - 48] My favorite way to shop for sweet corn
[48 - 50] is a pretty interactive one.
[50 - 52] I like to feel the cobs the entire length
[52 - 54] and check for nice, full kernels.
[54 - 55] If the market is okay with it,
[55 - 58] I will peel open the top and peek at those top kernels,
[58 - 60] but only if it's okay at the market that you shop at.
[61 - 63] I don't want to get angry letters and emails
[63 - 65] from shops and farmer's markets across the country.
[65 - 67] I've been through that, okay?
[67 - 68] Ruined my 2017.
[68 - 71] As its name suggests, sweet corn is pretty sweet,
[71 - 72] and that characteristic is so desirable
[72 - 74] that there's actually been a lot of innovation
[74 - 76] in the world of corn in order to create cobs
[76 - 78] that have more sugar to start with
[78 - 80] and are able to hold onto it better after harvest.
[80 - 81] If you grew up with the advice
[81 - 83] that you should cook your corn immediately
[83 - 84] after buying or picking it,
[84 - 87] chances are good that you grew up with standard sweet corn.
[87 - 90] Standards sweet corn features a lovely sweet corn flavor,
[90 - 92] tender skins, which are also known as the pericarp,
[92 - 95] an interior that is creamy and delicious.
[95 - 96] It also has the unfortunate characteristic
[96 - 99] of converting sugar to starch rapidly after being picked.
[99 - 102] Standard sweet corn can convert about half of its sugar
[102 - 104] to starch in just 24 hours.
[104 - 106] If you're buying standard sweet corn,
[106 - 108] definitely cook it soon after purchase,
[108 - 109] but chances are good that you're buying
[109 - 111] one of a few super sweet varieties of corn
[111 - 113] that start out with a lot more sugar.
[113 - 115] Some contain twice as much sugar,
[115 - 118] and others, as much as four times the amount of sugar.
[118 - 120] Some super-sweet varieties convert their sugar to starch
[120 - 122] more slowly than standard sweet corn,
[122 - 125] and others lack the genotype to do it at all,
[125 - 126] so they stay sweet, period.
[126 - 128] If you're in the super-sweet world,
[128 - 129] your corn will be sweet for at least four days,
[129 - 131] and sometimes a whole lot longer.
[132 - 133] If you're buying your corn from a farmer's market,
[133 - 135] ask the vendor what kind of corn they're selling,
[135 - 136] and then act accordingly.
[136 - 139] If you want my unbiased, completely biased opinion,
[139 - 140] I like standard sweet corn best.
[140 - 142] As you get into the world of super sweet corns,
[142 - 144] you often have to compromise on texture.
[144 - 146] Oh, and a note on color,
[146 - 148] the color of corn is an indication of its carotene content,
[148 - 150] not its sugar content,
[150 - 151] so what I recommend is choosing corn
[151 - 153] based on what works best with what you're wearing.
[153 - 155] Regardless of the type that you buy,
[155 - 157] if you're gonna store your corn for any period of time,
[157 - 158] it's best to keep it cold.
[158 - 160] While corn plants are sensitive to chilling injury,
[160 - 163] harvested ears actually benefit from cold storage,
[163 - 165] and the colder the storage temperature, the better,
[165 - 167] as long as the ear doesn't freeze.
[167 - 169] That's because cold temperatures, along with humidity,
[169 - 172] slow the rate at which the corn sugar converts to starch.
[172 - 174] To help keep the kernels as moist as possible,
[174 - 176] place the unhusked ears inside of a wet paper bag,
[176 - 178] and then put that inside of a plastic shopping bag
[178 - 180] before putting that inside your fridge.
[180 - 181] All right, so we've purchased our corn.
[181 - 183] We've maybe stored our corn for some length of time.
[183 - 185] Now it is time to prep and cook our corn,
[186 - 187] and for that, we gotta head to the kitchen.
[187 - 189] I personally love shucking corn,
[189 - 191] because it reminds me of being a kid outside in the summer,
[191 - 193] but if you're not so into the peeling
[193 - 194] and removing of corn silk,
[194 - 196] there's a much cleaner and easier way,
[196 - 197] and that is using your microwave.
[197 - 200] A video of a gentleman named Ken Craig went viral
[200 - 204] back in 2000 and something, and it is my favorite.
[204 - 207] Ken shows us how to cook corn entirely in the microwave,
[207 - 209] and then simply shake the corn directly out of its husk.
[209 - 211] It's totally genius,
[211 - 212] and there's a link below this video to check it out.
[212 - 213] I'm gonna show you a way to cook corn
[213 - 216] that is much more foolproof than using your microwave,
[216 - 217] but that doesn't mean you can't use your microwave
[217 - 219] to still get that easy huskability,
[219 - 222] which is definitely probably a word.
[222 - 223] Check this out.
[223 - 224] Starting at the stalk end,
[224 - 226] using a sharp chefing knife or a serrated knife,
[226 - 229] cut about one inch above the last row of kernels.
[229 - 231] Pop on a plate and microwave for two minutes,
[231 - 233] then just shake, shake, shake.
[233 - 235] Because the corn silk all comes together
[235 - 236] at the top of the ear,
[236 - 238] and that all remains intact with this method,
[238 - 240] the ear of corn slides out with no silk inside.
[241 - 241] How cool is that?
[241 - 243] Once your ear is freed from its husk,
[243 - 245] you're likely headed in one of two ways.
[245 - 247] You're cooking that corn on the cob
[247 - 248] or you need to get those kernels off.
[248 - 250] We are going to get to our game-changing method
[250 - 253] for cooking corn on the cob shortly, I promise,
[253 - 255] but first, how to get those kernels off.
[255 - 257] How many of you by a show of hands
[257 - 260] have ended up in a nightmare situation like this:
[260 - 262] Kernels of corn literally flying everywhere,
[262 - 264] all over your cutting board, the counter, the floor,
[264 - 265] into your neighbor's yard.
[265 - 266] It's a nightmare.
[266 - 269] It doesn't have to be this way. (dramatic music)
[269 - 272] Here are two great ways to strip the kernels with no mess.
[272 - 274] The first is the lay down the ear like this
[274 - 276] and use a chef's knife.
[276 - 278] Because the kernels have less distance to travel,
[278 - 279] they don't go flying all over the place.
[279 - 281] The second, my favorite method,
[281 - 284] is to grab a 12-inch skillet and a paring knife.
[284 - 286] The kernels only fly off where you are cutting them,
[286 - 289] so slide the ear all the way to one side of the skillet.
[289 - 291] A paring knife brings you much closer to the corn
[291 - 292] for better control,
[292 - 294] and allows you to cut all the way down to the bottom,
[294 - 296] and the lip of the skillet catches everything.
[296 - 299] If you're making a chowder or other soupy corn situation,
[299 - 300] be sure to flip your knife over
[300 - 302] and scrape down the entire length of the cob
[302 - 304] to extract as much corn milk as possible.
[304 - 306] Add that to the pot along with your kernels
[306 - 307] for maximum corniness,
[307 - 310] which is also what you're getting from this video.
[310 - 311] One of the finest ways
[311 - 312] to use your freshly harvested corn kernels
[312 - 314] is a stove top batch of esquites,
[314 - 317] the easier to eat with a spoon variation of elotes.
[317 - 320] This recipe by "Cook's Illustrated" senior editor Lan Lam
[320 - 321] comes together quickly in a skillet
[321 - 326] and absolutely pops with creamy, cheesy, limey chili flavor.
[326 - 328] Just look at that,
[328 - 332] and just taste that. (playful music)
[332 - 333] But when it's peak corn season,
[333 - 336] I love nothing more than eating corn right off the cob,
[336 - 339] unless, of course, that corn is over cooked.
[339 - 341] We've all had overcooked corn on the cob
[341 - 343] at that backyard barbecue that looks like this, right?
[343 - 346] Where the skins are so soft that they actually wrinkle
[346 - 347] and stick to your teeth?
[347 - 349] It's so disappointing. (shivers)
[349 - 350] The best way to avoid that
[350 - 354] and ensure perfectly cooked boiled corn every time is
[354 - 355] don't boil it at all.
[355 - 358] This super smart technique also comes to us from Lan Lam,
[358 - 361] and would you believe it's entirely grounded in science?
[361 - 363] The goal in cooking corn is twofold.
[363 - 365] You need to gel the starch inside the kernels
[365 - 368] so that is nice and creamy and not chalky or starchy.
[368 - 369] At the same time,
[369 - 371] you don't want to dissolve the pectin and the pericarp,
[371 - 372] because that's what leads to
[372 - 374] that soft teeth-sticking situation,
[374 - 377] and here is where some key temperatures come into play.
[377 - 378] The starch in the corn will gel
[378 - 380] at about 150 degrees Fahrenheit,
[380 - 383] pectin dissolves at about 185 degrees Fahrenheit,
[383 - 389] and boiling water is 212 degrees Fahrenheit. (choir vocalizes)
[396 - 397] Look, here's what I'm trying to get at.
[397 - 399] You don't need 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
[399 - 401] Bring four quarts of water to a boil in a large Dutch oven,
[401 - 403] but then turn off the heat.
[403 - 404] Add the corn to the water, cover,
[404 - 406] and then let stand for at least 10 minutes
[406 - 407] or up to 30 minutes.
[407 - 409] Here's a graph of what happens,
[409 - 412] because we all know graphs make food so much more delicious.
[412 - 413] The temperature rapidly drops
[413 - 414] when we add the corn to the water,
[414 - 417] and we do most of our cooking in that temperature sweet spot
[417 - 419] of 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit,
[419 - 421] plenty hot to gel the starch,
[421 - 424] plenty cool to keep that pectin in check. Amazing.
[424 - 425] What about adding other stuff to the pot, you ask?
[425 - 427] You'll often see stuff like salt, sugar,
[427 - 428] even sometimes milk.
[428 - 430] It turns out that that pericarp on the corn
[430 - 432] is really hard to penetrate.
[432 - 434] Salt can penetrate in a sort of backdoor approach,
[434 - 436] where it first absorbs into the cob
[436 - 438] and then into the back of the kernel of corn,
[438 - 440] but that can take literally hours.
[440 - 442] So, your best bet is just use plain water
[442 - 444] and season your corn up right at the table.
[444 - 447] And for that, I love a dedicated stick of butter,
[447 - 450] and then I like to rain on kosher salt while I spin the cob.
[450 - 451] The final step is, of course, eating,
[451 - 454] and here, the world cleaves into three types of people.
[454 - 458] We have the typewriters, they go side to side.
[458 - 461] We have the log runners, they rotate the cob as they go.
[461 - 463] Finally, we have the anarchists,
[463 - 464] they take bites from all over the cob
[464 - 466] until the corn is finally gone.
[466 - 467] Me, I come from a family
[467 - 468] of both typewriters and log runners.
[468 - 471] I think I have a third cousin who might be an anarchist,
[472 - 474] but I am a log runner through and through,
[474 - 478] and that's why this is how to eat fresh corn.
[479 - 480] Thank you for watching.
[480 - 483] It is so great to be out of my home office
[483 - 484] and back in my office office.
[484 - 486] It's just good to be back.
[486 - 487] Now, I have an important question for all of you,
[487 - 490] and I need you to answer in the comments below.
[490 - 491] I need to know, are you a typewriter,
[491 - 493] are you a log runner, or are you an anarchist?
[493 - 494] So let me know.
[494 - 497] I'll tabulate it all up and we'll have a big conference
[497 - 499] for typewriters, log runners, all that stuff.
[499 - 500] It's gonna be fantastic.
[500 - 502] While you're down there,
[502 - 503] don't forget to hit that subscribe button,
[503 - 504] hit that like button.
[504 - 506] I will see you very, very soon.