Discover 3 different methods for cooking corn on the cob that don't involve having to boil it on a hot summer day.
A No Boil Summer
I am not shy about sharing that I am not a fan of the summer season. Hot days with intense sunshine are not my ideal weather. I am more of a fall and spring guy.
In the summertime I am also looking out for ways to cook my food that won't heat up my kitchen. If I am going to have to endure summer's heat, I am going to take advantage of summer's bounty. And it doesn't get much better than fresh sweet corn on the cob. One of my favorite summer memories was the time I went to a farmers' market in Toledo, Ohio, and found a vendor selling yellow, white, and bi-color corn. It helped me write my post - 4 Different Types of Corn on the Cob.
While it is common for corn on the cob to just be boiled in a pot, that is a great way to release a whole bunch of steam into your kitchen, raising the humidity. No thank you.
Instead, I have 3 different ways that I prefer to cook my corn so that I don't raise the humidity in my house. I think these methods produce a better result, so there really isn't a reason to boil anyway!
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Grilling Corn on the Cob
I have spent the last couple summers out in Oregon, where the humidity is a lot lower than the Midwest, where I am from. That makes it easier to be outdoors as the shade actually helps. I can take my corn on the cob and take it outside to grill it. Our grill is in the shade for a good part of the day.
There are multiple schools of thought when it comes to grilling corn:
- Some people like to grill the corn right in the husk. The corn is steamed inside the husk and takes on some of the flavor of the husk itself. The downside is that you do not get any char on the outside of the corn. It can be hard to judge when the corn is done, without opening up the husk, which is not easy to do when it is hot.
- I have seen other people remove the corn from the husk and then wrap it in foil. That makes it easier to check on the corn while you are grilling. But again you don't get any char. Sure you can remove it from the foil and then put it on the grill grates, but then why not just put it directly on the grill to start with.
The grilling method I prefer is rubbing the corn with some oil, placing it on a sheet pan or plate, and putting it directly on the grill when it has had time to heat up. You will need to rotate the corn so that each side touches the grill grates. It takes more work, as you can't just leave it there until done, but you will be rewarded with a delicious charred exterior.
You will know that it is done if the corn has darkened in color and the kernels show some char all around the corn. This takes around 15 to 20 minutes on a grill that is set to a medium heat. You don't want to go too high or you will just burn the corn and it won't be cooked enough to be tender.
Air Frying Corn
If you would rather stay indoors where you can blast the A/C but want corn that is going to have some of that charred flavor, you can place your corn in your air fryer. You may need to trim it to fit best depending on the size and shape of your air fryer. Here are my air fryer instructions:
- Remove the corn from its husk
- Rub or brush some oil onto the corn
- Place the corn into your air fryer basket. Don't stack or overlap the corn. You can trim it to fit.
- Set your air fryer to 375 degrees and air fryer for 12-18 minutes or until the corn is starting to turn brown. I like to flip the corn halfway through the cooking process.
- Add butter and season with salt. Let cool for 5 minutes before eating.
Check out this post for my butter and salt recommendations - Enhance Your Corn on the Cob: Discovering the Perfect Salt & Butter Combo
Non-Boil Water Method
Did you know that you can still cook your corn in water without having to bring it to a full boil? Corn doesn't need boiling temperature to be cooked. In fact boiling the corn causes it to start to break down to the point that the kernels won't be plump.
My non-boiling method starts by putting the corn into a pot of cold water. I then put the pot over high heat. Using an instant read thermometer, I heat the water up until it reaches around 180 degrees. The water won't be boiling yet, so there won't be a bunch of steam being released. Then I cover the pot and remove it from the heat. I set a timer for 15 minutes and when the timer goes off, the corn is perfectly ready to eat.
If you don't have a thermometer, you can just watch the water until you start seeing some small bubbles forming, but not a rapid boil.
I found that this method produced some of the plumpest, juiciest corn that I have ever had. That is the advantage of cooking corn this way over the grilled and air fried methods. Look at the difference:
So it is a matter of deciding what you want more - the plumber, juicer kernels or the perfect char on the outside.
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