How long should you cook ripe corn? How long does it take to cook old corn?


The popularity of delicious golden corn is rivaled only by ice cream and watermelons. On the seashore, freshly boiled corn is perhaps the most popular commodity, for which vacationers are willing to pay as if they were real delicacies. To please yourself at home, you will need mere pennies and a little efficiency. Heated debates and discussions take place not only about the methods of cooking corn, but also about the cooking time. But in reality, this matter is not so complicated, it is only important to know some subtleties.

Types of corn

At first glance, identical cobs may actually turn out to be completely different in taste, which depends on the type, variety of corn and its degree of maturity. Without delving too deeply into the variety of varieties, all corn can be divided into two main types: food or sweet and regular feed, which is intended mainly for animal feed. You can eat both food and feed corn. Some “gourmets” like the harsh and less sugary feed varieties even more, but still it is food corn that has the best taste, because its juicy sweet grains simply melt in your mouth. To prepare young edible corn of early varieties it will take from 15 minutes to one hour, while feed and late varieties you will have to cook for two to five hours.

How to choose corn

It is best to choose freshly picked ears of young edible corn for cooking. You should buy unhusked corn, since the natural “wrapper” will indicate not only the freshness of the cob, but will also prevent it from drying out prematurely. First of all, bright green leaves and slightly damp, cool “antennae” will help you identify young cobs. If the leaves begin to turn yellow, it means that the corn was picked a long time ago and may have already lost some of its juiciness. So that there is not a single doubt about the quality of the purchased product, you can carry out a simple ripeness test: at the very base, press one of the grains with your fingernail: if it turns out to be soft and juice comes out, then everything is in perfect order - this is young, so-called milk corn . The tougher and drier the seed, the riper and older the cob. The degree of corn ripeness affects not only the cooking time, but also the taste of the product. The fact is that when corn dries, the sugar inside the grains begins to turn into starch, which deprives it of its aroma and sweetness.

How to cook corn on the cob correctly

1. Preparing the cobs for cooking

First of all, you need to prepare the cobs for cooking. Some people prefer to cleanse completely. raw corn from leaves and tendrils. Others only remove dirty leaves. Both the first and second are right in their own way. The fact is that leaves and fibers make corn more juicy and aromatic, but when boiled they are rather poorly cleaned. What to do? Completely clean the cobs of all excess, and place the leaves and “tendrils” in a saucepan separately.

2. Select a container for cooking

The pan for cooking corn should be wide and deep enough so that you don't have to break the cobs, and thick-walled. A cauldron or cast iron pot that can be tightly closed with a lid is ideal. Using a pressure cooker will significantly speed up the cooking process. So that the corn retains all its nutrients, it should be cooked over low heat, at a temperature of 200-250 degrees.

3. Lay the cobs

Place corn leaves on the bottom of the pan, and place the peeled cobs on them. It is advisable to place the leaves on the sides so that the corn does not come into contact with the walls of the container. We also cover the top of the cobs with leaves and add “antennae” that will make the corn sweet and appetizing.

4. Fill with water

Fill the corn with water so that it completely covers all the cobs and put the pan on the fire. How long to cook corn? On average, corn takes 40 minutes to cook, but depending on the variety, the process can take from 20 minutes to 3-5 hours. When cooking, it is important to periodically check the corn for doneness. During cooking, the corn must be completely covered with water, and the water, even when cooking over low heat, must be boiling.

5. To salt or not to salt...

There is no need to add salt to the water under any circumstances., especially if you cook dessert varieties corn, whose grains contain significantly large quantity water than in fodder and flour-milling varieties. Salt speeds up the process of releasing water from the grains into the broth and finished product it will turn out less juicy and tasty.

6. Readiness test

We carefully monitor the cooking process, from time to time picking up the cob with a fork, pinching off a grain and tasting until the corn is boiled. If the kernels are soft, juicy and easy to chew, then the corn is ready and can be turned off and served.

7. Serve piping hot

The most delicious corn- It’s piping hot, so it’s best to enjoy it immediately after cooking. Remove the cob from the pan, let the excess water drain, and clean it of leaves and fibers if the corn was boiled unpeeled. Corn is served to the table on a hot plate with skewers so you don’t have to get your hands dirty, rubbed with salt and eaten. In addition to salt, the corn can be coated with butter and spices.

8. Subtleties of storage

The cooked corn should cool right in the pan. If you take it out of the water, it may shrink and lose appetizing look. Without loss of technological and taste qualities Corn can be left in water for three to four hours at a temperature of 60-70 degrees. You can store boiled corn in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Frozen corn

When the corn season is behind you, but you still want to enjoy the golden grains, help will come semi-finished product - frozen corn on the cob. It is processed with steam and instantly frozen, which helps preserve all the valuable consumer properties of the product. Cooking frozen corn will not be difficult, because it is much less hassle than with fresh corn. Just put it in boiling water and cook until done. After secondary boiling time fully cooked is only 20-25 minutes. Ready corn put on a skewer, grease vegetable oil, rub with salt and serve.

Useful properties of corn

Golden corn is not only tasty, but also very healthy food product- a real treasure trove of vitamins and microelements! To provide the body with all the necessary nutrients, it is enough to eat 40-50 grams of corn per day. It contains potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, amino acids lysine and tryptophan, unsaturated fatty acids, ascorbic acid, vitamin C, E, B, PP. Thanks to high content fiber, corn helps cleanse the body of toxins and improves functioning digestive system. Doctors recommend eating corn for people with diabetes mellitus, allergic diseases, metabolic disorders, obesity, pathologies gastrointestinal tract. Regular use corn is an excellent preventative oncological diseases and diseases of cardio-vascular system. In addition, the substances contained in corn help normalize metabolic processes in the brain and improve memory. Corn also has a positive effect on the functioning of the neuromuscular system: it nourishes and restores nerve cells, and also affects the formation of healthy muscle fibers. Few people know that golden corn kernels are also the only carrier of natural gold! Don't deny yourself the golden pleasure!

Boiled corn is a great addition to almost any dish. Very nutritious and tasty, it has long occupied its place of honor on our table in the summer. How to properly cook corn on the cob so that it turns out really tasty?

How long should you cook an ear of corn?

First you need to find out what type of corn you bought at the market. Exist special varieties for food consumption, and there is feed for animals. How long does it take to cook corn? food grade? It is softer and half an hour is enough, but the coarser feed will have to be cooked much longer - from two to three hours.

If you bought corn at the market and found small multi-colored grains on the cob at home, leave it. This variety is intended for making popcorn.

The most important advice on how to cook corn correctly is as follows: the cobs are boiled for about 20 minutes and after this time they are completely softened for consumption. If you miss this point, the corn becomes tough again and then the cooking time increases significantly.

For those who like to experiment, we can offer interesting way cooking in the oven. Rub the cobs with butter and wrap them in foil with a sprig of dill. To give spicy taste You can grate it a little with garlic.

How to cook fresh corn?

The cooking time has been decided, now you need to choose a cooking method. It is best not to throw away the leaves when cleaning cobs. The leaves need to be washed under running warm water and placed on the bottom of the pan, put the corn on top and fill everything with water.

Put the pan on the fire. After the water boils, you need to salt it. To give more rich taste You can add some spices to water with salt, for example allspice peas - this will give a spicy and very appetizing aroma.

It is correct to cook corn in a thick-walled pan, as the cooking time takes for a long time. Close the lid tightly. Very good to cook in cast iron pan. It is perfectly acceptable to cook corn in a double boiler or microwave oven. It is very easy to cook corn in a pressure cooker, as it saves both time and effort. It will only take 5-10 minutes.

Keep in mind that once the corn cools, it will immediately begin to harden, which will be an unpleasant surprise for your teeth. It is best to serve boiled corn immediately after cooking, while still hot. To ensure that the cobs retain their flavor and softness longer, grease them with butter. This will also greatly enhance the taste.

For gourmets, you can serve corn sprinkled with grated cheese. In order not to make a mistake when purchasing and choose soft corn, pay attention to the ears and leaves: they should be undamaged and bright green.

How to cook old corn?

If you find dimples in the center of the grains, then the cobs are definitely old. You can cook them, but they will be tougher, regardless of the time and method of cooking.

Cooking fresh corn is much easier as it is tender and cooks very quickly. But it happens that fresh and juicy corn Over time it begins to age. How to cook old corn? If your hand does not rise when throwing out, you can correct the situation using little tricks.

You need to cook old corn in the same way as young corn. The only difference is the cooking time. If the cobs have only been stored for a couple of days, it is enough to increase the cooking time by 20 minutes. But for cobs that have been lying around for a week, you will have to increase the cooking time by an hour and a half.

How to cook corn depends on many factors. To be able to enjoy juicy and aromatic pulp product, it must be correctly selected, processed and prepared. Depending on the variety and freshness of the product, this can take from 15 minutes to 2 hours (sometimes even more). The process itself is not complicated, you just need to take into account its specifics and adhere to a number of rules.

You can boil the component not only in a saucepan; anything that can be found on home kitchen: steamer, oven, multicooker, pressure cooker and even microwave. And for those who are wondering how to cook soft corn, it is recommended to study the methods of boiling the product in milk or cream.

How to choose the right corn?

Even old corn or fodder varieties of cereal can be cooked deliciously if you handle the manipulation with all responsibility. True, you will have to spend a lot of time and effort on this. In order not to create unnecessary troubles for yourself, when choosing a product you should pay attention to the following points:

  1. We choose cobs that are not too long with perfectly even rows of light yellow or cream-colored grains.
  2. To check the quality of the product, you need to separate one grain from the cob, break it or cut it. The appearance of milky white juice is an indicator of the youth and freshness of the component.
  3. Particular attention should be paid to the product of the Bonduelle variety. It retains freshness longer than other analogues, so even after several days or even weeks of storage it can be boiled in the same way as dairy products.
  4. There is another way to make sure that you got your hands on fresh product, to do this, the head of cabbage should be broken in half. It’s good if its cut is whitish, light and moist.
  5. To distinguish sweet edible corn from the stern one, we need to examine its antennae. They should be tender and light, not dense and brownish.

Initially not the best quality product it is difficult to bring to an optimal state, even if you strictly follow the recommendations on how to properly cook corn. But there are chances, you just need to choose the optimal option for influencing the workpiece and clearly withstand required quantity time.

Traditional way of boiling cobs

At home, corn lovers most often use classic version boiling the cobs. It is simple and accessible; it allows you to process young and old products so that they are juicy.

  • Processing should be carried out immediately after purchasing or collecting cobs. Wash them, clean them of dry and dirty leaves. We remove clean green leaves, just like the tendrils, but do not throw them away.

Advice: Do not immediately pour out the broth in which the product was prepared. If you cannot eat all the cobs at one time, then this liquid can be used to store them. True, in any case, in a couple of hours taste characteristics the dishes will start to deteriorate.

  • In a saucepan with thick walls, line the bottom with leaves, then put the cobs, pour them over cold water. Place leaves and tendrils on top again. We wait until the mixture boils, then reduce the heat and tightly close the container with a lid.
  • Particular attention should be paid to how long to cook corn, depending on its initial characteristics. Fresh food products and slightly stale cobs of the Bonduelle variety will be ready after 15 minutes in boiling water. For a fodder variety, 2 hours may not be enough.
  • After a set time, we check the component for readiness and act according to the circumstances. Sometimes you have to add water several times until the corn is cooked. In this case, you need to use boiling water.

You shouldn’t immediately take out the finished product; if you let it sit in the pan for another 10 minutes, it will turn out really tasty and juicy. Only after this do we take out the ingredients, rub them with salt and spices, grease them with butter and serve.

How to cook a product in a double boiler, oven, pressure cooker, microwave?

What kind of devices cannot be found on modern kitchens. And they all make the process of boiling corn at home easier. To prepare the desired dish and not have to control it every minute, you should use the following approaches:

  • Double boiler. Place the washed cobs in a steamer bowl along with the leaves and tendrils. You should not sprinkle the workpieces with salt, as many people do. Because of this error boiled corn It often turns out to be dry. There is no need to process the product for a long time. Fresh products and cobs of the Bonduelle variety will be ready in 10-15 minutes. It will take about 40-45 minutes to boil old or feed products.

  • Oven. Grease a baking dish with butter, lay out the cobs, and pour boiling water over them. Place in an oven preheated to medium temperature for 40 minutes, evaluate the result and, if necessary, cook the dish.

  • Pressure cooker. Milk corn or Bonduelle products should not be boiled this way; you can overcook them quality component. But this is the best option when frozen or feed products need to be softened as much as possible. Soak it in water and cook for at least 40 minutes.

  • Microwave - option with water. The main thing is that the products are fresh and young. Place it in a container with water, cover with a lid and cook for 45 minutes at medium power. If necessary, add boiling water to the bowl.

  • Microwave - dry approach. A real salvation for those who want to know how to quickly boil corn. Divide the cob into 2-3 parts, cover with leaves and cook in own juice for 5-7 minutes at medium power.

Subsequent processing is no different from that provided for traditional cooking. Ready product rub with salt, oil and spices, serve.

How to properly process dried corn?

To prepare dried cereal deliciously, you should perform the following manipulations:

  • In a saucepan, combine dried corn kernels (50 g - about 1 cob) and water. The liquid should cover the mass by 1-2 cm. Immediately add a little salt and spices.

Tip: Frozen products should first be defrosted, otherwise they will not allow the liquid to boil for a long time, which will negatively affect the final result. Moreover, the defrosting conditions must be natural (without hot or cold water, microwaves).

  • Bring the mixture to a boil, keeping the lid open. Then close the lid, reduce the heat and wait just a minute. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, after which it needs to be put on the stove again.
  • We continue this way for 2 hours, gradually adding boiling water so that all the moisture does not evaporate.

Before cooking pre-dried corn, you can soak it in cold water for 5-6 hours. Then you won’t have to insist on it while cooking, you just need to keep it on the fire for an hour.

Features of boiling the product in milk and cream

To cook very tasty familiar product, you can do the following:

  • For 4 ears of boiled corn, take half a glass of milk, heavy cream, dry white wine and two tablespoons of butter.
  • Remove the grains from the already boiled cobs, add milk and cream, and cook for 10 minutes after steam appears.
  • Melt it down butter, add to corn. After 10 minutes, add wine. After the same period of time, add salt, spices and seasonings to taste.
  • Leave the mixture covered over very low heat for another 10 minutes and serve as a separate dish.

Even boiled corn is a source of many nutritional components And useful substances. It is perfectly absorbed by the body, rarely causes allergies and goes well with other foods. It can be served both as a side dish and dessert. In the latter case, the finished product should not be salted, but rubbed with sugar.

Boiled corn on the cob is a seasonal treat. You can enjoy it only one or two summer months. Young corn is considered the most delicious and juicy. The grains in it are filled with a liquid similar to viscous milk. This is also called “milk heads”. If you know how to cook corn at home, you can also save your family budget. This is what this article will be about.

Before you cook corn, you need to choose it correctly. Fresh cobs can be recognized by their dense, green leaves. Without them, it’s better not to buy corn at all. The grains under the leaves should be arranged in dense rows and have a light yellow tint. Black, damaged areas on the grains indicate pest damage to the corn. It is not advisable to use such cobs for food.


Well, I hope you’ve chosen the most delicious one, now let’s look at how to cook and how long to cook corn on the cob. We will cook it the old fashioned way in a saucepan.

Ingredients:

  • corn on the cob – 6 – 8 pcs.;
  • water – 4 l.

How to cook corn on the cob?

Remove all the leaves from the corn cob, so to speak, strip it. Separate the long hairs - stigmas. They can be washed, dried and used in medicinal purposes.


The cooking container must have a thick bottom. It can be enameled, cast iron or aluminum pan large diameter. Place some of the washed leaves on the bottom. Fill the entire bottom with leaves. The more leaves you use when cooking, the juicier and more aromatic the heads of cabbage will be. After cooking, discard the leaves.


Place corn tightly on top. If the cobs do not fit entirely into the pan, then they must be cut or broken into pieces.

Cover it with another layer of leaves.


So, alternating corn and leaves, fill the pan.


No salt is added during cooking. This way the heads of cabbage will taste sweeter, and salt also makes the grains denser and harder to bite.

Pour cold water over the corn in a saucepan. Water should cover the contents by 2 cm.

To prevent it from floating, you can place an inverted plate on top (my mother did this). And I just close it with a lid.

Let's cook.

So how long does it take to cook corn?

How long to cook corn depends on its variety and degree of maturity. Cooking time is always counted after the start of boiling. It is enough to boil young corn for 15 minutes. Yes, exactly 15 minutes, this has been verified. After it’s cooked, I let it sit in the pan for about 30 minutes.

Fodder, hard cobs require the longest heat treatment. The more saturated color have grains, the longer they need to be cooked. Typically from 40 minutes to two hours.

You can check the readiness of the corn by breaking off a few kernels and tasting them. Serve boiled corn hot. You can pour it with oil, brine, sprinkle with cheese or pepper. And we mince it simply by rubbing it with salt.

Such boiled corn grains can be separated from the head of corn (cut with a knife) and frozen in portions in bags. And in winter use it for stews, salads, soups, and pizza.
Do you cook differently? Write in the comments your recipe for how to cook corn, maybe it will be useful to someone.

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Definitely aromatic boiled corn - main competitor watermelons and melons in the hot summer. Not only is she amazing tasty treat, and also a storehouse of vitamins valuable for humans. Not every housewife knows how to cook corn correctly. From the article you will learn all the subtleties, tips and recommendations for preparing this dish.

Cooking features

Visually similar cobs often differ significantly in taste. This is influenced by the type of corn, variety and degree of maturity. Basically, the entire variety of this cereal is divided into two groups: feed and food. But they happily eat both one and the other. So how do you cook corn on the cob in a saucepan?

First stage - preliminary preparation for cooking. We completely clean the cobs, wash them, but do not throw away the leaves, but also put them in the pan on the bottom, along the walls and on top. Few people do not know how to cook corn soft and juicy, and this simple ritual will make it so. If you put the heads directly in the leaves, not counting the dirty and spoiled ones, then after cooking it will be difficult to separate the corn silks from the grains.

The container for cooking cobs should be wide enough so that they fit whole.

A cast iron, clay pot or pressure cooker is perfect, as it will speed up the cooking process significantly. It will help preserve the nutrients of the product and make it tender. the right technology preparation - cook over low heat.

We put the heads of cabbage in a container, try to fold them very tightly, and pour boiling water so that it completely covers everything. Salting is not recommended, otherwise the corn will lose its juiciness and softness. This rule applies only to mature cereals. To cook young corn, we will use traditional recipe: For each liter of water add 1 teaspoon of sugar and salt to taste.

How long does it take to cook

Many people wonder how long to cook corn on the cob in a pan. There is no universal answer: each variety is brewed differently. The degree of maturity of the product also matters. On average, cooking takes 30-50 minutes, but sometimes you need to cook for about 3-4 hours. Therefore, you need to check the readiness of corn in a practical way: periodically taste it grain by grain.

It will be completely ready when it becomes soft and easy to chew. As for young corn, or, as it is also called, milk corn, it will be very tasty to boil it in milk for about 20-25 minutes. As a result, it will come out especially tender and will “melt in your mouth.” Using a pressure cooker, the entire process will take no more than 15 minutes. It's important not to miss the moment full readiness, otherwise the output will be hard and hard grains.

How else can you easily and quickly cook corn? Cook it using a microwave oven.

All that is required is to wrap each head of cabbage with a wet paper towel or place it in a bag with two tablespoons of water (pierce the bag in several places) and place it in the oven for 15 minutes. And the treat is ready! To serve, top with slices of butter.

How to revive hard corn

If you come across an old, overripe product, it’s no problem. You can even cook it so that it tastes almost like a young one. The main thing is to know how to do it correctly. What's the secret?

The technology is quite simple. You have already learned how to cook corn in a saucepan. We carry out similar procedures with “aged” cereal. It is advisable to cut all the heads of cabbage in half. Then fill them with a mixture of cold water and milk in a ratio of 50 to 50. Set the pan aside for 4 hours, and then just cook the corn. It is advisable to close the lid of the container tightly.

It should be cooked a little longer than usual. A pressure cooker will help you cope with stale grain; the result will be identical, only the process will take much less time.

Each housewife owns her own special technologies How to cook delicious corn.

Some add butter, some add flour, some add a bouquet of spices, there are a lot of subtleties. But there are also universal recipes, which will come to the aid of novice housewives who have not yet “made friends” with this product or simply those who want to diversify traditional ways cooking. With them you will be sure that the result will definitely be incredibly tasty.

One of these is a recipe for boiled corn in milk and cream. For preparation you will need the following ingredients:

  • 4 ears of corn (boiled);
  • half a glass of milk;
  • half a glass of heavy cream;
  • half a glass of dry white wine;
  • 2 tbsp. butter;
  • spices and herbs.

First you need to cut the grains from pre-boiled heads of cabbage, pour milk and cream over them, and then boil for 10 minutes.

Add butter, after melting it, after 10 minutes - wine, after another 10 - spices and herbs. Cook for about 15-20 minutes and you can serve.

There is another one delicious way cooking corn - in a double boiler. The following ingredients are needed:


Grease the steamer bowl with oil and place the peeled corn tightly there.

The timer sets for 30 minutes. In another container, melt the butter, mix it with walnut, pre-ground, and cardamom. Serve the boiled heads of cabbage on a platter, pouring over the resulting mixture.

The ordinary taste of cooked corn can be transformed with the help of some “zest” - sauces, toppings, grated cheese. Delicious sauce can be prepared by mixing sour cream, black pepper, salt, sugar, soy sauce and garlic. It is better to serve it chilled along with a hot dish.


A dish prepared with love cannot be tasteless. And this is the main advice for all housewives. And then even ordinary boiled corn can become your signature dish.