Buzz
I can't get enough of summer corn. Imagine how Oprah feels about bread and multiply that by three—that’s how deeply I feel about corn. Those sweet, crisp kernels are the epitome of what makes summer produce so special, and it requires almost no effort to prepare.
When I’m not grilling it—which is often the case since I don’t have a yard or a grill—I steam the corn in its husk. Steaming enhances the corn’s fresh, natural flavor, and it makes removing the silk incredibly simple, which is exactly what you want from a corn cooking technique. While steaming in a large pot is manageable, it does need attention, but there are two other, more hands-off alternatives to try.
If you’re cooking corn for a small group, try using the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot-steamed corn is incredibly quick. Once the pot reaches pressure, you'll only need about three minutes before you’re ready to dig into the corn. Just add two cups of water to the pot, place a trivet or steamer basket inside (this keeps the corn elevated), trim the ends of the cobs to fit, and stuff as many as you can inside. For longer cobs, placing them horizontally might work best.
Close the Instant Pot (or any pressure cooker with a steam function), ensure the release valve is set to 'Seal,' and press the 'Steam' button. Adjust the time to three minutes using the '+' and '-' buttons, then step away. Once the Instant Pot announces it's done with a cheerful beep, manually release the pressure, open the lid, and enjoy your golden prize. Remove the husks and silks by cutting the bottom of the cob, then peeling the husks downwards. The silks will come off effortlessly. (If you’re craving melted butter—who isn’t?—just empty the water from the insert and toss in a stick of salted butter, cubed.)
For cooking a large batch of corn, use a cooler.
'Cooler corn' is a cooking hack that predates the term 'food hack,' and it remains a classic for good reason. Simply toss a bunch of corn into a large cooler, pour in two kettles of boiling water, close it up, and let it sit for about 30 minutes. It takes a bit longer, but most of that time is hands-off, and you won’t crowd your stove with a massive pot of boiling water. Regarding the concern of 'chemicals leaching into your corn'—a common issue raised when discussing cooler corn—opt for a BPA-free cooler, or use a big food storage container like a Cambro, or even a large pot with a lid. You just need a sealed container that fits around 20 ears of corn and can hold two kettles of water. (Though some worry about potential exposure to chemicals, I’m not too concerned about eating two ears of corn that may or may not have briefly been in contact with a diluted cooler solution—but that's your call.)
