How To Boil Corn On The Cob (Quick & Easy!)
The easiest way to cook the best corn on the cob is boiling! Learn how to boil corn on the cob the whole family will love in this simple tutorial.
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Servings: 4 -8 servings
Calories: 123kcal
Ingredients
To Boil The Corn:
- 4-8 ears of corn on the cob
- a large pot of water
- 1/2-1 Tablespoon salt
Optional Toppings To Try:
- salt & pepper to taste
- butter
- honey butter
- chili butter
- herb butter
- mayo cilantro, parmesan or cotija cheese, chili powder, and lime
Instructions
- Start Bringing The Water To A Boil. Start by filling a large pot or Dutch oven with water. You’ll want the water at least 5-6 inches deep, but make sure you have at least 2 inch of room at the top of the pot to allow for bubbling & adding the corn. Let the water come up to a boil on medium-high heat on the stove while you prep the corn, if you haven’t aready.
- Shuck & Prepare The Corn. If you haven't already, remove the outer green leaves and corn silk (thin, wispy fibrous strings). Discard these, then rinse off the corn to remove any extra debris. If desired, cut the corn cobs in half with a sharp knife for smaller portions.
- Salt The Water. When the water is boiling, add a generous sprinkle of salt (1/2-1 Tablespoon of kosher salt) to the water.
- Cook The Corn. Use tongs to carefully lower 3-4 corn cobs or sections into the hot water at a time. (Try not to over-crowd the pot or the water won't circulate as well.) Allow the corn to boil 2-4 minutes, rotating the corn as needed so the water touches all sides. Carefully use the tongs to remove the corn and set aside on a plate. Repeat until all corn has been cooked.
- Serve the corn warm with butter, salt, pepper, parmesan or cotija cheese, chili powder, lime wedges, or your favorite toppings. (If you need to cook multiple batches, put the corn on a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm while you cook the rest of the corn)
- Store. Keep leftover cooked corn in an airtight container in the fridge 3-5 days.
Notes
- To Salt or Not To Salt The WAter. Some people insist that adding salt to the cooking water toughens the corn, but I haven't found that in side-by-side tests (where I cook half a cob in salted water and half the cob in unsalted water). With this short of a cook time, I've found no discernible difference in texture, and a slight improvement in flavor when using salted water. If you're nervous, you can skip it!
- A Trick For Shucking Corn. Don't know how to shuck corn? It's truly as simple as removing the outer green husk and the fine corn silk threads inside. But those pesky corn silk threads can be annoying to work on! My favorite way is to pull off as much of the corn husks and corn silk as I can, then use a paper towel to help get any leftover corn silk threads off. The paper towel is just abrasive enough to help get those threads outta there!
- How To Get Corn Off The Cob. If you'd rather take the corn off the cob so it's easier to eat or you can use it in a recipe, let the corn cool enough that it's easy to handle. Stand the corn cob up on the stem end in a deep mixing bowl (or a large cutting board) and use a sharp knife, to cut the corn off each side of the cob. Some people recommend using a bundt pan to support the cob and catch the kernels, but I find a deep mixing bowl works better for me.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1Medium Corn On The Cob (Without Toppings) | Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.7g | Protein: 4.7g | Fat: 1.9g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Sodium: 21.5mg | Fiber: 2.9g | Sugar: 9g
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
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