Pick Your Produce: Corn On The Cob!! A Pick and a Trick!!

 Another installment of "Pick Your Produce"!  This time around we are sharing with you, Rick's fail proof way to choose the perfect ears of corn!    I am also going to share with you a simple and effective way to remove fresh corn from the cob without making a giant mess of flying corn kernels in your kitchen!

We love doing these simple and informative videos for everyone.  We feel like there are those just beginning to get out on their own and cook for themselves and this is a great way to teach people all about different types of produce and how to choose them properly for maximum enjoyment!

Picking the perfect ears of corn for your barbecue, cookout or just plain eating can be tricky if you don't know what to look for.  It truly was not until I met Rick that I understood how to properly do it.  Normally I would just throw some in a bag and move on.  Sometimes it was good and sometimes not so good.  With this method you will always be assured that the corn you choose will be delicious.

First you want to scope out the freshest looking ears.  Making sure that the silks are not slimy, the husks are green and not dried out and that the ears are plump and not pencil thin.  A great ear of corn is anywhere from an inch to an inch and a half in diameter.

Next you will want to pull a small amount of the husk away from the tassel end.  When you pull back that husk, does it take a bit of strength to release it from the cob?  Do the kernels look plump and not dented?  Do they go all the way to tippy tip of the cob?  You want your corn to look supple and plump.  The kernels should be full and not indented and if you should see all the kernels are indented this is an indication that the cob is old and may have dried out.  You also want to be sure the kernels are fully developed and that the cob is full instead of only being partially full or looking as if birds ate the kernels on the pointy end near the silks.  This could be an indication that the corn was not fully pollinated or that the crop was picked too soon and not all the cobs were able to fully develop on the stalk before being harvested.

Then you want to get your nose in there.  Smell the corn.  Rick always says it should smell like sweet dirt.  I say it smells like fresh green grass right after a summer rain.  If your corn smells like weeds with a bitter after aroma, leave it.  You will not be eating good corn if it smells like that.  We have turned away more corn this summer than we have purchased for this very reason.  

If your corn passes all these rules, then you are ready to enjoy corn for dinner.  Whether you grill it, steam it, pressure cook it or boil it, you are going to love it!  I have even seen people microwave whole ears in the husk and then it pulls right out after it is cooked.  Not my favorite way, but it is effective if you only have a microwave.

I love to make fresh fried corn in my skillet and that requires I remove the corn from the cob.  I have found the best and easiest way to do that is the use of a Bundt pan!  Just pop the corn cob in the middle and then run your knife all around.  The corn is caught in the pan and there is no fuss or muss in the kitchen!  Then you are ready to move on with your recipe!

I hope you give these tips and tricks for choosing the perfect ear of corn and then removing it from the cob a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

You can see our installment of Pick Your Produce; Corn on the Cob on my YouTube channel here: