An Easy Way To Clean Corn on the Cob
My neighbor told me of a tip for easy an easy way to clean corn on the cob. I tried it and it works so well. When I think of all the years of my life I have wasted cleaning and picking silk off of corn, I just can’t believe it could be so easy.
The corn needs to have all of the husk on it and cannot be the kind that has part of the husk removed.
I have only tried it with corn which has been cooked in the microwave for 4 minutes for each ear or grilled in it’s husk.
As soon as it is cooked, slice off the stem end of corn making sure you get a good 1/4 inch at least of the corn. You don’t need to measure you just need to get part of the end of the corn. Next grab the other end by the silk and give it a good couple of shakes. It should slide right out the end you cut with no silks at all on it.
Photo By: Rachel Hathaway
My tip for getting the ears of corn cleaned and trimmed, with minimal energy on my part, have my kids do it! They think it’s fun! I send them out to the deck with a bag of corn and away they go! No mess in the kitchen either.
I would do that too because the kids did like doing it but I guess that was one of the other reasons I loved this method there was o no mess at all. After the corn slid out the bottom all I had was the husks perfectly intact still and not one piece of silk any where it was so neat.
I just cooked corn in the microwave this way tonight for supper and there is just no better way. This is the second time I have done it and even my hubby says the corn is so sweet. No doubt that I will always cook corn this way from now on.
We need to cook too much to do it this way. I have too many “eaters” to cook in microwave. we do the large pot of water method. I did order an inexpensive brush from a catalog that usually sell to the Amish for corn. It works well and was less than $2. It has small plastic bristles.
Ann you don’t need to only do this method in the microwave. You can do the same thing in the oven lining up the ears of corn on the oven racks. Set oven at 350 degrees and cook for about 30 mins. checking to see if is done after this amount of time because each oven is difference. I have used so many different things to clean my corn over the years and even thought I loved my corn I dreaded cleaning it. After doing it this way I can hardly wait to get some to cook it just because it is so amazing to see how cool this method works.
Why did it take 51 years for me to learn this! The only bad thing is that you will have to “season” your corn after it is cooked instead of seasoning and then re-wrapping for the grill. But…that’s okay.
I keep the silks cut cff the brown dried area after I pull on it to get it off the corn wash the silk and wrap it in paper towel but in baggie in ice box then when I eat a salad I chop it up in my salad. It’s good for the kidneys.
But sometimes I like to eat the corn raw. It can be so sweet!
Besides… I enjoy the process of cleaning the corn. I don’t fret much about the silks. They usually fall off while cooking.
I use corn on the cob as a witnessing tool. The miracle of corn. What is it? That every kernel of corn has a silk attached. If that silk doesn’t get fertilized, the kernel won’t grow! When you have a full corn cob, every silk was fertilized! I think it is a amazing!
Right now I’m wondering why the corn is so expensive this year? I’m waiting for the cost to come down so I can enjoy it…
I’ve never done this, but I usually don’t have a problem getting the silk of even when it isn’t cooked. It is in all how you husk it the first time. My grandma said it all has to do with how you pull the husk and the silk. It needs to be done all in one pull both sides at a time. It gets off 98 prevent of the silk….it may also have to do to the fact that we eat and can it just as it starts to turn color.
This is a little off from removing silks, but I have one more step.
Before eating the corn, take a small sharp (paring) knife and with one movement, center the knife in the middle of the kernel and make a slice doing the whole row. Then go to the next row. When finished, the butter you put on it will be between each kernel AND, THE BEST PART is you will have eaten only the kernel and no part of the husk – which is the reason to do this in the first place.
At first, you will think it takes too much time. Once you get the hang of it, it will take only a few seconds to do an ear. Plus, have everyone do their own (age appropriate).