My neighbor boils her corn in milk. Not water with a splash of milk in it — actual milk, with butter and a spoon of sugar.
I’d been boiling corn in salted water my whole life and thought that was the end of the subject. It is not.
What It Does to the Corn
Three things happen that plain water can’t do.
The fat carries flavor into the kernels. Milk and butter are fat, and a lot of what makes corn taste like corn is fat-soluble. Water rinses flavor out; a fat-rich liquid puts it in.
The sugar keeps it sweet. Sweetcorn starts converting its sugar to starch the moment it’s picked. A spoonful of sugar in the pot slows that loss, which matters if your corn has been sitting in a shop for a couple of days.
Salt is left out on purpose. Salt in the boiling water toughens the kernel skins. This is why corn boiled in heavily salted water can come out slightly chewy. Salt it at the table instead.
The Method
Fill a big pot with half milk and half water — all milk works but it’s expensive and it catches on the bottom.
Add a stick of butter and about a quarter cup of sugar for a large pot.
Bring it to a gentle boil, not a rolling one. Milk scorches and boils over fast, so keep an eye on it and turn it down as soon as it’s moving.
Drop the shucked corn in and cook for six to eight minutes, no more. Overcooked corn goes tough and starchy, which is the mistake most of us are actually making.
Lift it out and let it drip. It needs nothing else, though butter and salt at the table never hurt.
Don’t Throw the Liquid Away
That sweet, buttery, corn-flavored milk is the base of a very good corn chowder. Cool it and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days.
It also cooks a good pot of grits or polenta.
The One Rule About Fresh Corn
Shuck it as late as you can, and cook it as soon as you can after buying. Corn is at its sweetest the hour it comes off the plant and everything after that is downhill.
If you’re buying it at a shop, look for a green husk that’s still tight, and silk that’s pale and slightly sticky rather than dry and brown.
Two Other Ways That Are Genuinely Good
In the microwave, in the husk. Four minutes for one ear, straight in, nothing added. Then cut the base off and the whole thing slides out clean with the silk left behind. It’s the least effort for the best corn, and it barely loses any flavor to water.
On the grill, in the husk, soaked first. Twenty minutes in water, then straight onto the grill. It steams inside its own wrapper and picks up smoke.
Try It Once This Summer
Milk, butter, sugar, no salt, six minutes.
I make it that way every time now, and I’ve never gone back to a pot of salted water.
