The Big Mistake You Should Never Make When Cooking Sweet Corn

Simple boiled sweet corn may be a summertime classic, but it doesn't always live up to the romantic image in your head. If you boil corn on the cob for too long, it loses its sweet flavor and either becomes mushy or too hard — far from the flavorful, juicy, crunchy cobs you've been dreaming of. The best way to avoid mistakes with boiled corn is to do away with the big pot of water altogether and to try a gentler, more reliable cooking method: steaming.

Boiling is a big mistake because it's an overly harsh cooking method for delicate corn, causing the kernels to lose their juice and shrink in as little as five minutes. It also draws vitamins and other nutrients out of the veggie so they end up in the cooking water instead of your stomach. In contrast, steaming keeps the cobs' nutrition and flavor intact, especially if you cook the corn in the husk, which provides an extra layer of protection to help it retain its moisture and resist overcooking. Some would even say it's a mistake to prep corn on the cob by removing the husk in any context.

A quick steaming is also faster than heating up a whole pot of water, and you actually don't need any special equipment to cook corn this way. It's almost as straightforward as boiling.

To steam corn on the stove using just a pot, you'll need a vessel large enough to fit the cobs, but narrow enough to let them stand upright. Laying the cobs down in a pile is doable, but allowing them to lean on the walls of the pot and stay vertical helps them cook evenly. Fill the pot with an inch of water, add the corn, bring to a boil and cover, and steam for four to five minutes before checking on the texture. If you left the husks on, peel them back from the tip of one cob to peek at the kernels. Once they look plump and juicy, your corn is ready.

If you have a steamer insert, making perfect corn is even easier. Fill your pot with enough water to cover the bottom without touching the steamer, then arrange the cobs on top of the insert and cover with the lid. Steam for the same amount of time, making sure the water doesn't completely evaporate during the process. 

Want the fastest corn? The microwave is your savior. You'll definitely want to leave the husks on, as you won't be adding water, and the corn needs its moisture trapped within in order to steam. Grab a plate, place the corn on top, and nuke it for three to four minutes before checking on it. You might need another minute or two if you're microwaving multiple cobs, but this method is still the quickest around. All you'll need once it's ready is some flavorful compound butter to slather on top.