'This Is Serious Nostalgia' — The Heat-And-Eat Canned Food Alex Guarnaschelli Still Loves
Alex Guarnaschelli is truly a chef for all seasons — and we don't just mean seasons of television. Her on-screen career may be prolific and wide-ranging, but so is her palate. At the end of the day, her go-to late-night snack is cold leftover spaghetti and meatballs from the fridge. It's perhaps no surprise, then, that the food Guarnaschelli names as the ultimate embodiment of nostalgia is equally without frills: canned corn. Specifically, creamed corn.
Fans might expect the Iron Chef to use this humble ingredient to whip up a more complex dish, such as a flavorful crab and corn chowder. But, according to Guarnaschelli, one of the best ways to enjoy creamed corn is straight out of the can — and not necessarily even heated up. In an Instagram video post, the chef names Del Monte Fresh Cut Golden Sweet Corn Cream Style as the brand she grew up eating. As she remarks while opening the can, "Now this is serious nostalgia."
Beyond its flavor, canned creamed corn is already cooked, making it a convenient ready-to-eat option that even a kid can access — and, years ago, she did, and did so often. Guarnaschelli even recounts a personal memory tied to the pantry staple. "Sometimes, my parents, who were kind of like gourmet cooks, would go out to dinner parties or whatever. I would go and buy a can of this and eat it right like this [straight from the can]," she says. "Sometimes I wouldn't even heat it up. So delicious."
Creamed corn is good enough to eat cold from the can, according to this Iron Chef
The chef is far from alone in her hankering for the cold stuff. Elsewhere online, in a Reddit thread dedicated to swapping creamed corn recipes, one similarly pleasure-minded commenter quipped, "Eat it out the can." Bonus points if you crack open that can while watching David Lynch's masterpiece "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" (garmonbozia, anyone?). The price is certainly right, too. An 8.25-ounce can of Del Monte Golden Sweet Corn Cream Style currently costs just $1.28 at Walmart. This could be a canned pantry staple to stock up on, keeping it on hand for whenever a nostalgia-fueled craving strikes.
Don't want to chow down cold? To enjoy canned creamed corn at home, foodies could transform it into a retro, corn-pudding-style casserole. Or, follow Guarnaschelli's lead and simply heat-and-eat this pantry staple as a one-step side dish. To complete the meal, Guarnaschelli recommends pairing canned creamed corn with savory, warming entrees like pork chops or roasted chicken.
Texturally, the creamy, mushy mouthfeel would make a solid dupe for a classic pork chops and applesauce pairing. Its sweet taste would also capture the flavor profile for an apt spinoff. Or, try serving that canned cream corn alongside Guarnaschelli's other rec: roasted chicken. This maple butter roast chicken recipe would emphasize the creamed corn's existing sweetness while bringing dimensional depth from the dark maple and herbaceous thyme.