There's An Easier, Better Way To Butter Corn On The Cob — Grab A Mason Jar
There's something really satisfying about how simple yet delicious corn on the cob is. You can drop an ear in boiling water for just a few minutes, and you have a delicious side dish with minimal effort. Finished with some salt, pepper, and butter, it makes for a rich, sweet, and salty bite. The problem is that getting it evenly buttered is a hassle. The shape of an ear of corn does not lend itself to holding melted butter at all. The Mason jar butter bath method is the solution you never knew you needed.
In order for this to work, you need a glass jar, something like a Kerr or a Ball Mason jar that is designed for home canning and tempered to withstand high temperatures. Ideally, you want a jar that is slightly taller than your average cob of corn. You don't want the jar too big in case the corn falls in, and you don't want it too small, or you won't get your corn fully submerged. Fill the jar about ¾ of the way with very hot water. Water just off the boil from a kettle works best. Drop in enough butter to fill the jar the rest of the way, while leaving space so that the jar won't overflow when you dip an entire cob of corn in. Once the butter has melted, dip your corn in the jar all the way until the cob is completely immersed. When you pull it out, the water will drip off, and the butter remains on the cob.
Making a better butter bath
It sounds easy, but there are a few tips to make sure your butter bath works as well as possible. The jar can get messy incredibly fast. If multiple people are dipping corn, water and butter are going to drip onto the jar and the table every time someone pulls out a cob. The water itself will become murky from the corn, and eventually the whole setup can start to look pretty unappetizing. Keep fresh water and butter at the ready, and some paper towels nearby to wipe the jar down when necessary.
Use a jar with a wide enough mouth that you can hold your corn with tongs. This makes dunking easier and less messy, and lets you retrieve the corn if it slips into the jar. At potlucks or barbecues, people often try to use their bare hands in the jar, so tongs are important for keeping the station sanitary. Once the corn is immersed, you want to pull it out slowly and evenly so that butter glazes the entire cob. If you grilled corn inside the husk, peel the husk back but leave it attached so you can use it as a handle.
Don't use an old pickle jar or another ordinary food jar that could shatter from thermal shock when you pour in hot water. If people will be using the butter bath for a long time, you can keep the jar in a slow cooker filled with warm water on low so the water stays hot and the butter doesn't solidify.