Yes, corn on the cob is great.Grilled corn? It's one of my all-time favorite sides. And you can't have ashellfish boilwithout a few cobs thrown into the pot. But with so much wonderfully sweet, succulent corn around this time of year, we sometimes forget the other ways to use it.
Case in point: A friend recently told me she deep-fried the corn silk (those wispy strands sticking the husks) as part of her dinner, and I freaked. Use the corn silk, along with the corn (which she cooked with polenta, in a truly corn-tastic dinner)? Color me impressed.
When I mentioned the corn silk trick to another friend, he told me about a corn silk tea he tried in Korea. Which, since I'm Captain of the#Wastelesstrain, got me wondering: how many ways can you use the silk? And what about the cob or the husks?
Turns out, there are so many ways to use corn beyond the kernel. So go ahead and grill that corn if you want to. But if you want to get down with WCC (that's #WholeCornCooking, obvs), check out these other ways to use the vegetable.
Corn silk tea is apparently a great elixir for "whatever ails you," according tothis fabulous Gourmet video, which says it dates back to 19th century cookbooks. Those fine strands—there's one for each kernel—are also packed with nutrients, including vitamin K and potassium. To make the tea, simply simmer1 Tbsp. chopped corn silk(avoid the black silks found near the top of the corn) in1 cup hot wateruntil the flavor is nice and corn-y, about 10 minutes.
This one is more of a project, as the folks fromIdeas In Foodfound, but if you want to get serious about using every bit of your corn, it's a nice way to great a crispy, crunchy snack or garnish. Dry the silks (again, avoid the black silks) in a low oven, around 200°F, overnight. The next day, deep fry in 400°F oil, dry on a paper towel, and season with salt, pepper, and any other spices you'd like. Sprinkle some on top ofcreamy polenta,corn chowder, orcorn saladfor a crunchy garnish.
The most common way to cook with corn husks istamales, which uses the husk to steam a mixture of meat and/or vegetables and corn meal. You can also use the husks in the same way you'd steam fish or vegetables inparchment paper: wrap small pieces of fish or vegetables in the husks, then place on a grill or in an oven to steam until cooked through.
If you are grilling your corn cobs, use ourgo-to method, and get the most flavor by leaving the husks on. Gently pull back the husk—leaving it still attached at the base—remove the silk, then pull the husk back into place. (You can also cover the corn in a seasoned butter, adding even more flavor.) The husk provides coverage from the grill, and partially steams the ear, creating the perfectly smoky, cooked-through ear of corn.
Even after you've eaten all the kernels, there's still a lot of corn flavor on the cob. Capture it in corn stock: simply add the cobs, silk, and husks to a pot, cover with water, and simmer until the liquid turns a rich golden yellow and it tastes fragrantly corn-y, about 30 minutes. Use the liquid for any recipe that calls for vegetable stock; it's especially good for infusing even more corn flavor intocorn chowder,polenta,cornbread, and other corn recipes.
Take a nod fromthrifty homemakersand save those cobs, drying them out in a low oven overnight until they harden. Then anytime you have a pot that needs a good scrub, use the brittle cob to cut through the grease and scrape the food off the pan. It's safe for your cookware and you can toss out the cob (or better yet, compost it), when you're done. Soggy sponges be gone!
