Last year when I posted about how much I like roasting corn, I had several people tell me that the most delicious way to cook corn is to boil it with a cup of milk and a stick butter. I finally got around to trying it and I agree – this is the most delicious way to cook corn.
If you haven’t tried cooking corn this way, you must.
The corn cooks up so flavorful, fresh tasting and rich. You’ll be so obsessed with it you won’t even care what else is being served.
No need to slather butter all over the corn. This corn already has a buttery taste.
Just a little salt and pepper and this corn on the cob is ready to go.
And actually, if you use a stick of salted butter, you might find you don’t even need to add any salt.
Some people add sugar too, but I find the corn available around here during the summer is already sweet enough.
If you suspect your corn is a little lacking in flavor, you might want to add some sugar to perk it up.
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Best Way to Cook Corn on the Cob
Ingredients
- 6-8 ears of corn,, husks and silks removed and cut in half (if desired)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 stick Challenge butter
Instructions
- Fill a large pot about halfway with water.
- Bring water to a boil.
- Add milk and butter. Add corn and reduce heat.
- Simmer corn for 6 to 8 minutes.
- Remove corn from cooking liquid and its ready to serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Corn Recipes
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So much yum about this! It got on my blog’s Weekly Meal Plan and I hope a lot of my readers come check it out 🙂
Thanks so much Vanessa!
OMG! This is truly the BEST tasting corn ever made. I bought six ears of fresh local corn. Cleaned it and made it exactly according to the recipe. It was to die for! Soooo good. Thank you for a great recipe!
I just made corn on the cob foe dinner. I asked my sister if I could use milk, but she said she was worried about the calories. But I have to be honest, I tried boiling it for 7 minutes, and it was raw, absolutely inedible, it took a total of 19 minutes before we could eat it, of course, if I hadn’t kept taking it it oit every 4 minutes after the first 7, it might have been edible at 16. I don’t know what I did wrong.
Try a rolling boil for 6 -8 min, for fresh corn, after you put the butter and milk in & bringing to a boil again.
You bought old corn.
When you cook corn, you are basically just heating it up. You must have had some bad corn.
I have used this recipe ever since finding it on Facebook. It is the best corn I have ever eaten. Good to know about using the milk/ butter for other dishes.
Just a general question re: obtaining the best sweet corn. For me, that means getting it from east of the Mississippi, if not north of the Ohio, though there are many in CA who argue their Coachella Valley (Palm Springs-Indio) variety is good. What say you to a native Hoosier who was spoiled at any early age by the real thing, but has been unable to find it in SoCal stores, the Golden State’s vaunted foodism notwithstanding ?
Lol, I couldn’t even figure out what you were saying. But will watch for replies to your comment
A good place to go get your corn is from Fresno State College they have a little spot right there where the students grow corn and sell it it’s the best ever you just have to get there very very early in the morning because there’s a massive line but definitely worth it
I am So excited to try this method of cooking corn. After I read every comment I thought what a Great way to make corn on the cob and then have a base for a soup, casserole,or more corn… Thanks Christin
Can’t wait to try this way of cooking corn! Was wondering if you remember where you got the blue plates?? Looking for something similar.
I can’t remember Sandy. I think it may have been TJ Maxx or a similar store.
Thanks! P.S. Tried the corn this way~~~only way to do it now!!
How much is a stick of butter in weight measurements please?
4 ounces.
1/2 cup
I happen to have a large batch of raw UNsalted butter that I got from my co-op (I meant to get the salted kind, but got the unsalted by mistake). If I use this unsalted butter to cook the corn in, I feel like I should go ahead and add salt to the butter/milk/water mixture before boiling. The question is… how much salt do I add? A teaspoon? or more?
I read that you’re never supposed to add salt to the wTer you boil corn in because it toughens the corn. It said to admit after you take it out of the water.
The big thing to avoid is soaking corn in salt water before cooking. Osmosis will draw the natural water out of the corn kernals leaving the corn tough.
Unsalted butter is the butter of choice for any serious cook/chef because not all foods need salt.
Having said that, it is also true that adding salt to boiling water for corn is just a waste of salt.
While there are lots of people who will tell their opinions on the subject, I am telling the scientific result of experiments conducted by America’s Test Kitchen (Cooks Illustrated). Salt in the water will not penetrate into the corn kernels unless you leave them in the water for ~ 5 hours.
So do NOT add salt to the water; let your guests add as much salt as they like.
some fiddle-FUD there…
Brining does not work with corn; you are talking about diffusion / osmosis; which is true due to corns fairly impenetrable pericarp. That said its a bit misleading in this context which is describing cooking.
Cooking corn with salt makes huge difference in flavor; especially in a recipe with milk and butter added; to not add any salt is absurd. No “serious” chef is going to cook a meal without salt. The idea of these recipes is the liquid that gets trapped in between the kernels, pith and silk adds flavor.
You aren’t ABSORBING the salt INTO the corn anyway, so why even bother to quote “The American Test Kitchens” in the first place? I’ve never seen ANYONE sprinkle a little salt on their corn, then sit back and wait for five hours to eat it because it has to ABSORB into the corn to flavor it. So no! It’s not a waste to sprinkle a little salt on your corn, or in the liquid used to boil it. As for tough corn…I haven’t broken a tooth yet that has been cooked in salted water. We’re not talking leather here people.
Rude.
If it’s fresh off the stalk corn.. like I have in my yard.. U use a little salt in the water to.. As u say toughen up the kernels a tad to hold in the juice.. we only use salted water for the first third of cooking then take it out and put it in another boiling pot with the H20 milk and unsalted butter!
The salt the kernels! That’s how you taste it. Anyone claiming you shouldn’t salt or butter your corn just hasn’t tried it or are one of the food nazi’s!!
Do you mind me asking what plugin you use to post recipes?