How To Remove Corn From The Cob Without Cutting Through The Kernels

Packed full of natural sweetness and boasting an irresistible texture, there's nothing quite like fresh sweet corn. While corn on the cob is a scrumptious summertime staple, corn off the cob provides a versatile base for countless delicious corn recipes. The act of removing kernels off the cob, however, can be time-consuming and difficult. Despite a myriad of viral techniques helping you easily cut corn kernels off the cob, these methods are often messy and result in broken or unevenly-sized pieces. Fortunately, there's a quick and easy solution to remove whole kernels from the cob without needing any unusual tools.

To do this, shuck your corn cob, removing all the leaves and corn silk. Once prepped, place one hand at each end of the corn cob and firmly bend the cob until it snaps. It should cleanly break into two pieces. Now that you have your corn cob halves, use your thumb to pry out individual kernels, starting from the broken end. As you get closer to the end, it might become harder to pry off each kernel with just your hands. If this occurs, you can loosen a row of kernels using a knife. Place your knife in the space between a vertical row of kernels, pushing the knife all the way down to the cob. Wiggle the knife to loosen the row, and repeat on the other side of the kernels. From there, angle the knife upward, and apply light pressure to remove the loose row of kernels.

Once you've removed all the corn kernels off the cob, it's up to you how you prepare them. Believe it or not, fresh kernels are best when making creamed corn. This is because fresh sweet corn contains significantly more natural sweetness than its frozen counterpart. Typically, when using frozen corn in a homemade creamed corn, you need to add a sweetener, such as honey or sugar, to adjust for the muted flavor of the frozen corn. With fresh corn, this sweetener can be omitted.

You could also make an elote-style corn dip packed full of delicious Mexican flavors like cotija cheese, cilantro, mayonnaise, and lime juice. With a creamy and homemade avocado dressing, it's the perfect dip for crispy tortilla chips, and it's just about impossible to only have one bite. For recipes like this, it's best to lightly char the whole corn kernels on the stove to enhance the corn's natural flavors while also creating a nuanced, smoky aroma.

Of course, these fresh sweet corn kernels also taste incredible on their own. Whether they're boiled, sautéed, or baked, they're a simple and delicious side dish to just about any meal. You can also dry the kernels in a dehydrator or an oven set on a low temperature. This allows the fresh corn to be used at any time, regardless of whether the corn's in season, as you can store dried sweet corn kernels in your pantry for about two to three years.