Nothing beats a delicious, fresh ear of corn as a side to your meal. It is one of the easiest and quickest vegetables to prepare. The fresher the corn, the better, actually: the sugars from the corn quickly develop into starches as soon as the ear is harvested. If possible, you want to get your corn the day it is picked or as soon after as you can.
Buying Corn
When you are buying ears of corn, you want to inspect each ear you purchase. You want an ear that is full and that has golden silks coming from the top. Silks are actually a signal of how many kernels are on the cob so the more silk, the better. The silky strands are actually what pollenates the corn itself. Not having enough silk strands can lead to those gaps in kernels on the cob.
The husks of your corn should be green and not brown or a washed out yellow-green. You also should look at the bottom of the husk where it was broken off when it was harvested; you don’t want this to be brown either.
After purchasing your corn, if you are not going to prepare it that day you should store it in your refrigerator with the husk still on it. This should slow down the process of the sugars turning to starch.
Grilled Tequila Corn on the Cob
If you are looking for a new way to try grilling corn on the cob, here is a simple and delicious plan.
Remove the corn husk and silk strands from the corn. Individually wrap each ear of corn in a sheet of tinfoil and add a pat of butter, a squeeze of lime, a splash of tequila, salt and pepper. Grill for about 10 minutes or until corn is cooked thoroughly.