How to cook corn? It tastes delicious and sweet

Mastering soaking, heat, and ingredient techniques when cooking corn can significantly enhance its sweet and fragrant taste. The main methods include soaking in cold water, controlling boiling time, adding a small amount of salt or sugar, preserving corn silk and bracts, and selecting fresh corn.

1. Soak raw corn in cold water for half an hour before cooking to allow the corn kernels to fully absorb water and expand. Water infiltration can promote starch gelatinization, and sugar is more likely to precipitate when heated. When soaking, the water level should completely submerge the corn, and it can be refrigerated in summer to prevent fermentation. This method is particularly suitable for old corn that has been stored for a long time, as it can restore the dry and hard taste caused by partial water loss.

2. Control the heat

After the water boils, it is best to maintain medium heat and cook for 15-20 minutes. Excessive boiling can cause corn kernels to burst and sugar to evaporate and be lost with water. It is recommended to adjust the power of the induction cooker to 1800 watts and keep the flame of the gas stove from escaping from the bottom of the pot. Lightly poking with chopsticks can penetrate through the corn cob and it will be fully cooked. At this point, immediately turning off the heat can preserve more natural sweetness.

3. Adding excipients

Adding 3 grams of salt or 10 grams of white sugar per liter of water can create an osmotic pressure difference, promoting the efflux of sugar from corn cells. A small amount of baking soda can soften fiber and enhance sweetness perception, but it should be controlled within 1 gram to avoid bitterness. The traditional method is to add two fragrant leaves or half a cinnamon root to mask the astringent taste with aromatic substances.

4. Keep the outer layer

Keep the innermost bracts and corn stalks cooked together, and their natural polysaccharides will dissolve into water. The bracts can block water from directly washing away the corn kernels, and the fibrous fibers contain sweet amino acids. After cooking, peel off the outer layer. This method can increase sweetness by about 20% while reducing nutrient loss.

5. Preferred variety

Choose yellow white dual color fruit corn in the milk ripening stage, which has a soluble sugar content of up to 17%. It is best to observe that corn stalks are brown and moist, and when pressed, they can release milky white juice. Avoid purchasing products that have been refrigerated for more than three days, as low-temperature storage can accelerate starch aging and affect sweetness.

Fresh corn is recommended to be consumed on the same day and refrigerated for no more than 48 hours. Steaming can better lock in sweetness than boiling water, and can be replaced with traditional cooking by heating on high heat in a microwave for 5 minutes. With salt free butter or cheese powder, the flavor level can be enhanced, but diabetes patients should control the amount of additives. Regular consumption of corn can supplement vitamin B and dietary fiber, and choosing non genetically modified varieties is more in line with healthy eating principles.