Great Tips for Corn on the Cob

I almost let this one get by me, but it is still timely, because I saw again today that corn on the cob is selling for 33 cents an ear. The suggestions I am presenting are from two sources. The first comes directly from The Rachel Ray Show on Food Network. And the second is from my daughter-in-law.

It is barbeque season again—at least it is here in Georgia—and most of us can’t wait to fire up the grill and cook outside on the patio. Among the side dishes we all enjoy is that perennial favorite, corn on the cob. I love it, but I always felt guilty about slathering all that butter on it. It was not an easy task to butter up an ear of corn either. The butter migrates to the bottom of the ear and falls off before it can melt in.

There is an alternative that you can use to your heart’s content, and it will most likely be a lot healthier for you than butter or even butter substitutes. I'll get to that in a moment, but first I have some preparation tips for the corn shucker.

When you’re ready to shuck the corn—some markets will let you do it in-store and provide a trash barrel for you to discard the greens—get yourself a rubber band to perform the task you always hated to do, getting rid of the corn silk that clings to the kernels after shucking.

Twist the rubber band once or twice and loop it between your thumb and index finger. Holding the ear of corn straight up, slide the twisted rubber band vigorously up and down while turning the ear. It will pick up those stray threads of corn silk and remove them in no time. Voilá! You have a clean ear of corn and no silk to get in your teeth.

When you buy the ears of corn in the produce section of your market, pick up a lime or two. A good plan is to buy one lime for every two ears of corn. Try to get the standard limes about 2 inches in diameter, not key limes.

When you have shucked and roasted, boiled or microwave-heated your ears of corn and are ready to eat them, cut the limes in half. While squeezing the lime half vigorously, run it over the ear of corn while turning the ear. Make sure you see the juice running down into the kernels. Then add pepper and salt to taste and start munching.

You are going to be pleasantly surprised, because the limejuice is a great substitute for butter, enhances the corn taste and is a lot less messy. No more butter stains on your clothing, and it is oh, so much more healthy for you.

If you’re really economical, you can probably get enough juice from the lime to coat two ears per half, but limes aren’t that expensive; I paid 25 cents for the last one I bought.

Try these neat and healthy tips the next time you have corn on the cob, and I think you’ll thank me for it.