Corn, Two Ways

Boiling water is easy, right? Well, that's really all you have to do with this recipe. Oh, and add salt. And then butter. It's simple steamed corn, courtesy of Mark Bittman.

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No, wait. Now, don't get me wrong, steamed corn is great. Especially when it's fresh. But what about grilled corn? Hard to do when you don't have a grill (like me), right? It turns out Mark Bittman has us covered here too.

Enter indoor 'grilled' corn. It's cooked in a skillet with small knob of butter until it's browned on most sides. And you know what? It's pretty good. It's not grilled corn, but when you live in an apartment and don't have an outdoor grill, sometimes you have to make do with what you have.

So here you go, corn two ways: steamed or grilled.

Corn, Two Ways: Steamed or Grilled

Keep your corn cool after you buy it. Generally, it can stay stored for a day or two before it really starts to turn bad. Also, shuck it at the last minute. And really, shucking it is the hardest thing you have to do.

Shuck it.

Then, prepare the rest of your ingredients.

Salt and butter. Hopefully that didn't take too long.

Next, prepare a pot big enough for however many ears you are cooking. Here I just cooked two, but you can easily cook as many as eight. So long as you have a pot big enough.

Put the corn in a pot with a shallow layer of water. Add some salt. It's fine if it is in the water a little, but the goal is to steam, not boil. Use just as much water as necessary so that there is always some liquid in the pot. 

Cover and cook over high heat, 10 minutes or less. If you put the corn in when the water is boiling (like I did) the cooking time will be considerably less than 10 minutes. For me, it was done in about 3 minutes. The fresher the corn, the less you need to cook it. 

Remove and let cool for just half a minute. 

Serve the corn with pepper and butter. No salt should be necessary, as the salted water ought to have seasoned it quite well. 

Now time for the grilled corn!

Bittman recommends putting a generous lump of butter in the skillet - about two tablespoons. I used less than a half tablespoon and that seemed to work fine. If you have more corn, use more butter. 

Put the butter in the skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. 

When the foam has died down, put the corn in the pan and cook it, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent the butter and the corn from burning. Turn it so that it colors evenly. Unless your corn is perfectly flat on all sides, there will probably be parts that don't get that "grilled" look. Don't worry. 

After about 10 minutes, it was done for me. Cooking time is hard to estimate, as it depends on how many ears you are cooking and your heat source. 

Once browned to your liking, remove the corn and serve immediately. No butter is needed at the table, but it will benefit from just a touch of salt.

You may also want to try grilling the corn with an herbed butter, or a splash of garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil, for a different flavor. 

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Fresh corn, shucked

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste,

Butter (optional ... not really)

Simple Steamed Corn courtesy of Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food

Indoor Grilled Corn courtesy of Mark Bittman, Getting That Grilled Corn Feeling, Indoors