When it comes to guidelines on enjoying corn, "I'm not for rules
and regulations, I'm for suggestions," writes Betty Fussell in
"Crazy for Corn." But today's bioengineered corn is so different
from earlier corn that traditional cooking methods often don't
apply. Fussell offers these niblets for the liberal-minded: -
Eat it raw: The first time Fussell demonstrated raw sweet corn,
"many looked at me as if I'd offered them a live snake." But the
freshest and sweetest kernels are at their best au naturel, she
says. Don't be afraid to use raw sweet corn in salads or in
vegetable mixes or pastas or as garnishes. - Don't salt the
water you boil. It toughens the skins of the kernels. And forget
"the 3-minute rule" when it comes to very fresh supersweets.
Fussell immerses the whole unshucked ear in boiling water for
only 30 seconds, just enough to get the butter to melt. "The
longer you cook corn, the more you toughen it; you're turning
sugar into starch." - Whether you're boiling or steaming,
grilling or microwaving