Boiled corn is a familiar rustic dish for many people. Hot, delicious corn can be used for a simple breakfast or as a supplement to a main meal or snack.

Boiling corn is the simplest way to prepare corn, helping to retain almost all of its inherent nutrients. Corn contains a lot of protein, fiber, calcium, iron... bringing health benefits.

Boiling corn is simple but also requires some secrets to make it soft and naturally sweet.

Choose fresh corn

For boiled corn, choosing fresh corn, just harvested is the best, achieving natural sweetness. You should choose corn with the green husk intact and the corn silk still fresh. The husk helps retain natural moisture, ensuring the corn is soft and juicy, retaining sweetness.

Do not buy corn that has had its outer husk peeled off. This type easily loses flavor and reduces nutrients.

Prepare corn before boiling

Before boiling, peel the corn but do not peel all of it. Keep about 3-4 layers of the outer shell to protect the corn during the boiling process. The outer shell will help the corn cook evenly, keeping the moisture inside. After peeling, wash the corn to remove dirt.

The corn silk should also be kept. Fresh corn silk not only has natural sweetness, contains many valuable nutrients but is also considered a medicinal herb in Oriental medicine, has the effect of purifying the body and diuresis. Boiling corn with fresh silk will make the corn more delicious. In addition, you can also separate the corn silk to boil water to drink.

Tips for boiling corn

- Use cold water

Put the corn in a pot, cover with water. Boiling corn with cold water will help the corn heat up slowly, the corn kernels will cook evenly and retain their natural sweetness.

If you boil corn with hot water, the corn kernels will be shocked by heat, become mushy and lose their deliciousness.

- Add spices

When boiling corn, many people add sugar to create sweetness. However, you do not need to add sugar and the corn can still be delicious.

Instead of using sugar, add a little salt to increase the sweetness of the corn thanks to the osmosis effect. Salt makes the corn much more flavorful and delicious.

Another secret to making the corn soft and spongy is to use baking soda. Adding a small amount of baking soda will make the corn more delicious.

Time to boil corn

Depending on the size of the corn, you can boil the corn for about 10-15 minutes from the time the water boils. When the corn is cooked, take it out and drain. Do not soak the corn in hot water because it will overcook, become mushy and tasteless.