The right way to clean fresh corn—and what not to do

How you wash and when you wash are important.

Key Takeaways

• Wash fresh corn with cold water to remove dirt, bacteria, and pesticide residue.
• Clean corn just before cooking to keep it fresh, sweet, and free from mold.
• Cooking corn in the husk makes silk removal easier after roasting or microwaving.

As far as summer side dishes go, fresh corn is a tough one to beat. Whether it’s roasted on the cob, shaved into a salad, or stirred into a corn pudding or creamed corn, this warm-weather treat pairs beautifully with grilled entrees and feels like a natural addition to any cookout.

But fresh corn can prove tricky and time-consuming to clean, so it helps to have a clear plan in place. In the interest of speeding up your picnic prep, we consulted a group of Southern chefs to learn their top tips for shucking, cleaning, and storing fresh corn. 

Is Washing Corn Necessary?

If you’re wondering whether it’s really necessary to wash fresh corn—it does have that protective coat after all—Ashley Miller, MPH, senior program coordinator for grants and cooperatives at the National Environmental Health Association, assures us that it’s a step worth taking.

“From a safety perspective, it’s important to remember that fresh corn can carry dirt, bacteria, mold, or even pesticide residues from the field or after harvest. If you skip cleaning it properly before eating, you risk bringing those contaminants into your kitchen or onto your plate,” Miller tells Southern Living.

According to Miller, proper washing with water (more on that later) is recommended by the FDA and USDA “to lower the risk of foodborne illness.” Miller also points out that cooking methods like “blanching, boiling, or grilling corn can further reduce harmful microbes, adding an extra layer of protection before serving.”

Related: 35 Fresh Corn Recipes To Make The Most Of Summer’s Sweetest Haul

Streamline The Process

Shucking numerous corn cobs and stripping away the silk is a time-consuming process that frustrates plenty of home cooks (especially those without kids or other available family members to help out). This goes double for recipes that require you to cut the kernels from the cob.

But River Hill, executive chef of Honeysuckle Rose in Charleston, South Carolina, tells us that cleaning corn can become far simpler by “batching out each prep task. Clean all the corn cobs, scrub the all corn hairs off with a kitchen towel, then cut all the corn. This method is faster and far less messy than completing the steps cob by cob.”

How To Remove Corn Silk

Corn silk is, without a doubt, the glitter of the produce world: it gets everywhere, and it’s difficult to dispose of effectively. But the experts we spoke with insist that, when it comes to corn silk-removal tools, your hands are all that’s required.

Ann Ziata, chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, talks us through the shucking process like so: “Hold the corn upright with the tassel on top. Use both thumbs to open the top of the husk, including the tassel, and expose the tip of the corn, like you are starting to peel a banana. With half of the husk and silks in each hand, use a firm grip to cleanly pull the husk and silks down the length of the corn.”

If you have a sharp knife at the ready, Nick Dugan, executive chef of Sorelle in Charleston, offers an alternative plan: “With a sharp or serrated knife, carefully cut the base of the corn cob off.  Peel the husk from the bottom at the cut end.  Peeling from the cut end removes a higher percentage of the corn silk in one shot, rather than when you peel from the top and then have hundreds left on each cob.”

Special Tools

Scrub brushes, corn silk tweezers, and other corn-cleaning accoutrements can be easily acquired online these days, but the only tool you’ll need for effective corn cleaning (aside from your hands) is a clean towel.

“I usually use a dry cloth to rub off the stubborn silk instead of rinsing first—it just works better,” says Julian Parker, culinary director of The Select Charleston.

Related: Why My Grandmother's Old-Fashioned Creamed Corn Recipe Is A Timeless Classic

How To Rinse Corn

There’s no need to shell out for trendy “produce washes” when cleaning your corn; clean water is all that’s required to remove dirt particles and bacteria.

“Always wash corn with cold water before cooking. A lot of folks think that boiling water or a hot grill will kill off anything harmful, but unless it’s being properly rinsed, there could still be dirt on the surface of the corn,” Ziata tells us.

If an extra level of sanitation will ease your mind, Julian Parker has a suggestion for your corn once it’s shucked: “Soak the corn in a bowl of cold water with a tablespoon of baking soda for about five to 10 minutes. This helps break down any pesticide residue if the corn isn’t organic.”

Wait To Shuck And Wash

If you have a large quantity of corn to shuck and prep for a cookout, it may be tempting to clean the corn a day or two in advance. However, our experts universally advise against this, instead urging you to clean your corn shortly before cooking it.

“Fresh, raw corn has a particularly short shelf life due to the high natural sugar content. Once the corn is removed from the cob, the sugars are exposed to natural yeast in the air and fermentation begins, producing an acidic sour taste,” Dugan explains.

For that reason, “Don’t wash corn too early. Clean it right before you cook it. Otherwise, it gets soggy, loses its sweetness, or worse—grows mold in the fridge,” adds Parker.

When To Leave The Husks On

While rinsing corn prior to cooking is the best move from a sanitary standpoint, some chefs choose to avoid the whole pre-shucking process and instead cook their corn right in the husks.

“At the restaurant, we fire [corn] in the wood-burning oven whole [and] unshucked. You can soak the whole ear in water first to help with even cooking/steaming, but I’ve been into mostly dry roasting it because the corn is pretty fresh when we get it, so there’s enough water already in it,” says Reid Shilling, executive chef of Shilling Canning Company in Washington, D.C. Shilling then peels the corn after roasting, which enables the silk to “come off pretty easily.”

Michael Correll, executive chef/partner at Ruse in St. Michaels, Maryland, also prefers this method, telling us that “if you intend to eat corn on the cob, you don’t need to shuck the corn or use any silly tools to get the silk off. I will take the whole corn cobs and bake them at 350°F for 30 minutes or microwave them for 10 minutes. After they are done cooking, you can peel back the leaves and everything comes off, including the silk.”

Read the original article on Southern Living