Corn is a very tasty and healthy product, widely used in cooking.
It is preserved, boiled, fried, butter is made from it and porridge is boiled, used to make chopsticks and popcorn.
The popularity of this cereal is explained not only by its versatility in use, but also by its special taste and utility.
Beneficial features
The use of this product has a beneficial effect on the entire body, replenishes the supply of many essential trace elements. In its composition, corn contains:
Vitamin E - Antioxidant, tones, stimulates the immune system, promotes regenerative processes.- PP nicotinic acid - participates in the metabolism, reduces the level of sugar, cleanses the blood vessels, along with vitamins of groups A and B strengthens the nervous system and supports the overall tone of the body.
- Acids - contribute to the regulation of cholesterol in the blood.
- Macro and trace elements:
- potassium, phosphorus - strengthen bones, fight insomnia;
- magnesium - calms the nervous system, improves digestion;
- sodium is needed in the nervous and muscular systems;
- iron, zinc, manganese - help the growth and natural defense of the body, prevent joint diseases.
Vitamin E - Antioxidant, tones, stimulates the immune system, promotes regenerative processes.Regular use of this product can bring a lot of benefits to both young and mature body. For this you need to be able to choose it and cook.
How to choose?
For cooking, you must choose the young ears of light yellow color with soft rounded grains. Check the maturity of corn is very simple. Having broken off a grain, it needs to be squeezed by fingers. If it is juicy, soft, then the cob is suitable for cooking. Hardened, dry grains with dimples indicate that the corn is overripe. It can also be cooked, but it will take a long time, and the taste will be significantly different.
It should be remembered that it is better not to take fodder corn, otherwise the taste may be disappointing. Also, when choosing to pay attention to the leaves.
IMPORTANT! If there are no leaves on the cob, most often this indicates enhanced treatment of the vegetable with pesticides. Eating such foods can be dangerous to health.
Ideal would be the ear with green adjacent leaves, unpeeled from stigmas. A sign of ripeness will be yellowish leaves coming from the cob.
The sluggish foliage and lack of juiciness in the grains suggests that the cob has been torn off for a long time and is beginning to dry up, which means its taste and utility have suffered greatly.
Corn cobs should not be subjected to long-term storage. They quickly lose their properties, shrink, harden, rot. Therefore, they are prepared immediately. Also, when choosing, you should try to pick the cobs of the same degree of maturity and approximately the same size, then the corn will be cooked evenly.
Training
- Before cooking it is necessary to clean the cob of leaves and stigmas.
- Part of the leaves can be put on the bottom of the pan, so the corn will taste better and will not stick to the bottom.
- If there are rotting grains on top, they need to be cut, large cobs cut in half.
- After that, the corn should be soaked for an hour in cool water, then rinse thoroughly in running water. You can do without soaking, if the ears are young (dairy).
Cooking in a saucepan
How to cook, so that it was soft, juicy and tasty? There are general rules for cooking corn in a saucepan on the stove. In order to make it juicy, tasty and soft, it is always put only in boiling water. The degree of readiness can be determined by taste, separating the grain for the sample.
How much to cook, so it was soft? Young corn is cooked quickly, no more than half an hour, mature - about an hour, old - not less than two hours (we told about how to choose and cook young corn correctly, and from this article you will learn about how and how much to cook mature and overripe vegetable).
IMPORTANT! Salt corn when cooking is necessary for five minutes before readiness. If you do it before, the grains will harden, lose their juiciness.
Dairy
- In the pan with boiling water, lower the washed and peeled cobs, wait until they float up and, reducing fire from strong to moderate, cook for 5-10 minutes.
- Then take out of the water, salt and sprinkle with melted butter.
More on how and how much to cook dairy corn, read this article.
Mature
Peel and wash the corn, do not throw away the leaves.- Soak the cobs in cold water for at least an hour.
- Put some leaves into boiling water, bring to a boil, lower the cobs, wait for boiling again, turn down the heat and cook for 40-50 minutes, cover with a lid.
- After that, add some salt, add the remaining leaves and boil for another 5-10 minutes.
- To get the finished corn, dry it, season with butter and add salt to taste.
Peel and wash the corn, do not throw away the leaves.Details on how tough corn to make very tasty, read this material.
Recipes for double boiler
It is necessary:
- corn on the cob;
- butter;
- Walnut;
- ground cardamom;
- salt.
Cooking:
- Cobs for steamers should be chosen young, cut into equal portions and placed on one level so that they are evenly prepared.
- Pre-grease cooking container with butter or vegetable oil.
- Cooking time 30-40 minutes.
- Melt 15 grams of butter in a skillet, add 50 grams of crushed walnuts, cardamom.
- Place the corn on a plate, season with nut sauce, serve salt separately.
Learn more recipes for cooking corn in a double boiler here.
Watch the video how to make corn in this way.
In the microwave
A very simple and quick cooking method for cobs.
- Untreated soak them for an hour, put in a plastic bag, add 2 tablespoons of water.
- Close the package tightly, make 2-3 holes to allow steam to flow and send to the microwave for 10-15 minutes.
- Clean the finished corn, grease with melted butter, salt.
To learn how to cook corn in the microwave in a package quickly, read here, and in this article you will find the best recipes for cooking vegetables in a microwave oven.
Corn without cobs
- Separate the grain, rinse well, put in a bowl, pour water.
- Cook under the lid for about 30 minutes.
- Then add a little green parsley, dill and butter, and boil for another 10 minutes.
Roasting
In order to make the dish tasty and not burnt, the pan must be chosen with a thick bottom. The recipe is pretty simple.
Ingredients Required:
- corn cobs - 2 pieces;
- sunflower oil - 20 ml;
- butter - 30 g;
- salt - 1/4 hl.
Cooking:
- Rinse the cobs, clean, cut into portions, fry over medium heat in sunflower oil on each side for five minutes.
- Then add 50 ml of water, reduce the heat and simmer without a lid until the water evaporates.
- Soften butter, mix with salt and smear it with ready-made corn.
In the oven
- You will need a deep tank, the bottom of which you need to grease with butter.
- Then put peeled and thoroughly washed cobs into it.
- Pour hot water to the middle of the dish and cover with foil.
- Send in the oven, preheated to 180-200 degrees for 30 minutes.
Learn more recipes for cooking corn in the oven here.
How to store ready?
Store ready corn better on the cob. The simplest method would be to wrap each sponge with cling film and put it in the fridge. The term for such storage is small, about three days. During this time, the product is sufficiently heated in the microwave, all the healthy and taste will remain.
In order to boiled corn preserved longer, it needs a little salting. Salt is a natural preservative that will help preserve the quality of the product.
For, in order to keep the corn for a long time, you need to use the freeze. Each ear should be tightly wrapped in cling film and placed in a fast-frozen freezer. Thus, the product can be stored for up to a year.
To defrost the ear you need to transfer from the freezer to the refrigerator and wait for the desired state. Using a microwave in this case is not recommended. Proper freezing allows you to save not only taste, but also all the useful properties of corn.
IMPORTANT! In order to prevent the formation of extra ice during freezing, after cooking the cob needs to be thrown back into a colander and allowed to drain.
Preparation of corn, as well as its storage, does not require special skills. Observing simple recommendations for processing, selecting recipes and methods of preparation, it is possible to obtain substances and elements necessary for the body all year round, using this tasty and nutritious vegetable.
