The delicious taste of fresh corn makes the transition from late summer to early fall even sweeter. Also known as parboiling or simmering, blanching involves washing vegetables in boiling water or steaming them for a short time. Blanching will clean the surface of the corn from dirt and organisms, brighten the color, and help slow the loss of vitamins. Follow these simple steps on how to blanch corn to soften it for eating, prepare it for another cooking method, or freeze it for future use.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Blanching Corn in Boiling Water
Step 1. Prepare the corn for blanching
- Peel the skin completely from the corn. Peel the skin or corn husks. Remove the skin or make compost.
- Peel and discard the corn silk. Strands such as hair on corn can be removed by hand or with a soft vegetable brush, but don't worry if you can't remove them thoroughly, as these hairs can easily be removed after the corn is cooked.
- Cut off the excess stalks from the corn. If you still have more than 2, 5 or 5 cm of corn stalks at the base of the corn, you can trim off the rest. Personal preference dictates how long the corn stalks you want to leave, from a few centimeters to none at all.
- Rinse the corn to remove any dirt particles or excess hair residue.
Step 2. Submerge the corn in a large pot of cold water
- Choose a pot large enough to completely submerge all the corn you want to blanch in the water.
- Place the corn in the pot.
- Fill a pot with clean cold water, using about a gallon of water for every two to three corns. Add water to a few inches above the surface of the corn, and leave a distance of 7.5 to 10 cm from the surface of the water to the rim of the pot.
Step 3. Bring a pot of water and corn to a boil
Turn up the heat and let the water boil
Step 4. Boil the corn for seven to 11 minutes
- If your corn is small, 3.2 cm in diameter, boil it for seven minutes.
- If your corn is small, 3.2 to 3.8 cm in diameter, boil it for nine minutes.
- If your corn is small, more than 3.8 cm in diameter, boil it for 11 minutes.
Step 5. Remove the corn from the boiling water and place it in a soaking bowl filled with ice water
- Fill a large bowl or wastefel with cold water and ice to make an iced water bath.
- Carefully remove the corn from the boiling water using tongs.
- Soak the corn in an ice water bath. Change the water periodically if the water temperature rises above 15.6˚C.
Step 6. Drain the corn from the ice water bath
Step 7. Use corn or freeze
- If your corn is fresh and soft it may be ready to eat or you can cook the corn further by roasting it in the oven or cooking the kernels in another method.
- To freeze corn, place the blanched whole corn in a freezer-safe container or plastic bag, and place it in the freezer.
Method 2 of 4: Blanching Corn with Coils with Steam (Steamed)
Step 1. Prepare the corn for blanching
- Peel the skin completely from the corn. Peel the corn husk. Remove the skin or make it into compost.
- Peel and discard corn silk. Strands such as hair on corn can be removed by hand or with a soft vegetable brush, but don't worry if you can't remove them thoroughly, as these hairs can easily be removed after the corn is cooked.
- Cut off the excess stalks from the corn. If you still have more than 2, 5 or 5 cm of corn stalks at the base of the corn, you can trim off the rest. Personal preference will determine how long the stalks of corn you want to leave, from a few cm to none at all.
- Rinse the corn to remove any dirt particles or excess hair residue.
Step 2. Prepare the pot for steaming
- Choose a pan large enough to blanch 2-4 corncobs per time in a single layer, depending on the size of your pan.
- Place a metal colander or steamer in the bottom of the pan.
- Add about 5-7 cm of water to the pot. Use enough water so that the water level is about 2.5 cm below the steamer or strainer.
Step 3. Place the corn cobs on the steamer in the pan without getting too full
Step 4. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil
Step 5. Steam the corn for about four minutes
Step 6. Put the corn in the ice water bath
- Fill a large bowl or wastefel with cold water and ice to make an iced water bath.
- Remove the corn from the pan using tongs or carefully remove the steamer from the pan.
- Soak the corn in an ice water bath. Change the water periodically if the water temperature rises above 5.6˚C.
Step 7. Use corn or freeze
Method 3 of 4: Blanching Whole Corn Seeds in Boiling Water
Step 1. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan
Use about one liter of water per one cup (250 ml) of corn kernels.
Step 2. Carefully pour the whole corn kernels into the boiling water
Step 3. Boil the corn kernels for about four minutes or until soft
Step 4. Drain the water from the corn kernels by pouring the pot over the strainer placed in the sink
Step 5. Put the corn kernels in an ice water bath to remove the heat so that the cooking process stops
Step 6. Use corn kernels or freeze
Method 4 of 4: Steaming Whole Corn Seeds (Steamed)
Step 1. Prepare the pot for steaming
- Choose a pot large enough to blanch 1 to 2 cups (250-500 ml) of corn kernels at a time.
- Place a metal colander or steamer in the bottom of the pan.
- Add about 5-7 cm of water to the pot. Use enough water so that the water level is about 2.5 cm below the steamer or strainer.
Step 2. Pour the corn kernels into the steamer or colander
Step 3. Cover the pot and turn up the heat to bring the water to a boil
Step 4. Steam the corn kernels for about four minutes or until soft
Step 5. Carefully remove the steamer or colander containing the corn from the pan
Step 6. Pour the corn kernels into an ice water bath to remove the heat so that the cooking process stops
Step 7. Use corn kernels or freeze them
Tips
- When buying corn, avoid corn cobs that have small brown holes in their husks, as they are more likely to be caused by worms or other unwanted pests.
- Before buying corn, feel the kernels through the husks to find those that are large, puffy and abundant. It also avoids the unnecessary tendency to peel the corn husks before buying.
- Choose corn that has bright green skin and yellow hair for the freshest corn.
- Look for corncobs that are heavier than most existing corn, and that are neither too skinny nor too fat to find corn that is growing well and picked at the right time.
- Use a fork to test whether the corn kernels can be easily pierced with a fork and therefore blanch long enough for hardness.
Warning
- Use a heat pad or oven mitt and long tongs when removing the corn from the cooking or steaming water to avoid burns.
- Carefully open the lid of the pot from the boiling or steaming water to avoid steam burns from the hot steam or splashes of hot water.
