How to Cook Corn (All Our Favorite Methods)

The thing to note here is that I’ve put “boiled” in quotes. That’s because the result is like a classic boiled ear, but the methods are optimized for the very best results—which, it turns out, means we don’t actually boil the corn at all. Instead you can choose one of three great methods depending on your available time and setup.

For those with a big pot and access to an instant-read thermometer, my very favorite method is a cold-start poach in which the corn and its water are brought up to 180°F, then covered and left to sit for at least 10 minutes. This process perfectly gelatinizes the corn’s starches so that there’s no chalky texture to the corn milk, but avoids breaking down the kernels’ natural pectin, preventing wrinkly, collapsed, mushy corn.

Alternatively, you can steam the corn, which works great and is quick, thanks to the need to heat a much smaller amount of water, or you can microwave the ears in the husk, which is my go-to method when I just want an ear or two (though I’ve had success with microwaving up to four ears at once).