How to Make Corn on the Cob - 6 Methods Compared

The default move is to fill a stockpot with water, throw in a fat pinch of salt, and boil the corn for five minutes. It works. It's also the version that loses the most flavor. Boiling pulls water-soluble vitamins like folate straight out of the kernels and into the pot, which gets dumped down the drain. Over-boiled corn turns tough and chewy. The good news is there are five other ways to cook a cob, and most of them are easier than waiting for a pot to come up to temperature.

Leave the husk on, soak a paper towel in cold water until it's heavy but not dripping, and wrap it around the ear. Set the wrapped cob on a microwave-safe plate and run the microwave on high for five minutes. The wet towel turns into steam, and the husk holds that steam against the kernels. When the timer dings, pull the ear out with tongs. It's hot. Let it sit thirty seconds, then peel the husk and silk off in one motion. The silk comes off in a single clean sheet - no picking individual strands out from between rows.

Pull the husk and silk all the way off so you've got a bare yellow cob. Smear two tablespoons of soft butter over every surface, then sprinkle on a pinch of kosher salt. Lay the cob on a sheet of heavy-duty foil, fold the long sides up over the corn, and twist the ends shut like a candy wrapper. Drop the foil pack directly on hot coals or a grill grate over coals. Turn the pack every four or five minutes so it cooks evenly. Total time: about 15 minutes. The butter melts inside the foil and bastes the kernels while they cook - you end up with a buttery cob that's already seasoned the moment you unwrap it.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pull the top inch of husk back to check that the silk strands are removed (they pull right out once the husk is open), then close the husk back over the corn. Lay the cob directly on the oven rack - no pan, no foil, no butter yet. Set a timer for 35 minutes. The oven dehydrates the outer husk layers, which crisp up like a roasting bag and trap moisture against the kernels. When the time is up, pull the cob out with tongs and let it cool just enough to handle. The husk peels off in one piece and the cob underneath is steamed-roast in flavor with no smoke, no char.

Set a steamer basket or a metal colander over an inch of simmering water in a stockpot. Husk the corn, snap each cob in half if needed to fit, and lower the corn into the basket. Cover with a tight lid. Let the corn steam for seven to ten minutes. Eight minutes is the sweet spot for most ears - the kernels turn deep yellow and give just slightly when you press them. Steaming hits all the same texture notes as boiling without leaching the vitamins into a pot of water. It's the easiest cleanup of any method on this list.

Don't peel the husk. Don't add butter. Drop the whole intact cob, husk and all, directly over hot coals. Turn the cob a quarter-turn every three or four minutes for a total of 15 minutes on the grill. The outer husk chars dark brown and black on the outside. That's correct - it's protecting the kernels inside. When you pull the cob off and let it cool, the husk peels off in a clean sheet and the silk comes with it. The corn underneath is bright yellow, juicy, and tastes more like corn than any other method on this list. This was the unanimous winner of the side-by-side test.

Every method gets the same finish. Roll the hot cob across the cut side of a stick of soft butter so the surface kernels glaze themselves. Sprinkle with flaky salt while the butter is still soft enough to grab it. If there are a few stray silk fibers hanging on after the husk came off, hit them with a kitchen torch or the open flame of a gas burner for one second. The silk burns off instantly and the kernel underneath stays untouched. Plate the corn and serve while it's still hot.