The South's Secret to the Best Southern Fried Corn Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes corn taste better? ›

Brown sugar will add a hint of molasses flavor to corn, while granulated sugar gives a pure, sweet taste. When done, sprinkle liberally with salt and butter for the perfect salty sweet side dish.

Sauté peppers and onions then add a can of corn that is well drained. Pan roast the corn until some is slightly browned and the liquid is gone. Season with salt and pepper. Even just pan roasting the corn will make it taste better than just heating it up in a saucepan.

Southern fried corn, a dish with deep roots in African American cooking, preserves fresh kernels and their natural sweetness. It's traditionally made with corn shucked fresh from the cobs. Reserving the “milk” — the milky liquid from the lining of the cob — makes this dish lightly creamy without any cream.

The longer the corn sits after picking, the more the sugars convert to starch and sweetness is lost. This is frequently the simple reason for corn that is not sweet.

The most likely culprit of that blah, starchy, diluted chalk water flavor and hard, dense texture is that the corn is too old, and has had time to dry out and convert some of its sugars to starches.

Boiling corn on the cob brings out its natural sweetness. But if you want an even juicier and sweeter crisp-tender bite, swap out some of the water for milk. The milk enhances the flavor and texture. It also infuses the corn on the cob with milk and butter, resulting in salty, buttery kernels.

Avoid cooking corn for too long. "If you have super fresh corn — which can even be eaten raw — it's a waste of time to cook for the common recommended time of 20 [or more] minutes," says Jones. Overcooking can also result in chewy and firm kernels. You can steam for 8-10 minutes or less, or even use the microwave.

Boil the corn until the kernels turn bright yellow and are crisp tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully remove from the water with tongs to a serving platter and serve warm.

Here's the scoop: When freshly picked, sweet corn is high in sugar and low in starch. However, the longer it sits after picking, the more that balance shifts toward starches. This mutes the flavor and affects it's texture when cooked.

Why does my corn on the cob taste gummy? ›

Choose fresh, unhusked corn. Corn with the husks removed, such as the ones often found prepackaged at the grocery store, are frequently past their prime. The sugars in the kernels will have turned to starch, making the corn gummy to the bite after cooking.

Did you know that boiling or over-cooking the corn. turns the natural sugars to starch thus making the. corn chewy, gummy, and worst of all FLAVORLESS! Steaming allows these sugars to stay intact!

Farmers in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, Ohio, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Colorado and North Carolina, reported the best corn crops of any producers in the nation. Pennsylvania's nation-leading good-to-excellent rating on corn in Monday's report came in at 88% with 24% of the crop reported as excellent.

Let's get this out of the way first: Yes, the United States is first on the list of both corn producers (over 30% of the total corn produced in 2022 and 2023) and corn consumers in total bushels (just a shade under 12 million). But the why matters here, too, because Americans use corn for pretty much everything.

Iowa is the largest producer of corn in the United States. While officially nicknamed "The Hawkeye State," Iowa is also known as "The Corn State" due to 90% of its land devoted to agriculture.

Mix 1 stick softened butter with ½ teaspoon of cracked black pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and coarse sea salt to taste. Spread on hot, cooked corn. Blend 1 stick softened butter with 1 minced garlic clove and ½ teext> teaspoon Old Bay seasoning. Spread on cooked corn and sprinkle with more Old Bay and kosher salt.

If the name itself doesn't convince you, the brilliant technique will: cooking ears of fresh corn in a pot of boiling water seasoned with milk, butter, and salt. This method infuses every kernel with sweet, buttery flavor, and gives the corn a luxe, tender texture.

As corn kernels dry the sugar in them converts to starch; harvesting the sweet corn at an early stage in maturation allows higher contents of sugars to remain in the grain making the corn sweet. Sweetness in corn is a naturally occurring recessive gene that humans have been enjoying since the Native Americans.

The answer lies in its sugar content. Unlike its distant relative, field corn, sweet corn is harvested at the peak of its sugar development. This means that it's full of natural sugars, making it a delightful treat to eat straight off the cob or as a tasty addition to a variety of dishes.