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It is not even a question! Cooking corn on a cob in a microwave is a breeze. Once you start preparing corn this way, you’ll forget all about grilling (or boiling, steaming, or roasting).
Microwave corn on the cob might just be the sweetest thing in the summer. This way, you can avoid a boiling pot of water or firing up the grill.
It is light for digestion, great in taste, and easy to prepare with our corn recipe, of course!
The best part about this corn recipe is that you don’t even have to remove the husk. Just pop the fresh corn in the microwave for a couple of minutes.
Then, slice off the bottom, and you’re ready to enjoy corn as a side dish or as is.
Read on to find more about this soft, juicy, and delectable microwave corn-on-the-cob technique.
The Best Microwave Corn on The Cob Recipe
Microwaving corn on the cob is a super easy and quick way to cook. Start by placing the ears on a cutting board.
Here is the recipe to make corn for a quick side meal.
Ingredients
- 1-4 ears of corn on the cob
- Butter
- Pepper
- Sea Salt
- Garlic Powder (optional)
- Paprika (optional)
Method
- If the silks at the very tip of the cob are moist or coming off, remove them.
- Cook one ear of corn for 4-5 minutes on maximum power, or 6-7 minutes for about three ears, and 7-8 minutes for four ears, rotating halfway through. (More on this later)
- Carefully remove the cooked corn using tongs or a thick potholder to protect yourself from any steam produced by the cob.
- Let it sit and cool slightly on the cutting board for three minutes.
- Next, peel or shuck the corn. Once you microwave, the quickest method to accomplish this is to slice off the bottom (stalk end), and the husks and silk should simply glide off.
Tips for Cooking Corn on The Cob in The Microwave
Now the first thing you might wonder is how to tell if the corn is cooked.
Well, the golden hue of the corn on the cob becomes more pronounced, and the kernels also plump up and become juicy and tender as it is fully cooked.
Pricking a kernel with a fork or knife is a good way to test it.
Follow these tips and tricks to achieve brilliant results while trying this summer corn recipe.
- To cook delicious corn on the cob, start with farm-fresh corn. You can test this by looking at the husk and tassels. Husks should be green, and tassels should be brown and sticky.
- Choose cobs with white kernels for a sweeter flavor. Yellow kernels are classic summer snacks, though.
- If your husk is green and fresh, there is no need to shuck the corn on the cob to microwave it. The corn steams in the husks, locking in moisture, resulting in juicy, tasty corn that is quick and easy to prepare with no effort and no wet paper towel or kitchen towel.
Microwave Corn On The Cob Recipe FAQs
In this section, we’ll address the FAQs related to preparing corn on the cob in a microwave:
How Long Should We Microwave Corn?
Well, this depends on whether you’re cooking a few ears of corn or many.
- The general rule of thumb is that two ears of corn take 4-5 minutes to cook on a high setting.
- If cooking more than one ear, add a couple of minutes to the equation.
- This means three ears of corn should take six minutes, and four should take eight minutes, and so on for each additional ear.
- Alternatively, you can rotate the cob in the microwave halfway through and reduce the time needed to cook more corn.
Note: Most microwaves can handle at most four ears of corn at once.
To Shuck or Not To Shuck?
As we mentioned earlier, when you cook corn in the microwave, shucking the corn after heating is actually faster, easier, and cleaner. Otherwise, you’d need paper towels.
This is for the following reasons:
- The husk acts as a steamer. This results in juicier and more tender corn kernels than shucked corn.
- This further ensures that shucking is easier as you can just slice off the bottoms to separate the corn from the husk.
However, if you prefer your corn shucked before microwaving, you can prepare it by following these steps:
- To shuck corn, remove the outer leaves to reveal the corn’s fragile green leaves and silks.
- Pull half of the silks down one side, pulling them off.
- Repeat on the opposite side, then remove any residual silks.
- Though the corn silk does not affect the flavor, they are tedious to pull out of your teeth.
- To cook it further, wrap the corn in a damp paper towel before microwaving it. This will emulate the moisture from the corn husks.
Which Corn Recipes to Try?
Once you start making corn on the cob in the microwave, there is no going back. You can further make these microwave recipes in several ways with different flavor combinations.
Here are a few more flavors you can add to make your own ear of corn as a side dish or main course recipes:
- Season with garlic salt
- Paprika
- Parmesan cheese
- Use chile powder in conjunction with lime
- Hot sauce or chili flakes
- Butter
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Chipotle powder
- Sugar – for sweet corn
- Mayonnaise – particularly when seasoned with Tajin seasoning
Can I Save Corn on The Cob for Later?
You most definitely can! After quickly cooking by this method, cover leftover corn in plastic wrap or butter paper and store them in the fridge.
This leads to another question. Can you reheat the leftover microwaved corn?
That’s a yes again! To reheat corn, just put it on a microwave-safe plate and use the reheat mode.
To cook evenly and avoid overcooking, we suggest heating it in the microwave using 20-second intervals.
Final Thoughts
You save a lot of cooking time when you microwave corn on the cob. The process to cook an ear of corn is simple, hassle-free, and super quick.
This method is perfect for the summer months and the best way to cook corn.
The resulting corn in a microwave is juicier and scrumptious when cooked with the corn husk on. Try this corn-on-the-cob recipe now.
