The Only 2 Ingredients You Need To Upgrade Corn On The Cob This Summer

Cooking corn on the cob is one of the simplest things you can do in the kitchen. Just dump it in some water, add salt, turn on some heat, and in a few minutes, you are ready to eat, right? Nevertheless, if you've cooked corn and it tasted a little dull or tough, you likely needed more than just heat to bring out the flavor of your corn. That's where sugar and lemon come in as behind-the-scenes helpers that will help to make your cob even more delicious. Corn begins to lose its inherent sweetness the instant it is harvested. The longer the corn sits around, the more sugars will convert to starch. Even if you store your corn the right way, it may need a little help tasting like the fresh summer corn you expect.

A little bit of sugar in the boiling water will enhance the corn's sweetness, keeping the kernels tasting like they were just pulled off the stalk. However, sweetness alone doesn't give corn that extra pop. This is where lemon gets in on the action. A nice drizzle of lemon juice gives you just the acid to keep the corn from becoming mushy. It sharpens the flavor, but not enough to drown it out, allowing the corn to feel light and bright, not flat or heavy. The wonderful part is that neither of these ingredients makes overwhelming changes to the corn. They simply accentuate what is already present.

Incorporating sugar and lemon into your corn on the cob is straightforward. While your water is heating, add a small a spoonful of sugar to the pot. Then, squeeze in some fresh lemon juice. Half a lemon is enough for a regular-sized pot. When the water is gently bubbling, slide in your corn. Let it come back to a boil before turning off your heat and letting your corn soak in all that goodness. A bonus to this hack is that it's super forgiving. You don't have to be exact with how much sugar or lemon you use. Just add enough to give the water some personality, and be careful not to overcook your corn. 

If you want to mess around a little more, some people like to throw in a lemon wedge while boiling their corn for a lemony steam. Others try flavored salts or herbs after cooking to add more flavor dimensions. To be honest, you really only need these two ingredients to see significant improvements. But there's no problem experimenting with spicy, cheesy, buttery layers. Or you could go a step further and make a corn boil, the Trinidadian way. The sugar-lemon trick simply keeps things basic and clean, respecting the corn's natural flavor instead of masking it with toppings.