Add Major Flavor To Your Corn On The Cob By Adding This To Your Boiling Water

Summer 'tis the season for consuming fresh, sweet, golden kernels of corn right from the cob. Whether harvesting ears from your personal garden or using the silk test to get the best corn from the grocery store, there's something peaceful about the process of shucking, de-silking, and boiling corn. Unlike the frozen or canned stuff, the kernels are sweet, tender, and positively bursting with juice.

If you're on a mission to make the juiciest, most tender corn on the cob you've ever had, infuse the water in your stock pot with a generous pour of buttermilk, the same ingredient responsible for creating tall, flaky biscuits, thanks to its beautiful balance of fat and acid. This same fat and acid simultaneously tenderizes corn on the cob while infusing the kernels with luscious flavor for a savory, chewy, and deeply juicy summer side. Thicker than ordinary milk with a tangy undertone, it takes just 2 cups of buttermilk in a standard-sized stock pot to achieve these results, so it's entirely possible to prep plump corn on the cob and buttery biscuits all in one meal. 

Since this hack is fairly new on the culinary scene, it may be easily confused with a similar technique that comes from the Southern United States, where home cooks cleverly add regular whole milk and about half a stick of butter to the stock water as it boils, which also produces some delicious corn. However, using buttermilk vs. butter and milk are two separate techniques. 

Part of using this trick to your greatest advantage involves mixing the buttermilk into the water before you begin bringing it to a boil, similar to adding salt to your pasta water. Not only does this help the water and buttermilk mix evenly to ensure uniformly cooked corn, but it also helps your water reach a rolling boil a little faster. Adding cold or even room-temperature liquid to boiling water would cool it too much and disrupt the boil. Mixing everything from the start helps ensure a faster boil to get your corn cooking as soon as possible.

Something else to think about is how long to actually boil your corn on the cob — usually about three to six minutes. However, to get the full benefit of the buttermilk bath, it's recommended to boil your corn for about 10 minutes. This helps ensure the kernels get perfectly plump, golden, and juicy. Just be careful not to boil it for too much longer than that, and keep a close eye on it as it cooks. If kernels look wrinkly or about to burst, it's time to pull your corn out of the water.

What really makes infusing your corn with buttermilk so much better than boiling it in plain water is the slightly tangy flavor it imparts, almost lemony with a more savory undertone. This flavor is perfect for pairing with indulgent Mexican street corn flavors, fresh, bright herbs, or even zesty chili and lime-infused Tajín seasoning.