Bringing Out The Best In Corn

(CBS)  This is the best time of year for fresh, sweet summer corn. Markets are full of it right now.

And Bon Appetit magazine Contributing Editor Dede Wilson stopped by The Early Show Friday with some great suggestions on how to buy, grill and prepare the summer favorite.

CORN SEASON

Some types of corn are bred to mature quickly and can be found in stores as early as July 4th, but many farmers will tell you that better corn is available later in the season. Basically, the later in summer, the sweeter the corn. Some farmers even suggest that the sweetest corn becomes available right after Labor Day. Ironically, once that holiday arrives, many consumers won't eat corn, mistakenly thinking it isn't good!

BUYING CORN

The ears should be covered with silk and husk. The silk should be fresh, moist and "silky," not dry or brittle. The husk should be green, not brown, and should be pliant and moist. Ears should feel heavy and plump for their size.

Look at the bottom of the ear, where it was cut from the stalk. If it's brown, it was probably picked more than two days ago. If you can see the kernels, they should be plump and full. If they're at all shrunken, that's another sign the corn isn't fresh.

It's best to eat corn right after you buy it. As soon as corn is picked, its sugar begins to turn to starch. Some evidence indicates corn loses 25 percent of its sugar content within 25 hours after picking. But certain "super sweet" varieties have been developed to retain their sugars longer. If you're not going to eat the corn right away, refrigerate it; the coolness with slow down the sugar-to-starch conversion.

CORN VARIETIES

We grow more corn in this country than any other crop. Any corn designed for eating is called "sweet corn" and, believe it or not, there are over 200 varieties of sweet corn. Some have been bred to be sweeter than others, but there's no way to know how sweet the corn you're buying is going to be until you try it. Each corn variety comes in a yellow, white and bicolor form. Traditionally, we've been told that white corn is sweeter than yellow. That's not really true anymore. Again, it depends on the variety, not the color.

GRILLING CORN

People are often confused about how to grill corn, Wilson says, as evidenced by the fact that you're always hearing about different grilling methods. The good news is that there's no wrong way to grill corn. You just have to figure out what you like best. Removing all the husks and silks gives your corn a smokier flavor. Grilling it with the husks on basically steams the corn; the husks act as a natural protector, holding in moisture. You can soak corn in water before grilling it to create even more steam.

Go to Page 2 for recipes.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page »