“I live in Michigan, and one of most celebrated parts of summer is the corn I pick up at the farmstand by my cottage up north,” Chef Kelli Lewton, owner of Two Unique Caterers and Event Planners and author of Make Your Own Party: Twenty Blueprints to MYO Party!, tells Parade. “Like many other summer-inspired local produce commodities, such as our sweet Michigan cherries, I pick up an extra bushel full before the prime harvest season is over. I will use that extra harvest corn for many different culinary endeavors, such as corn chow-chow or relish, and then I will freeze the rest for corn-inspired foodie projects for another day when the sweet Michigan corn has disappeared from the farmstands and farmers’ markets.” When it comes to freezing corn on the cob, here is Chef Lewton’s favorite method, but one thing to remember before you start: “Never salt corn before freezing it,” Lewton warns. “It will only toughen your corn!”
How to Freeze Corn on the Cob
- Shuck corn and remove all of the silk from the inner leaves.
- Take a large stockpot and fill it with water (remember: do not add salt to your water or corn!). Cover it with its lid. “This will make water come to a boil faster,” Lewton notes.
- For what Chef Lewton calls “a good blanch,” using long steel tongs, lower ears of corn into the water. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Carefully drain or remove corn from the water and place it immediately into a water bath. “A water bath is a large vessel that will hold the corn with about equal parts ice and water,” Chef Lewton explains. “You can use a couple of vessels if need be. At home I will just put a stopper in my clean kitchen sink for my ice bath, then drain corn in the laundry room sink and then quickly hustle the steaming corn back to the kitchen and in the icy kitchen pool sink.” Let the corn sit in the water bath for a minute or so, she says, but “no worries if it sits longer than that.”
- If you want to keep your corn whole on the cob, remove from the water bath and place it on a tray lined with paper or a clean kitchen towel. Give the ears a roll on the towel to make sure they are dry, as freezing them with water droplets will increase the crystallization of water and provide an environment for freezer burn.
- Once the ears are cool and dry, wrap each ear individually and snugly in plastic wrap.
- Bag the ears of corn single file and flat into 1- or 2-gallon Ziplock bags. 8. Place the bags of corn in your freezer.
How do I freeze corn kernels?
Lewton says that to freeze corn kernels, follow steps 1 through 5 for freezing corn on the cob. Then take the dry ears of corn and cut the kernels off. Freeze the kernels in quart-size Ziplock bags for a quick grab to add to a recipe. “I prefer to freeze cut corn kernels in smaller bags as I would rather pull an extra smaller bag or two than have leftover corn that I would not want to refreeze,” Lewton notes. “Some may skip the blanching step and just freeze the raw corn kernels cut right from the ear, but I like the blanching step as it removes any surface dirt and deactivates enzymes that lead to spoilage.”
How long does corn on the cob last in the freezer?
If frozen properly, corn on the cob will hold well in the freezer for up to around 10 months.
How do I reheat frozen corn on the cob?
To reheat corn on the cob from the freezer, unwrap a frozen ear of corn and place it in a large stockpot. Fill the stockpot with water just until the corn is covered. Place the lid on the stockpot and crank it to high heat. Heat it for 7 to 9 minutes. Drain the corn, then serve. Next, find out the best ways to reheat pizza!
