Microwave your corn. That's it, that's the tip. Ok, so you won't get those crispy charred bits on your ears like you do when you grill corn. Who cares? You don't need fancy grill marks to make crispy, spicy fritters, hearty vegetable enchiladas, or cheesy, herby summer salad. You'll also save yourself the hassle of watching a pot, an unavoidable step in the effort to boil corn in water.
We'll go ahead and say it—the time and effort you can save by cooking corn in the microwave is priceless. We're not biased, but we are low-key obsessed with microwaves. Oh, and it's actually easier to remove the husk after microwaving the corn—you're welcome.
Here's how to microwave corn on the cob, so you can spend more time by the pool and less time hovering over the grill.
1. Microwave the whole ears
Place as many as 4 ears of corn—husk, silk and all—in the microwave on a microwave-safe plate. Depending on how many ears you're cooking, let them microwave from anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. If you're only going for 1 or 2 ears, start with 3 minutes, and if you're cooking 4 ears, try 5 minutes—check them every 30 seconds after that to avoid overcooking.
2. Let them cool
Remove the ears of corn from the microwave and carefully roll them from the plate onto a cutting board. Give them some time to cool down so you don't hurt yourself when you begin cutting and husking the cobs.
3. Cut off stem ends
With a large, sharp knife, slice one end of the cob off, making slicing about an inch from the stem end (the end opposite the hairy-looking silk). This removes the husk and silk from the base of the ear, which will make the next step much easier.
4. Remove husk/silk
Firmly grab the other end of the ear with the silk, and start to pull it away from the side you just cut. The husk and the silk should slide right off of the cob, leaving the cob with nothing but juicy kernels. Now you can toss those husks and silks (or do something creative with 'em—apparently you can even make tea with corn silks).
5. Or microwave after shucking
If your husks are already shucked, you can follow the same instructions as above—but since there won't be a husk for them to steam inside of, you'll want to wrap these cobs in a damp paper towel before starting with the first step.
So you know how to microwave corn on the cob—now how do you get the kernels off for your salad? We've got you covered with this video.
