How Much Corn is On an Ear?

Corn is a tall grain that grows large elongated ears of corn wrapped in leaves with silky threads sticking out the top. Besides corn, it is also called maize. This vegetable is one of the oldest domestic crops.

Since corn is a grain and grains are a type of fruit, technically, corn is a fruit (and a grain). Just like tomatoes and green peppers are also really fruits, in society, we typically eat corn as if it was a vegetable.

There are several common types of corn.

• Sweet corn - what we eat with a meal - high sugar content

• Field corn or dent corn - dried out and made into animal feed. Also used as a grain in making chips and corn tortillas - grow big, heavy ears - majority of commercially grown in the world

• Indian corn or flint corn - multicolored decorative corn. It's also dried and made into corn meal, polenta, etc.

• Popcorn - oldest domesticated type of corn. Range of colors. Harvested when ears are dry and kernels hard. Nebraska #1 producer in US.

• "Specialty" corns include many kinds such as heirloom varieties which are not mass-produced; and flour corn which has a soft texture making it easy to grind.

Corn on the cob has a slightly crunchy texture on the outside and a tender one on the inside. Taste-wise, you get a sweet mouthful of a soft buttery flavor.

When popped, basically all popcorn is a tender bite of white fluff that doesn't have a lot of taste to it. However, you can enhance your snacking experience by putting butter, salt, spices, cheeses, caramel, and many other fun flavors over the bowl of popcorn. You can also alter the taste of the popcorn by the way you pop it: air pop vs. pan with oil vs. others.

Both field corn and flint corn are processed before made into something edible.

As a substitute for sweet corn in a recipe, you can use peas, sweet potato, or jicama.

For a cornmeal replacement, you can turn to corn grits, polenta, or ground oats.

If you are out of corn flour? You can use polenta flour instead.

Before you cut any corn, you should shuck the husk (this is the green leaves wrapped around the ear of corn) and remove silky strings. The closer to cooking time you can husk the corn, the fresher it will taste. Wash the corn on the cob under cool running water to remove any remaining dirt.

You can cut the corn kernels off the cob either pre- or post-cooked, however, it is much easier to handle while it is raw and cool to touch.

While holding on to one end of the ear of corn, place the other end in a bowl, on a cutting board or baking pan. Using a sharp kitchen knife, and slowly slice down the ear from the top to the bottom. The kernels will fall off the cob.

Rotate the ear of corn and repeat the same cutting action. Do this until you have removed all of the Kernels.

Before you eat any corn, you need to remove and discard the husk and silky strings. After the ears of corn are cleaned off, wash them under cool running water in the sink to remove and clinging dirt. It is best not to husk your corn until right before cooking it.

However, you can cook ears of corn with or without the husk removed. If boiling them in a pot of water, the husks are removed before the ears are submerged. Often when cooked on a grill, the husks are removed prior to grilling.

If cooking the corn in a campfire or roasted in an oven, the husks might be left on. However, it is a good idea to peel back the husk and remove the silky tufts, then reposition the husks back around the ear of corn.

To make sweet corn juice, shuck the husk and silky tufts. Rinse the corn kernels in cool running water. With a sharp knife, remove the kernels by cutting down the ear of corn while holding it in a bowl or on a cutting board. Rotate the ear and continue slicing until all the corn is off.

Place the corn in your electric juicer and enjoy your resulting refreshing drink. Corn is often mixed with other fresh juiced ingredients.

You can store unhusked sweet corn in the refrigerator for about 2 days without putting them in a plastic bag.

If the ears of corn are already husked, wrap them loosely in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days.

Once corn is cooked, you can store it in the refrigerator either on or off the cob, in an airtight container, plastic bag, or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. The cooked corn should last for 3 to 5 days when stored properly in the refrigerator.

If you will not be eating the ears of corn within about 3 or 4 days, you might consider freezing the ears of corn to help retain its freshness. Before freezing, shuck the husks and remove the silky strings. Rinse the ears under cool running water.

Blanch the corn on the cob in boiling water for about 4 minutes followed by placing them into an ice bath to stop the cooking action. Place the ears in a single layer in a food quality Ziploc-type bag and put them into the freezer until needed.