Autumn is the season for eating corn. If you master a few tips when boiling corn, you can improve its texture.
1. Don't boil it "naked"
Some people are used to peeling the corn completely clean for "naked" boiling. This often causes the corn to lose nutrients during the cooking process and also makes it easy to lose its proper texture. Therefore, when boiling corn, it's best to keep the white "skin" closest to the kernels. Boiling it with the thin skin on will give the cooked corn a unique grain fragrance and make it easier to cook.
2. Soak it before boiling
Before putting it in the pot, it's best to soak the corn in cold water for 20-30 minutes, then cook it over high heat. This is to preserve the corn's own vitamins, making it fragrant and chewy to eat. In addition, there are different varieties of corn, and their cooking times also vary. The most common sweet corn and old corn in the south are best boiled for 8 minutes after the water boils, while the white glutinous corn takes a bit longer, with 10 minutes being ideal.
Boiled Sticky Corn
3. Boil it with "salt"
After the water boils, add a little edible salt to the water you're boiling the corn in. The salt can bring out the sweetness of the corn and also enhance its texture, adding flavor to the corn.
4. Add a little baking soda
When boiling corn, adding a little baking soda (edible alkali) to the water will enhance the nutritional value of the corn. This is because corn is rich in the nutrient niacin, which is generally difficult for the human body to break down and absorb. The magic of baking soda is that it allows the niacin in the corn to be fully released.