Reader Tip: Cooking Corn in the Oven

The summer produce season is tapering off, but there is still fresh corn in the markets.

Here's a trick for cooking corn that I've never seen before! Our neighbors at the lake told me how they cook their sweet corn in the summer and I had to share their clever idea!

The Gaylord family, Jack, Susi, and their daughter, Megen have spent their summers on Lake Oliver since before their daughter was born! Susi has been perfecting her method for cooking corn in the oven for so long she can't remember the first time she did it. You can see the corn in this picture was from our other lake neighbor, the Malley's, who shared dozens of ears of corn with our family. The corn was plump, super sweet, and perfectly ripe!!!


Corn Cooked in the Oven by the Gaylord Family

• Clean the corn by removing the husks and the silks.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  
• Wrap each ear of corn with a damp paper towel. This helps steam the corn to retain it's moisture.
  
• Then, wrap the covered corn with a piece of aluminum foil (see the picture on the right).
  
• Place on a cookie sheet seam facing upwards to control drips. Susi places foil on the bottom of the oven in case there are any drips.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve immediately.
  

The corn stays warm until you're ready to eat it since it's wrapped in the foil. And the family uses the paper towel at the end to clean their hands. See the picture on the left from their picnic table.

To save time and money, they also re-use the foil pieces all summer. Isn't that so clever??!!

Here's another reader recipe for cooking fresh corn on the stove top, from my friend Betsy.