|
|
Corn
Corn has many uses and is probably the most integral food source in our society. Corn is so versatile we
consume less than 1 percent of all the corn grown. This includes fresh, frozen, canned and even
cornmeal. The rest makes up an over $20 billion business creating fuel for our automobiles, oil for
cooking, syrup from soft drinks, and is a staple in pet food and talcum powder.
Corn is important today, but it was even more important to the Indians whom inhabited the Americas
before Columbus. Corn was more than just food to the Indians; corn was sacred. The maize god was at
the center of the pantheon of Mayan deities, the god-man Quetzalcoatl gave maize to the Aztecs, and
the Inca calendar was based on the life cycle of the corn crop.
Today, corn is grown around the world from Beijing to Brazil, Indonesia to India, Florida to California
and Mexico.
Storage & Selection
Corn is best stored in a cool environment since warm temperatures will convert the sugar in the corn to
starch, so your local supermarket should be displaying corn in refrigerator bins. When selecting
individual ears, check the freshness of each one by gently peeling back the husk to examine it, being
careful not to beat up the ear for the next consumer. Great quality corn should have full, evenly formed
and filled ears, with straight rows of bright, shiny kernels. The husks should be bright green with the
silk ends free from decay and obvious worm damage. Refrigerate your corn in the high humidity storage
bin as soon as you get home. It is best to refrigerate corn with the husks attached to keep it moist,
but if the corn has already been husked, partially or fully, refrigerate it in a perforated plastic bag.
Preparation
The ears of corn should be husked and cleaned before cooking. Remove the silk strands by hand. To remove
the silk strands between the kernels, use a dry vegetable brush. Since corn can be eaten raw, obviously
the less it is cooked the better. Corn may be boiled, steamed, grilled or microwaved. Corn on the cob is
also wonderful grilled on the barbecue. I like to cook the ears directly on the grill husked or not.
Husked corn will take about 3 minutes over a medium flame, un-husked about 6-8 minutes. You can brush
the corn with melted butter in either case.
Tony's Tip
If you can get very fresh, tender corn from a farmer's market or roadside stand (or if you grow your own),
try eating an ear raw, right on the spot!
Tony's Favorite Recipe
Corn off the Cob with Chili Butter
|
Varieties
Dent corn, also called Field corn, is used to
make food, animal feed and industrial products. 
Flour corn, also called soft corn, is
typically preferred in making tortillas.
Flint corn is often the choice in colder
regions of the world because of its hardiness. It is similar to dent and is used for the same purpose.
Popcorn is our favorite theater snack item.
Sweet corn is most likely purchased as "corn on
the cob", frozen or canned corn. Kernels containing a high percentage of sugar distinguish it. Sweet
corn is generally divided into yellow, white and bi-colored corn. There are numerous hybrids within
each category - more than 200 in all. Growers continue to develop sweeter and sweeter varieties of
this wonderful vegetable. Yellow corn is the most common, and is the most affordably priced. White
corn is less common, although more growers are planting white corn hybrids due to its increased
popularity. Bi-colored corn is not 50/50 yellow and white, but actually about 80% yellow kernels, and
20% white.
|
|
