Yes, sweet corn should be refrigerated and cooked as soon as possible, before the sugar turns into starch.

I think, I am not an expert on this topic.

dcarch

duplicate post

dcarch

This post was edited by dcarch on Wed, Aug 7, 13 at 13:04

I love this time of year because there are farm stands everywhere around here. They say the best corn is when you bend the stock into the boiling pot. The longer corn sits after picking the more the flavor diminishes. I never like to buy it at the grocery store because it is rarely fresh that moring.But then, all sweet corn is not created equal. There are a lot of different varieties. My favorite is the super sweet variety that comes early in the season. There are certain farm stands I like to buy from and others sell varieties that I don't enjoy. So, maybe you just got one of the blah varieties.

Thank you for your post dcarch and lvmadison. I do understand that there are a lot of different varieties. Maybe I should have said this in my original post...... I helped him pick it from the field, we cooked some up for supper not 30 mins later and it was amazing. The stuff I took home was from the same batch. That's why I think it had to of spoiled sitting on my counter. What are your thoughts?

I don't think it spoiled but the starch content changed. And that would impact the taste.

That's too bad.

I had some corn sit on the counter too long, and it was very tough and tasteless. The first ears were delicious.

I now microwave them in the husk for 2.5 minutes, cut off the fat end and shake the corn out of the husk. Completely silk-free.

Keep it cool. Best in the fridge if that fresh. And husk just before blanching.
I just traveled 2,000 miles, 2 days and a 16hr ferry north. With 3 dozen ears and 50lbs of tomatoes....I kept ice under the crates. We had corn the night before we left the journey and it was lovely. Picked just an hour or so before...three days later kept cool was better than most/any store bought. I blanched and cut off the ears the day arrival and froze. Delivered in husk to neighbors that do not get such good corn on the cob and tomatoes...(and have a freezer full of king crab, lobster, moose, etc in exchange)
Some varieties do not keep as well. Tri-color does best but all corn does not like room temp at all. Like mentioned, the sugars turn to a bland starch very quickly.
Back to your question...best to keep in the husks and keep cool in the fridge before a blanching. Cool quickly and freeze. (i find such fresh corn good the next few days if kept cool). Groceries that just toss corn out on an open bin room temp for days is so wrong.

I agree, the corn will be better left refrigerated/cooled. Also, if it's allowed to get too big, or left on the stalk longer than necessary, it'll lose some sweetness.

There are many varieties today, from the SE (sugary enhanced) to the SH2 to the old fashioned "plain old" heirloom varieties. Some of the newer stuff is bred to stay sweet in the refrigerator for up to 10 days off the stalk, so sweet corn is sweet longer than it's ever been.

The old fashioned kind Grandma use to say needed to be picked and then RUN for the house. Have the water boiling. If you fall and drop the corn, feed that to the pigs and go back for fresh, LOL. Kind of an exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Definitely keep the corn cool and it'll stay good much longer.

Annie

Sort of tangential, but I boil my corn in milk which adds a great deal of sweetness.

I must add that I prefer the old varieties. I like corn that tastes like corn. I grow Golden Bantam myself.

My dad would run it home straight from the field into steamy water, lol. BUT, he often took it from the area not quite ready thinking it was special. "Dad!, they blocked off that area for a reason!".
I do like the older varieties. Good corn flavor.
I call it the 'potato chip drama'.
I rarely eat potato chips...but they should taste like POTATO, not vinegar, herbs, old bay, mac-n-cheese, bbq, pickles, lol.
At work we had 30 varieties and a request for basic classic original Lays...so nice to have a basic chip on occasion with just basic potato flavor.

I've attempted growing corn and have seed for old classics. But my local farm has some of the elder varieties. I shall try again growing my own...

Annie, I love your description of how grandma said corn needed to be handled to ensure freshness!

My parents, lifetime farmers, always bought the corn for me that I froze, so I just took for granted that all corn was good. Now that my parents are no longer able to help me with corn, I have been on the hunt for the perfect, sweet tasting, white corn. I'm essentially looking for Silver Queen, but nobody around here grows that any more.

Here's what I've learned:
Even when the corn is fresh (i.e. just picked that morning), it can still be tasteless.
Even when the corn is a good variety, like Silver King, or Whiteout, it can still lack flavor if the corn is picked too young.
Some roadside stands in my area will refrigerate unsold corn from the day before, and put it out the next morning, and tell me that it was freshly picked.

I just recently found a farmer who sells Misquamicut (I had never heard of it before). He keeps it in coolers and puts out fresh each morning. It's more expensive, but I'm willing to pay for it, because it's the closest thing to Silver Queen that I've come across so far.

I don't think most people have a discriminating taste for corn on the cob, which is why so many farmers just yank off the ear without waiting until it has fully matured. Even my daughter says as long as it has butter and salt, it tastes good. But I like it to have that sweet flavor.

I agree that it needs to be big enough, but not too big. I like my corn best right off the stalk, not even cooked, so I can usually tell when it's at its peak for those of my family who prefer it at least warmed through, LOL.

Annie

Everything I read says blanching is a real must but with sweet corn I have to disagree. We freeze it right after bringing it home with the husks on. (The stems will have to be cut to fit in a gallon zip lock - you can fit four ears in one.)

Then in the middle of winter when you want that straight from the garden sweet corn taste, you just soak in water an hour and then put right on the grill (keeping the husks on.) If you want to steam or boil them, you can remove the husks but it will be sweetest if cooked on the grill!

We have done it this way for many years and it retains the garden sweetness! Yes, I know freezer space is a problem for many but not for us.

Digging, the reason I don't have a "discriminating taste" for corn on the cob is that I've never had the opportunity to taste it fresh off the stalk. It may be just as well, as if I ever taste the real thing, I'll be spoiled. Nevertheless, I hope to some day.

Why don't grocery stores keep corn on the cob in the chiller, like they do lettuces and such?

Sally

Sally, you have enlightened me! That's exactly why farmer's don't have to work too hard to produce the best tasting corn. Very few people know what good corn tastes like. I can't believe I didn't realize this before. Why should a farmer go to so much work to produce a good tasting ear of corn, when most consumers are just happy eating corn still attached to the cob.

From what I read about Silver Queen, it's a variety like Annie described, in that you need to eat it as soon as it's picked to capitalize on the great taste. So the farmer chooses varieties that look good and that hold up better when left out all day to sell.

I don't know why stores don't keep the corn on a chiller, but again I think it's because the consumer doesn't demand it.

Corn should remain in it's husk until you prepare it, but most consumers want to husk it at the store because they don't want to deal with the waste at home. So obviously they either don't care if the corn would taste fresher, or they don't realize that it would.

It's probably just the fun of eating it on the cob that most consumers enjoy. I wish I could grow my own, but I don't have the space, or, more importantly, the inclination to go to all the hard work. And it is very hard work. I'll gladly pay $4 a dozen for someone else to do all that weeding.

Well, I did see corn kept in the cooler at the store I was at yesterday. It's interesting, since this store's produce has declined dramatically over time. I hate buying produce there, but it's the closest place to me that's not Walmart. But all that's a different subject.

Sally