Torch Song
For juicy corn with an even char, Food Editor Eric Vellend has a foolproof method — no barbecue required. Boil corn for exactly 5 minutes in unsalted water then transfer to a flameproof baking pan set under the oven hood. With a culinary blowtorch in one hand and tongs in the other, char and turn corn. Enjoy immediately or cool and strip for salt.
Butter Me Up
Instead of plain butter, why not put out flavoured compound butters with your next corn boil? If you like heat, try our three-ingredient, deeply flavoured Smoky Poblano Butter for Corn. There’s also Bagna Cauda Butter, punched up with capers and anchovies, which temper the corn’s sweetness.
Rib Fest
Since going viral in recent years, corn “ribs” have become a mainstay of summer cooking, and for good reason: when cooked, the ribs curl back, creating crispy edges and lots of crevices to catch sauce. To make them, trim the top and bottom of a shucked cob by 1/4 inch (5 mm). Stand it upright then very carefully cut down through centre of cob with a large chef’s knife. Cut each half again lengthwise to create four quarters. Toss with a little oil, salt and your favourite spice mix before grilling over medium-high heat until lightly charred. To finish, toss with butter, barbecue sauce or hot honey.