How To: Corn on the Cob

Tonight everyone was home for dinner.  That's been rare this summer because Kate's been pretty much playing tennis 24/7 and when she's not doing that she's been hanging with her friends.  Charlie's been working a zillion hours a week on the Obama campaign.  So that's left just Ted and I.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.

But here's the thing.  There's a limit to how enthusiastic I can get about cooking a whole dinner for just the two of us.  It's just so much easier to throw something uninspired on the grill or to go out.  Honestly, I know summer cooking is great but it's mostly great if you're cooking for a crowd, or at least for more than two.

But tonight I got lucky.  Charlie and Kate were home so I did it up right.

I'd love to say that I made something unique but instead I went for a favorite.  My kids love hamburgers so that's what we grilled.  And we had corn on the cob, which is a fan favorite every summer.

Corn on the cob is maybe the easiest thing in the world to make.  Everyone has their own way of doing it, and most of the time it's delicious.  But the one thing of a cooking nature that Ted brought to our marriage was his foolproof method for making perfect corn on the cob every single time.  

My mother used to boil the water and then throw the corn in and keep boiling it until the corn was done.  The results were a little mushy.  Other people like to simmer the corn.  But I am here to tell you that Ted's method is the best.  Here's what you do:

Recipe:  Perfect Corn on the Cob

Ingredients:

Corn on the cob, shucked

Kosher salt

Directions:

In a pot large enough to comfortably accommodate the corn, bring the salted water to a rolling boil.  Once the water is boiling, turn the flame off.  Add the shucked corn, and cover.

Let the corn sit in the hot water until you're ready to eat, up to 20 minutes.