Butter Bath Corn

Thursday 22 July 2021

Butter Bath Corn 
Butter Bath Corn on the cob.  How have I gone my whole life without tasting this delicious technique of cooking corn on the cob?  

I discovered this Butter Bath Recipe on thekitchn and as soon as I saw it I knew it was something I really wanted to try.  I was immediately intrigued.  Butter.  Bath.  

Surely something immersed in a butter bath has to be delicious right?


Butter Bath Corn 
I decided to risk it.  I have gone over 20 years without tasting really good corn on the cob. It just doesn't exist in the UK.  (Sorry UK!)

It is saying something when canned corn tastes better than the corn you can buy fresh in the shops.  England does not have a climate that is conducive to growing sweet corn, eating corn.  Cow corn, certainly, but not the kind of corn I grew up on.


Butter Bath Corn 
Its just far too wet and they don't get enough sunshine.  I even tried growing my own one year using seeds someone had sent me from North America.  Peaches and Cream.

I got (from the whole pack) only 4 ears of corn and they were no more than 4 inches in length and whilst tasty, left me wanting. 

Butter Bath Corn 
You do get corn on the cob there, but it is shipped in from afar. None of it is grown locally.  And they always husk it before you see it in the shops.

Everyone in North America knows corn begins to deteriorate in flavor as soon as it is picked.  Also husking it too far before eating it is a huge no-no.

Butter Bath Corn 
The best corn of all is eaten fresh on the day it is picked and you don't husk it until just before you go to cook it.  Its the truth.

I have eaten a lot of corn on the cob in my lifetime. When I was a child my parents would buy it by the paper bag full, several bakers dozen (which means 13 cobs each dozen) and we would have a corn on the cob feast supper.

Butter Bath Corn 
That is literally all we would have for supper.  Corn on the cob, hot, buttered and salty.  And we could have as much of it as we could eat.

It was the same for my children when they were growing up.  Corn season was something we looked forward to all year long.  

When I lived in Southern Ontario we would buy it from the backs of farm wagons parked by the side of the road. It made for really good eating.

Butter Bath Corn 
We would sit the kids out back at the picnic table with the bags of corn and a garbage bin fitted with a black bag.  They would go to town husking it ready for cooking.

I used a huge and I mean HUGE stock pot to cook it in.  Bringing the water to the boil (I always added some sugar to the water)  and carefully dropping in the cobs.  

Butter Bath Corn 
As soon as you could smell it, I knew the corn was done to perfection.  And I do mean perfect. 

This tasty recipe is a riff on that original and is really delicious.  Instead of just cooking your corn in a bath of boiling water, it gets cooked in a bath of water, milk and butter.  Oh my my  . . . 

Butter Bath Corn 
Has to be good right?  Right!  Its excellent.  I saw some corn at the local market and I picked some up the other day and was looking for a different way to cook it.

I saw this and just had to try it.  I am so happy that I did, because it is excellent!

Butter Bath Corn 
I actually tried the Hot Honey Butter Bath version. It was delicious!

Sweet corn on the cob cooked in a bath of water, milk, butter, honey and hot pepper flakes. Has to be good right?

Butter Bath Corn 
There are actually five different versions to choose from including the basic.  Hot Honey Butter. Garlic and Herb Butter. Buffalo Butter and Tex Mex Butter.

I aim to try all of them before the summer is out.  Diverticulitis be damned!  (Yes at my age, eating corn on the cob can be a bit like playing a losing game with my innards.)

Butter Bath Corn 

But I love corn on the cob so much that I am willing to take the risk.  I have been without good corn on the cob for far too long.


Far too long.  I am just grateful that I still have all of my teeth to be able to eat it!  Yay me!

Butter Bath Corn 
I can remember as a child eating corn on the cob like the cylinder on a typewriter going through its motions. Yes, we had watched too many cartoons.

We would run our mouths along it row by delicious row, as quickly as we could.  Even emitting a dinging nose when we got to the end, ready to start again at the beginning.

Butter Bath Corn 
Oh the innocence of childhood.  What a wonderful thing it is.  Simple simple joys and pleasures! 

Like abundant corn on the cob feasts, all you can eat, dripping with butter.  Seriously tasty.  I don't dare eat that much butter on it now.  But I confess . . .  the child in me would still love to,

Butter Bath Corn
 
Anyways, do yourself a favor and cook your corn on the cob like this at least once this summer and when you do, prepare yourself to fall in love.

Totally and inextricably in love.  You have been forewarned.

Butter Bath Corn

Butter Bath Corn

Yield: 6
Author: Marie Rayner
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 13 Min
A wonderfully unique method of cooking corn on the cob that yields sweet delicious, perfectly cooked and juicy corn on the cob, with four tasty variations.

Ingredients

Basic Butter Bath Corn
  • 6 ears of ripe husked corn, cut in half crosswise
  • 4 cups (1 liter) water
  • 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
  • 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

  1. Place the cold water into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and then add the milk, butter and salt.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the corn.  Cover and cook for exactly 8 minutes.
  3. Remove to a platter and serve immediately with or without additional butter for spreading.

Notes:

For Garlic and Herb: Cook as above, adding 6 cloves of smashed garlic, a medium sized bunch of fresh thyme.

For Buffalo Butter: Cook as above adding 1 cup (240ml) of lager (beer), 1/4 cup (60ml) hot sauce. Reduce the salt to 1/2 tsp.

For Hot Honey Butter: Cook as above adding 1/2 cup (120ml) liquid honey and 1 tsp red pepper flakes.

For Tex Mex: Cook as above adding 1 cup (220g), 1 tsp mild chili powder, 1/2 tsp ground cumin and reducing the salt to 1/2 tsp.

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Butter Bath Corn
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13 comments

  1. Your corn 🌽 looks so pretty. I will try this recipe but may halve it as we really only need one cob each. I'll do three, though, just to keep the ratio right. I usually leave a layer of leaves on the corn and microwave two cobs for 6 minutes. It's perfect and no big pot to wash. I'm loving all the beautiful farm produce this time of year. Love and hugs, Elaine

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    1. I will have to try that Elaine. I love it roasted as well. I just love corn! This is my favourite time of year because of all the fresh goodness we have available to us! Love and hugs, xoxo

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  2. The last time we had corn on the cob, I tried the same method as Elaine - but i just left the whole husk on. then you take it out of the microwave and chop the bottom end off, grab the top with a hot pad and shake it. All the silk and everything comes off. It was amazing. The corn was really good that way, too. Of course we put lots of fresh butter and salt and pepper on it. Much love - Raquel XO

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    1. That is my favourite way to husk corn as well. No silk gets left behind. You are right, amazing! I have never had pepper on my corn, just lots of salt and butter. Love to you Raquel. xoxo

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  3. Oh my—it is crib season here in Nebraska now and last night was the “first corn”! I tried it both ways and you have mentioned them both in your old fashioned recipe and then in the comments. I did two ears the boiling way and two ears in the microwave (in the husk) for 6 minutes. Both were excellent. I only boil my corn for about 4 minutes as then the freshly husked kernels POP in your mouth as you eat it and there is no hint of the ear being over cooked. The water is boiling when I put the ears in. I will have to try the butter bath way and I will eat one for you too and as you mentioned a meal of just it at this time of year is perfection. (I too, pay a price as my tummy is somewhat tortured). Your recipes are the bomb and this one really hit home! Thank you Marie.

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    1. You are welcome and thank you so much for your sweet comment. I have found that if you stop cooking corn as soon as you can smell it and it may well be at 4 minutes, you get the optimum flavor from it! You are lucky to live in "corn" country!! I know I am going to enjoy my fill of it this next few weeks! xoxo

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  4. Marie, I have done it both ways. I do the microwave method now because it's only me but often it is just 2 cobs of corn for the whole meal nothing else. I will agree the best is going to your own garden picking and cooking. I had that growing up. Our home had a second lot attached that was garden only We had it all plus pear and plum trees.

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    1. OH, what a delicious childhood you must have had Texas! I would be, like you, full up with two cobs of corn. Lots of butter and salt. Naughty I know! xoxo

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  5. Corn season begins here next month - maybe late July. And this sounds like a worthy treatment for the best corn on the cob! Thanks for this, Marie!

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    1. You are very welcome Jeanie! I hope you and Rick enjoy it! xoxo

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  6. Very delicious. A new summer favorite. Thanks for the recipe. H

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  7. My uncle grew sweet corn in Nebraska for commercial sale and he said to never add salt to corn when cooking. He said it toughens the kernels. The salt should only be used after it's cooked. Don't know if this is true, but it's what we followed as advice from him.

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    1. I had always heard that as well, and had never added salt to cook my corn until I tried this recipe. Usually I do add some sugar however. I can't say with any certainty that either is much more than a myth that we cling to. This is delicious in any case!

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