The Baking Pan Hack That Makes Cutting Corn Off The Cob Way Easier
As the days grow longer and the produce grows sweeter, many food lovers are looking forward to one of summer's best loved foods: corn. Corn on the cob may be found year-round in the store, but it's especially sweet in the summer months when the crop is in season. That's when the stuff is so juicy and sweet that it can practically be eaten straight off the cob plain. However, if you want to take the sweet kernels off the cob, you're in for a sticky wicket — because that's where things get messy. Unless, of course, you know of the secret corn kernel weapon you have lurking in your baking cabinet.
As everybody who loves corn on the cob knows, cutting that corn off of the cob can be one messy affair. As the knife slides down the cob, separating it from the sweet kernels, the little white and yellow kernels are likely to become (delicious) projectile missiles. Luckily, there's a fix for that.
The Simple Trick
When cut off, the kernels tend to shoot off the cob, going everywhere except the plate on which your cob is standing; under the stove, in cracks between cabinets, possibly in your pet's mouth — wherever isn't the bowl or plate is where those corn kernels will fly. Even if you attempt it in a large bowl with high sides to catch the kernels, it could be hard to slide the knife far enough down the cob to get all the kernels. Enter Taste of Home's completely genius hack.
Taste of Home suggests taking a fluted tube pan (yes, the same one you use to make angel food cakes or your grandma might have used to make jello molds) and putting the tapered (smaller) end of the cob in the pan's hole. Do this at an angle to secure the cob in the pan. Push the cob down against the edge and the kernels will fly off and neatly collect in the pan.
It's cool to be corny
No knife, no mess, just letting some smartly exerted force and a little bit of gravity do their jobs.
With corn being so delicious on its own, some might wonder what's the point of even removing the kernels from the cob. From a logistics standpoint, those who are very young and learning how to eat and/or don't yet have all their teeth might have a rough time separating the kernels from the cob. From a taste standpoint, there is so much to do with corn that involves more than a pool of melted butter.
From casseroles and breads to even dessert, corn is a sweet and seasonal addition to many dishes. The cob? Not so much. That's the reason everybody needs to have a simple way to take kernels off the cob without making the kitchen a wreck.
Luckily, with this pan hack, we can all have our (corn) cake and eat it too.