Cooler Corn

[gtt]

My sister just sent me this, pretty interesting, will have to try it:

Am I the only person who hasn't heard of "cooler corn"?

As an obsessive food nerd, you'd expect that I would have at least heard of it, but over the weekend I was blindsided by the simple genius of this method for cooking loads of corn on the cob perfectly. (which is still in season, no matter that summer already seems like a sad memory)

I was hepped to it while visiting my family in Maine. Short story: We like corn on the cob. And with eight adults at the table, that means a couple of dozen ears. We would have used the lobster pot to cook them all, but the lobster pot was busy steaming lobster. (And please don't spell it "lobstah". It's not funny.) Then my sister, a capable Maine cook with years of camping experience says "let's do cooler corn!" Before I can ask "what the hell is cooler corn?" a Coleman cooler appears from the garage, is wiped clean, then filled with the shucked ears. Next, two kettles-full of boiling water are poured over the corn and the top closed.

Then nothing.

When we sat down to dinner 30 minutes later and opened it, the corn was perfectly cooked. My mind was blown. And I'm told that the corn will remain at the perfect level of doneness for a couple of hours.

Turns out, Cooler Corn is pretty well known among the outdoorsy set (I found a handful of mentions on various camping websites). But for those of us who avoid tents as much as possible, it's perfect for large barbecues and way less of mess than grilling. In fact, I may even buy another cooler just so I'm ready for next summer, now that I'm in the know.

[RoBoTeq]

Cool!

I wonder if it will work as well if the corn is not shucked. I prefer corn to cook in it's own wrapping. It's also easier to remove the husk after the corn is cooked.

[hvacker]

Eight minutes in the microwave cooked in the husk is my favorite way. No loss to the water.

Sweet corn has changed a lot. Books used to say boil the water then run to the garden, grab the corn and run back. Store bought corn was always starchy.
The sugars started to change to starches right away. Then in Illinois a University developed a corn in the late 70's where every 4th kernel was sweet. Now they all are sweet and stay that way after being picked for days. Amazing piece of work.

[RoBoTeq]

Eight minutes in the microwave cooked in the husk is my favorite way. No loss to the water.

Sweet corn has changed a lot. Books used to say boil the water then run to the garden, grab the corn and run back. Store bought corn was always starchy.
The sugars started to change to starches right away. Then in Illinois a University developed a corn in the late 70's where every 4th kernel was sweet. Now they all are sweet and stay that way after being picked for days. Amazing piece of work.

Microwave in the husk for me too, if I'm not grilling. If I'm grilling, I just put the corn in the husk in a rack in the grill lid.

[basshound71]

Grill it on a charcoal grill is really good too. Remove it from the husk, rub some butter on it then salt and pepper it. Throw it on the grill turn it once. Grill it until it starts to turn brown.

[Green Mountain]

One more way. Submerge the ears in cold water for about 5-10 mins. Pull back the leaves and pull all of the silk out. Put the leaves back in place and wrap the ears individually in aluminum foil. Pop them on the grille for 20 mins or so.

[A/C guy's chick]

just found out you do not want to do the cooler corn , it's a hoax and should not be attempted to do...so with that saying just save yourself and family from getting sick

[basshound71]

Never heard of it either, will have to give it a try since the holidy season is coming up. Would be a great way to do corn for Thanksgiving.

[RoBoTeq]

just found out you do not want to do the cooler corn , it's a hoax and should not be attempted to do...so with that saying just save yourself and family from getting sick

Well, it isn't a hoax because it does work. The concern is whether or not toxins will leech from the plastic liner of coolers and contaminate the corn. If this is a concern, you could simply line the bottom of the cooler with aluminum foil. I will be checking out to see if plastic leeches toxins at 212 degrees F. or not. That is the hottest a cooler could ever get using this method.

[RoBoTeq]

This makes me feel that the plastic in a cooler is not going to harm me because I cooked corn in the cooler;

Research says:
Not proven.
According to the FDA, all plastic materials used in containers intended for food use (called "food contact substances") are reviewed and tested for leakage of toxic chemicals such as dioxins.
"It's true that substances used to make plastics can leach into food," says Edward Machuga, Ph.D., a consumer safety officer in the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "But as part of the approval process, the FDA considers the amount of a substance expected to migrate into food and the toxicological concerns about the particular chemical." According to the FDA, if the levels of migrating chemicals in food contact substances are found to be unsafe, the product cannot be marketed. Thus, any store-bought plastic food container, as long as it is used according to directions, is safe from toxic contamination.

[corny]

Put a tuperware container or maybe even a large cooking pot in the cooler then add the boiling water to it and place its own lid on top.

[RoBoTeq]

Put a tuperware container or maybe even a large cooking pot in the cooler then add the boiling water to it and place its own lid on top.

Good one. Anything that is designed to not leech toxins will do. However, it looks as though there are enough regulations on plastics that come into contact with food that the cooler itself is most likely safe.

Then again, the Tupperware idea should satisfy the most worrisome of you.

[A/C guy's chick]

http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/coolercorn.asp