How to Dry Sweet Corn
If you relish eating sweet corn on the cob in summer, then you probably mourn the passing of the season and simply settle for the canned or frozen variety in winter. However, it's possible to enjoy sweet corn long after the farm stands have rolled up their awnings. In fact, you can do what generations of cooks have done for years--you can dry sweet corn when it's at its peak to be savored anytime. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- 6 ears sweet corn
- Sharp knife
- Baking sheet
- Aluminum foil
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Kraft paper bags
Instructions
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Select corn that is fully ripe. The husk should be bright green and the silk should be dark brown. Pull some of the husk back from the tip of the cob and inspect the corn inside. The rows should be complete, with no missing kernels, from end to tip. The kernels should also exude a milky white liquid when pressed. If the juice appears to be clear or watery, then the corn is not quite ready.
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Wait two to three days before drying sweet corn (if it was freshly harvested) for best results. You must refrigerate it, though, or the natural sugar in the corn will become starchy. Just place the loose ears in the vegetable keeper drawer or on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
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Shuck the corn when you're ready to begin the drying process, carefully removing all of the silk. Then thoroughly rinse each ear under cool, running water and pat dry with paper towels.
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Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. To help prevent scorching, lightly wipe the sprayed foil with a clean paper towel or paper napkin.
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Cut the corn off each cob with a sharp knife, cutting from the tip to the base. Try to get as close to the cob as possible without cutting into it; otherwise, you'll be slicing the kernels in half.
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Spread the cut corn evenly on the prepared baking sheet. A standard-sized baking sheet will hold up to six ears of corn cut from the cob.
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Place the baking sheet onto the middle rack of your oven and set the temperature to 150 degrees F. This is a very "slow" oven setting, but slow roasting is necessary when you dry sweet corn so that you remove all the moisture without causing the corn kernels to wither.
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Dry the sweet corn in the oven for 10 to 12 hours, or until the kernels become hard to the touch and dark in color. You don't have to babysit the oven all this time, but do return every few hours to give the baking sheet a gentle shake to keep the kernels from sticking.
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Remove the dried corn from the oven and cool completely. Then transfer the dried sweet corn to brown paper bags (the kind you pack lunches in) and store in a cool, dry place for one week to continue drying naturally. When the week is up, you can transfer the dried corn to a large ziplock bag or glass jar, if you wish.
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Tips & Warnings
To reconstitute dry sweet corn, let the kernels gently simmer in water or milk until they become hydrated again.
Note that some cooks prefer to blanch the corn while it's still on the cob. This step isn't really necessary since the oven temperature is high enough to kill any bacteria that may be present. However, if you decide to blanch, do so only for four minutes. Then quickly set the blanched cobs of corn in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Then proceed to dry the sweet corn as usual.
