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If youโve never used the back of a knife to scrape the corn cob after slicing off the kernels, I can safely say youโve never had the best Buttered Corn recipe. This one simple trick makes a milky liquid that I like to call โcorn essence,โ and it adds so much creaminess without cream! I can guarantee youโll never make another recipe besides this one ever again.
Iโm sorry for saying it like this, but this is the very best recipe for buttered corn and every other recipe needs to go away. I came across this method for buttered corn where you scrape the milk out of the cob that lives behind the corn kernels.
Itโs a method I learned from Jeffrey Steingarten in one of his books, and Iโve never made corn any other way since. It is creamy without any cream, and once you try it, you will be hooked.
Scraping the cob until itโs completely dry with both sides of the knife is the key to success! Use the back of the knife, and scrape until all of the liquid comes out and the cob appears dry!
Ingredients
- Corn. This recipe starts with 4 ears of corn, but you can scale it up as much as you want, as long as you scale up the size of the skillet as well. Peel all of the leaves off of each ear, and remove all of the silk before proceeding with the recipe.
- Butter. Since we have 4 ears of corn, we need 4 tablespoons of butter. If you scale this recipe up, itโs one tablespoon of butter per ear of corn.
- Salt. One-half teaspoon of fine sea salt.
How to Make the Best Buttered Corn
- First, use a knife to cut off all of the corn kernels from each cob.
2. Next, use the back of the knife (the blunt side) to scrape the cob clean of all liquid. You will see lots of milky liquid come outโthatโs the good stuff! Collect it and scrape the cutting board to gather it all. When youโve scraped enough, the cob will appear completely dry! (Please watch the video in the recipe card to see this exact process).
3. Add the corn kernels and accumulated liquids to a skillet with the butter.
4. Sautรฉ for 5 minutes, add the salt, and taste. You can sautรฉ for longer if you want the corn less crunchy, and you can add more salt, if you prefer.
Buttered Corn FAQ:
No. Did you read the instructions for the recipe? You need to use a knife to scrape the corn cob until all of the liquid comes out. You cannot substitute a bag of frozen corn kernels or even use frozen corn cobs because much of the moisture is missing. I guess you can make this recipe with just the butter, and it will be okay, but it wonโt be creamy and full of extra corn flavor.
I hope you try this method, and let me know how much you love it! Itโs the best part about summer, if you ask me! I serve this buttered corn with my teriyaki chicken meatballs.
Buttered Corn
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn peeled and shucked
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- First, use a knife to cut off all of the kernels of corn.
- Next, flip the knife over and use the back (non-sharp) side to โmilk the corn.โ Get every last drop of liquid out of the cob. It will be small pieces of corn and a lot of milky liquid. The cobs will appear dry and completely clean when youโre done. (Watch the video to see the process!)
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.
- Place the corn and all of the juices you extracted in the skillet, and saute for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the salt, stir it in well, and taste. You want the corn to still have some crunch to it, so it should only take 5 minutes or so. If you like it softer, you can cook it longer. Serve immediately.
You wonโt go wrong with this recipe. It is very good. I have add halved cherry tomatoes while cooking (just to soften them). Off heat add chopped fresh basil and feta cheese. Sometimes I add left over protein that I have in the fridge.
oh I love this spin on it! Thank you!