How to Cut Corn Off the Cob

I love corn on the cob.  It’s one of the true culinary joys of summer time.  And while I love to have corn on the cob, cooked in the traditional ways…steamed, grilled, roasted with a bit of butter and salt, I also love to use fresh corn as an ingredient in other dishes.  I supposed if I had to, I could use frozen corn (a poor substitute for fresh) or canned (which I don’t know that I would ever buy), fresh corn, cut from the cob really is the way to go.  In this cooking video, I show you a simple knife skill to cut corn off the cob, quickly, safely, and without making a mess.

How to Cut Corn off the Cob

• Cutting corn off the cob is pretty simple, the real “trick” here is to do so without making a mess – as those tiny little kernels tend to jump all over the place
• Shuck the corn, and clean off the silk threads
• Take a hand towel, loosely bunched up and lay it out on your cutting board
• The folds in the towel will give the cut kernels a nice soft place to land and will prevent them from scattering all over the place (you can also use paper towels)
• Place the wider end of the cob on the board and hold it vertically
• Use a sharp knife, and a sawing motion to cut from the top of the cob down towards the bottom holding the edge of the knife close to the cob
• The kernels should fall gently onto the towel; the folds of which "catch" each kernel and keep it right in place, so they don't scatter as they hit the cutting board
• Rotate the cob and repeat until you get all the way around
• You can now simply pick up the towel and you’ve got your corn nicely cut right off the cob; and you can cook it however you’d like

Enjoy!!