The Greatest Technique for Freezing Summer time Corn

This web site is not recognized for its brevity—after we sort out a culinary query, we go deep, check methodically, and clarify our outcomes. This text could also be a welcome change of tempo, as a result of there’s solely a lot one can say about freezing corn. It is quite simple and simple.

So, here is what you’ll want to know to protect that summer time sweetness for weeks or months after the final cob has made an look on the farm stand.

Why and When to Freeze Corn

Why freeze corn? To protect it, after all. However there’s much more urgency than that. The pure sugars in candy corn shortly convert to extra complicated starches, so if you end up with extra corn than you’ll be able to fairly eat in a day or two, or in the event you simply need to protect as a lot of it as attainable to take pleasure in different instances of yr, freezing is your only option.

Freezing Complete Ears Vs. Kernels

More often than not, you are higher off slicing the kernels off the cob earlier than freezing (observe our directions for how you can reduce off the kernels with minimal mess). First, this protects house, because you’re eradicating the cobs earlier than freezing, permitting for rather more corn to be saved than in the event you froze the ears complete. Second, in most situations, frozen corn is greatest utilized in dishes that solely require the kernels—when you can eat a defrosted and reheated ear of corn, it is not as pleasurable as consuming one recent. The kernels, although, work nice in all types of dishes, from casseroles to salads, soups, stews, baked items, and extra.

One other benefit of freezing simply the kernels: As a result of they’re smaller, they freeze sooner. That is a superb factor, as a result of the sooner they freeze, the smaller the ice crystals are that type inside them, main to higher preservation of texture (bigger ice crystals do extra cell injury, resulting in softer, mushier outcomes).

Ought to You Blanch First or Not?

It typically is sensible to blanch greens earlier than packing them away for a protracted, deep freeze—blanching inactivates enzymes that may result in a loss in produce high quality over time. I ran side-by-side assessments with recent summer time corn to see if I may inform a distinction between blanched* and uncooked frozen corn by freezing samples of each, then defrosting and tasting them a couple of weeks later.

* I ought to make clear, I did not technically blanch my corn, which might imply boiling it, however as a substitute used my cold-start, no-boil method for extra exact temperature management and higher outcomes.

I will be sincere: I could not inform them aside. The uncooked corn tasted simply as candy and tender because the par-cooked. That is partly because of the ice crystals that do type throughout freezing—even when they’re smaller because of the speedy freezing of the corn kernels, they nonetheless inflict some cell injury on the corn, softening it to a extra cooked texture. That is truly a helpful method that is typically dubbed “cryo-blanching,” wherein recent produce is given a like-cooked texture with out sacrificing any of its freshness.

So, must you par-cook the corn? I haven’t got an conclusive reply, but when my assessments confirmed something, it is you can most likely take a bit shortcut right here and skip the cooking. Then again, because the par-cooking did not hurt the corn in any manner, I feel one may argue it is nonetheless an insurance coverage coverage in opposition to any loss in high quality from enzymes or different modifications that happen in raw corn over time.

Briefly, “blanch” the corn (utilizing my no-boil technique linked to above) in case you have the time, however know that you will most likely be simply nice in the event you simply freeze the corn from uncooked.

Ideas for Guaranteeing the High quality of Your Frozen Corn

Right here are some things it’s best to attempt to do to make sure you frozen corn stays nice over time.

• Freeze it flat: To hurry up the corn’s freezing time and lock in its high quality as shortly as attainable, unfold the kernels out on rimmed aluminum baking sheets and freeze on these. Then switch the corn to zipper-lock luggage or vacuum luggage for long-term storage.
• Pack it Flat: Attempt to pack the corn flat within the freezer luggage, squeezing out as a lot air as attainable, for probably the most environment friendly storage and quickest defrosting instances attainable. Kenji has written about this earlier than, and the recommendation is simply nearly as good right now because it was then.
• Double-Bag for Safety: Whereas it makes use of extra plastic, double-bagging the frozen corn helps hold freezer burn away. As soon as once more, make certain to take away as a lot air from the luggage as attainable.
• Label Clearly: Be certain that to put in writing the date on the corn earlier than you set it within the freezer so you know the way outdated it’s. It is also useful to incorporate different info, together with weights and volumes of the corn in every bag; this will help you identify how a lot corn you’ll want to defrost for a recipe.
• Defrost Shortly on Aluminum Baking Sheets: Aluminum baking sheets do not simply assist you freeze the corn, additionally they assist defrost it shortly, because of the steel’s nice warmth conduction qualities. Should you froze the corn in a skinny, flat layer, it’ll defrost very quickly whereas sitting on an aluminum baking sheet at room temperature. Then use the corn quickly after to make sure its high quality stays excessive.