Easiest, Best Microwaved Corn on the Cob

Recently, my brother-in-law while visiting here and doing some sightseeing in the Seattle, Washington area had a taste for sweet corn on the cob. So we stopped by a local farmers market and purchased a few ears of sweet corn that we were assured had just been picked that morning. My brother-in-law was anxious to show me how to microwave the ears and how to easily remove the heated cob of corn from the husk completely without any silk attached to the corn. As soon as we returned from the market, he put 2 ears of corn in my microwave. After microwaving, he removed the hot ears of corn and sliced off the widest ends with a sharp knife. He lifted up the pointed, tasseled end and then shook out the cob of corn without a single strand of silk attached. I was amazed. I always appreciate learning new things and finding better ways to do things. Although I had just learned a valuable new method of microwaving corn on the cob, I was not completely satisfied because the corn on the cob that my brother-in-law had just prepared tasted somewhat dry. So I modified his technique with two minor changes. First, I sliced off the widest ends before, not after, placing the ears of corn in the microwave oven because after the ears are heated, holding onto the hot ear of corn while slicing off the widest end will burn your fingertips or necessitate using a glove or oven mitt. Second, wrapping each ear of corn with a water-dampened sheet of paper towel before placing it in the microwave oven will ensure that the microwave-heated ear of corn is moist, sweet, and delicious.

Ingredients:
2 or more ears of sweet corn (note: as soon as sweet corn is picked, the natural sugar starts to change into starch, which means it loses its freshness and sweetness.)

Directions:

Place ear of corn on cutting board.

 Using a sharp knife, slice off the widest end of the cob.

Moisten 1 sheet of paper towel per ear.

Wrap each ear of corn in moistened paper towel.

Place corn in microwave oven and set microwave for 4 to 5 minutes for each ear (required time varies with different microwave ovens – adjust accordingly). After removing corn from microwave oven, remove paper towel.

 Grasp tapered, tasseled end of husk and shake over clean surface – the hot ear of corn inside will slide out the other end silk free. Serve plain or with butter, margarine, salt or other seasonings as desired.