How Long Does Corn Take to Cook? Tips for Boiling Corn and Its Benefits and Effects

Everyone knows that eating corn in summer has many benefits, but when some people boil corn at home, a common question often comes up: how long does corn take to cook? Let's take a look at how long corn takes to cook!

How long does it take to boil corn?

We often run into this situation: feeling very hungry, we buy boiled corn from a roadside stall to eat. In fact, corn sold at the roadside has already lost a lot of nutrients because it has been boiled for too long, and its dietary fiber is relatively higher. So how long does it take to boil corn?

1. After taking the corn out of the freezer, there is no need to thaw it; directly peel off the outermost thick husk and keep the innermost 2 layers of thin husk. Then rinse it clean with water, put it in a pot, and pour in cold water until it covers the surface of the corn. Boiling it with the thin husk on helps preserve a unique fresh grain aroma and makes it easier to cook through.

2. It is best to soak the corn for 20—30 minutes in advance before boiling it over high heat. This can effectively retain the corn's own vitamins, and it tastes sweeter and chewier. Different kinds of corn have different cooking times. After the water comes to a boil, sweet corn (bright yellow) and old corn need to continue boiling for 8 minutes; waxy corn (white) takes longer, at least 10 minutes, and there is no need to overemphasize boiling it until it splits open. After it is cooked, take the corn out with tongs and drain it in a colander. Because if it is soaked in water for a long time, the corn's flavor will become weaker and its texture will also decline.

3. When boiling waxy corn and old corn, after the water comes to a boil, you can add a little salt and then continue boiling. This can improve the corn's taste, and it will have a hint of sweetness when eaten. If you want to eat boiled corn with more nutrition, you can put a little baking soda (edible alkali) into the water while boiling. This is because corn is rich in the nutrient niacin, but under normal circumstances this component is relatively hard for the human body to break down and absorb. After adding baking soda, the niacin in the corn can be fully released, and its nutritional value becomes higher.

4. There is also another method: boiling corn in a pressure cooker. Generally, after the pressure cooker comes up to pressure (the safety valve releases steam), 3-5 minutes is enough to cook it tender.

It should be noted that when boiling corn, you should keep the husk on. Many people peel off the husk when buying corn and clean off the corn silk completely, but this is actually not scientific; it is best to boil corn with the husk on. This is because the outer husk can protect the moisture inside the corn from evaporating easily, thereby maintaining its texture. The soup boiled with corn husk and corn silk is called “dragon whisker soup” and is suitable for patients with diabetes and high blood pressure to drink.

Tips for boiling corn

1. Peel off the outermost thick husk of the corn, keep the innermost 2 layers of thin husk, retain the corn silk, and wash clean; put the corn into a pot, add clean water until it covers the surface of the corn, boil over high heat, then cover with a lid and boil for 8 minutes.

2. Sweet corn and waxy corn have different ripening times. If boiling them in the same pot, after 8 minutes, first take out the sweet corn, then continue boiling the waxy corn for 2 more minutes; the cooked corn is best taken out immediately and drained, and should not be soaked in the corn-boiling water for a long time, otherwise the corn's flavor will not be rich.

Who is suitable to eat corn

Generally, everyone can eat corn, and it is especially suitable for people with spleen-stomach qi deficiency, insufficient qi and blood, malnutrition, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, obesity, fatty liver, cancer patients, memory decline, habitual constipation, chronic nephritis edema, and middle-aged and elderly people.

Taboos for eating corn

Corn should not be eaten with river snails, otherwise it can cause poisoning; try to avoid eating it with oysters, otherwise it will hinder the absorption of zinc. Spoiled corn can cause cancer. Corn is easily contaminated by Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus flavus produces the strongly carcinogenic aflatoxin, so corn should be stored in a dry, ventilated place, and moldy, spoiled corn must not be eaten.

Benefits and effects of corn

What are the benefits and effects of corn? The following summarizes 6 points:

1. It has the effect of strengthening the spleen and benefiting the stomach

In the north, corn is a coarse grain, while in the south it is used as feed. But from the perspective of medicine and food being of the same origin, corn is sweet and neutral in nature and flavor, enters the stomach and bladder meridians, and has the effects of strengthening the spleen and benefiting the stomach, and promoting diuresis and draining dampness.

2. It has anti-aging effects

Corn is notable for its diverse components. For example, corn contains vitamin A and E and glutamic acid, and animal experiments have proven that these components have anti-aging effects. In addition, two studies also showed anti-aging effects. First, according to research conducted in 1994 by Harvard Medical School in the United States together with many research centers, intake of higher amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin can reduce the chance of developing age-related macular degeneration by 43%; second, from the perspective of resisting free radicals, research by Cornell University in the United States published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed that after heating sweet corn at 115 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes, 25 minutes, and 50 minutes respectively, its free radical scavenging activity increased by 22%, 44%, and 53% in order, which means that the longer corn is heated, the better its anti-aging effect.

3. It has the effect of preventing constipation and arteriosclerosis

Corn is rich in cellulose, which can not only stimulate gastrointestinal peristalsis and prevent constipation, but also promote cholesterol metabolism and accelerate the excretion of intestinal toxins. Corn oil pressed from corn germ contains a large amount of unsaturated fatty acids, of which linoleic acid accounts for 60%, and it can remove harmful cholesterol from the blood and prevent arteriosclerosis.

4. It has anti-cancer effects

Corn is not only rich in vitamins, but its carotene content is more than 5 times that of soybeans, and it is also beneficial for inhibiting carcinogens.