Corn on the cob is a culinary term for a cooked ear of sweet corn (maize) eaten directly off the cob.[1] The ear is picked while the endosperm is in the "milk stage" so that the kernels are still tender. Ears of corn are steamed, boiled, or grilled usually without their green husks, or roasted with them. The husk leaves are removed before serving.
Corn on the cob is normally eaten while still warm, and is often seasoned with salt and butter.[1] Some diners use specialized skewers, thrust into the ends of the cob, to hold the ear while eating without touching the hot and sticky kernels.
After being picked, the corn's sugar converts into starch: it takes only one day for it to lose up to 25% of its sweetness,[2] so it is ideally cooked on the same day as it is harvested.
The most common methods for cooking corn on the cob are frying, boiling, roasting, grilling, and baking. Corn on the cob can be grilled directly in its husk, or it can be shucked first and then wrapped in aluminum foil.[3] When oven roasting, cooking the corn in the husk directly on the rack is recommended.[4] When roasting or grilling corn on the cob, the cook can first peel the husk back to rub the corn with oil or melted butter, then re-secure the husk around the corn with a string.[5] Corn on the cob can also be microwaved for 3 to 4 minutes still in its husk.[6]
Lillian Eichler Watson, in a 1921 etiquette book, described corn on the cob as "without a doubt one of the most difficult foods to eat gracefully."[7] She added that "it is entirely permissible to use the fingers in eating corn, holding it lightly at each end; sometimes a napkin is used in holding it." Sometimes, however, a short sharp knife would be provided that each diner could use to cut or scrape the kernels from the cob for later eating. She described this as "by far the most satisfactory method" of eating corn on the cob.
Some etiquette books recommend salting and buttering the corn a section at a time just before eating that section,[8][9] which helps to minimize the mess on the diner's face and hands.[9] Butter dripping down the diner's chin and kernels getting stuck in-between teeth may be a source of embarrassment for the diner.[10]