It’s always a maximum corn season – there is the smarter and easier way to save it

This website is not known for its brevity – when we approach a culinary question, we go deep, let’s test methodically and explain our results. This article can be a welcome change of rhythm, because there is only little that can be said about the freezing frost. It’s very simple and easy.

So here is what you need to know to preserve this sweetness of summer for weeks or months after the last torchage made an appearance at the farm stand.

Why and when to freeze corn

Why freeze corn? To preserve it, of course. But there is even more emergency than that. The natural sugars of sweet corn quickly convert to more complex starchs, so if you are with more corn, you can reasonably eat in a day or two, or if you simply want to preserve as much as possible to enjoy other moments of the year, gel is your best option.

Entic ears vs. Seeds

Most of the time, you would better cut the cob nuclei before freezing (follow our instructions to cut the grains with a minimum mess). First of all, it saves space, because you remove the ears before freezing, which allows you to store many more corn than if you freeze your whole ears. Second, in most cases, frozen corn is better used in dishes that only require grains – although you can eat a defrost and heated corn ear, it is not as pleasant as eating a fresh. The grains, however, work very well in all kinds of dishes, from salads to salads, soups, stews, pastries, etc.

Another advantage of freezing only of nuclei: because they are smaller, they freeze faster. This is a good thing, because the faster they freeze, the smaller the ice crystals, which leads to better preservation of the texture (the largest ice crystals does more cellular damage, which causes softer and more difficult results).

Should you whiten or not?

It is often logical to whiten the vegetables before wrapped them for a long and deep, the inactive block the enzymes which can cause a loss of quality of the products over time. I did side by side with fresh summer corn to see if I could make a difference between the white -white and raw frozen corn, freezing samples of the two, then disgusting them and tasting them a few weeks later.

* I should clarify, I did not technically bleach my corn, which would mean boiling it, but I rather used my cold and end technique for a more precise temperature control and better results.

I will be honest: I could not distinguish them. Raw corn had such a sweet and tender taste as cooking. This is partly due to the ice crystals that are formed during the frost – even if they are smaller thanks to the rapid gel of the corn grains, they always inflict cellular damage to corn, the softener to a more cooked texture. It is in fact a practical technique which is sometimes nicknamed “Cryo-Blanching”, in which fresh products receive a similar texture without sacrificing its freshness.

So should you cook the corn? I don’t have a conclusive answer, but if my tests showed something, it is because you can probably take a short shortcut here and jump the kitchen. On the other hand, since the processing has not harmed corn in any way, I think that one could say that it is always an insurance policy against any loss of quality of the enzymes or other changes which take place in corn not cooked over time.

In short, “Blanch” corn (using my buttons-free method linked above) if you have time, but know that you will probably go well if you simply freeze the Raw corn.

Advice to ensure the quality of your frozen corn

Here are some elements that you should try to make to make sure that frozen corn stays well over time.

• Gell it flat: To speed up the freezing time of the corn and lock its quality as quickly as possible, spread the nuclei on colored aluminum pastry plates and freeze on them. Then transfer the corn to zipper bags or vacuum bags for long -term storage.
• Pack it flat: Try to pack the cornstable in the freezing bags, tightening as much air as possible, for the most effective storage and the fastest possible defrosting times. Kenji has already written on this subject, and the advice is just as good today as at the time.
• Double bag for safety: Although it uses more plastic, double bag, frozen corn helps prevent the freezer from burning. Again, be sure to remove as much air from the bags as possible.
• Clearly label: Make sure you write the date on corn before putting it in the freezer to find out how old he has. It is also useful to include other information, including weights and corn volumes in each bag; This can help you determine the amount of corn you need to lush for a recipe.
• Speed ​​quickly on aluminum pastry plates: Aluminum pastry plates do not only help you freeze corn, they also help to lush it quickly, thanks to the major thermal conduction qualities of metal. If you frozen corn in a thin and flat layer, it will defrost in no time when it was seated on a aluminum pastry plate at room temperature. Then use the corn shortly after to make sure that its quality remains high.