Learn how to make sweet corn on the cob for a large gathering.
Have you ever heard of term “Cooler Corn”? This method for cooking loads of corn on the cob is simply genius. It’s the easiest way to cook corn for a crowd of people. There will be no sweating over a hot stove either.
Everyone in our family loves fresh corn on the cob. When we all get together there are at least a dozen adults and a load of kids at the table. That means several dozen ears of corn. In the past we would cook them all in several large pots. That was until a friend of ours asked us the same question recently. She is a very capable Minnesota cook with years of camping experience. Check out the Edible Twin Cities cookbook for more local recipes.
Have you ever heard of cooler corn? Here is the process explained, step by step. The best and freshest sweet corn on the cob comes right from a farmers stand by the side of the road or is purchased at a farmers market. According to the food52 blog, you want to look for tassels that are brown and a bit sticky to the touch. The sticky tassels make it a pain to shuck the corn, but it’s worth it in the end.
The corn leaves should be bright green and tightly wrapped at against the cob. Keep in mind, the longer your corn cobs sit between being picked and being eaten, the more they will dry out and the less sweet they will taste. Keep reading to learn how to make cooler corn in three easy steps.
Cook Cooler Corn For A Crowd
How To Make Cooler Corn:
Step 1 – Find a Coleman cooler and wipe it clean.
Step 2 – Remove the green leaves and tassels and fill the cooler with the shucked ears of corn.
Step 3 – Pour kettles-full of boiling water over the corn to cover completely and close the top.
That’s it, Perfect Cooler Corn!
Wow, it doesn’t get any easier than that. After 30 minutes the cooler corn is perfectly cooked. The corn cobs will remain at the perfect level of ‘doneness’ for a couple of hours.
Cooler Corn is perfect for large barbecues and way less messy than grilling. In fact, we may have to buy another Coleman cooler just so we’re ready for camping with Nick’s extended family.
Do you have a corn on the cob recipe to share? Please leave us a comment below.
Nick
Nick and Silke
I have a wedding in ColoradoSprings Colorado in March . Can I also use frozen corn on the cob? It’s for 125 people!
Hi Debra, I wouldn’t know why not. Just adjust the length of time the corn is in the cooler, depending on if it is still frozen or not. Maybe you want to give it a trial-run with a couple of cobs the week or so ahead of the wedding.
Does the boiling water ruin the cooler? How many pots of boiling water? 2 kettles?
Jeni,
Thanks for visiting our site! To answer your questions:
Q. Does the boiling water ruin the cooler? A. No, the coolers are built to withstand hot and cold temperatures.
Q. How many pots of boiling water? A. 2 or as many as it takes to cover the amount of corn that you have in the cooler.
Let us know how your cooked corn turns out. :)
Hi, I’m not the Mary who commented previously, I’m new. Found your site searching for something altogether different on Dean Koontz. I appreciate this steamed corn recipe, I’ll have to give this a whirl this summer. While I don’t have anything to top that, my family just adores this compound butter of lime and marjoram to go with steamed corn on the cob, even on corn bread. It’s simply for each stick of butter, mix in 1 tsp lime zest and 1 tsp dried marjoram or 2 tsp fresh marjoram. It’s easy to blend this together in a food processor. I pop this together the night before, put it into a glass container, cover it and let it sit up in the fridge for the flavors to combine.
Hi Mary M, we are very happy you found us. Your butter recipe sounds delicious. We will give it a try the next time we make steamed or grilled corn. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. Nick and I are both big Dean Koontz fans and have most of his books in our home library.
I love this idea, can’t wait to try it! Bet it tastes super fresh!
Hi Mary, it does indeed. :) Thanks for visiting.