When cooking sous vide corn on the cob you are going to have perfect kernels of tender, sweet corn as nature intended corn to be eaten. The corn is bathed in butter and your choice of seasoning and will be the highlight of your summer meal. Cooking perfect corn has never been this fail proof.
If you have leftover corn you can always make corn relish, crab corn fritters, Chipotle Copycat Roasted Corn Salsa, Mexican corn dip or black bean corn salsa. Be sure to check out my complete collection of sous vide recipes.
Can you sous vide corn?
Cooking corn with the sous vide cooking method will give your the most tender, sweet and perfect corn you will ever have. The controlled temperature will ensure that the sugars in the corn will not turn to starch as over boiling corn has a tendency to do.
What do you put in the bag?
I like to add a few tablespoons of butter and salt to the bag along with about 5 ears of corn. We have 5 people in our family so this works our perfectly for dinner for us. Additionally you can add seasoned salt, Old Bay Seasoning, fresh herbs or your other favorite seasonings.
Can you use a zip top bag for sous vide corn on the cob?
If you do not have a vacuum sealer a gallon zip top bag will work perfectly for cooking your corn. Corn naturally gives off air as it cooks and the air will inflate the bag as it cooks. By having a zip top bag, you are able to release the air easier than if you were cooking in a vacuum sealed bag.
How do you keep sous vide bags from floating?
Corn will naturally float because it is giving off gas (air) as it cooks. I keep my bags from floating by adding a few glass jars to the bath, allowing them to fill with water and help keep the bag submerged. Alternatively you can use a sous vide rack to help keep the corn from floating horizontal in the water bath.
Do you have to husk the corn before sousviding it?
I am not the best at getting all the silk off of the corn before cooking it. The method that has worked best for me was to microwave it with a few layers of husk still on the corn, surrounding the silk. I applied this method to cooking corn on the cob sous vide by leaving the silk and a thin layer of husk on the corn as it cooks. The silk and husk easily release from the corn when it is finished cooking.
Tips for leaving layers of husk on the corn:
- Use a sharp knife to cut off both ends of the corn.
- Peel away all but one or two layers of the corn before adding it to the bag.
Can you husk the corn clean before adding it to the bag?
You are more than welcome to husk the corn clean before adding it to the bag.
Do you have to adjust the time or temperature for larger batches of corn on the cob?
That is the beauty of cooking sous vide. There is no adjustment for time or temperature for the size of the batch of corn you are cooking. Cook 1 year or cook as many ears as your vessel can hold and the time and temperature will remain the same.
Can you freeze corn on the cob after it is cooked sous vide?
This is exactly what I do when I am preparing my corn on the cob for the freezer. By cooking it sous vide you are basically blanching it as you would if you were preparing freezer corn off of the cob. BUT it is also being cooked with butter, seasoning and all the sweet corn flavors are staying in the bag and not being released into the cooking water.
Do you have to chill the corn after it is cooked?
If you are eating the corn right away with your meal all you have to do is open the bag, remove the corn, slip off the husk and silk and serve. If you are going to freeze the corn you do need to chill it to its core with an ice bath. This will completely stop the cooking process and make it safe to freeze.
More sous vide corn on the cob tips:
- Add hot tap water to the sous vide container instead of cold to get a jump start on bringing the water bath up to temp.
- To reheat the corn while cooking another piece of food with sous vide, just add the corn to the water bath for the last 10 minutes of the cook. Just be sure that the corn is in a bag as well.
- Sear the corn on a grill for added flavor after it comes out of the sous vide bag.
- Save the cobs and make corn cob jelly.
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Printable Sous Vide Corn Recipe:
Sous Vide Corn On The Cob
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 ears corn trimmed and partially husked
- 1/4 cup butter
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the Sous vide to 182°F/83.5°C
- Place the trimmed ears of corn in gallon vacuum bag
- Add a tablespoon of butter for every ear of corn and salt to taste.
- Vacuum seal the bag.
- Submerge the bag and weight down if necessary.
- Cook for 30 minutes (or up to 1 hour and 30 minutes.)
Notes
- Add hot tap water to the sous vide container instead of cold to get a jump start on bringing the water bath up to temp.
- To reheat the corn while cooking another piece of food with sous vide, just add the corn to the water bath for the last 10 minutes of the cook. Just be sure that the corn is in a bag as well.
- Sear the corn on a grill for added flavor after it comes out of the sous vide bag.