Whenever I open my mail I scan through the inbox looking at the subject titles to see which ones merit opening first…I’m sure those reading this post do the same thing. A few weeks ago a friend of mine, April, sent me an email on how to cook corn in the microwave but what really got my attention was how little prep work there was. I was a bit skeptical but the idea peaked my interest and I knew I had to give it a go. Fresh corn is now showing up in the grocery stores and although they’re not local, I cannot resist buying.

Before getting down to the nitty-gritty of cooking corn in a rather unorthodox way, let me point out a few juicy tidbits regarding the health benefits of corn. It is a good source of fiber, a phytonutrient-rich food that provides antioxidant benefits, provides many B-complex vitamins (including B1, B5 and folic acid), and 1 to 2 cups of corn helps to control blood sugar in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Corn (maize) has been around for centuries and was eaten by Native American tribes before European settlers arrived in the Americas. The Maya civilization ate corn as a staple food crop and ate it off the cob, either roasting or boiling it. Corn grows in ears, and each is covered in rows of kernels that are then protected by the silk-like threads called corn silk and encased in a husk.

Select corn and place in a microwave. I can put 4 ears of corn in my microwave at one time…maybe more if I stack them. Microwave on high for 8 minutes.

Remove the corn from the microwave (you may want to use oven mitts as the corn will be hot). Place on a cutting board.

Take a sharp knife and cut the end off – about 1 to 2 inches.

Pick the ear of corn up and hold at the top. In a shaking movement, shake downward and the corn will slide out leaving the corn-silk in the husk.

Cooking the corn in the microwave seems to make the corn-silk shrink and attach itself to the husk leaving the corn to slip out of its casing.

No mess, no fuss! My kind of cooking!

The Culinary Chase’s Note: The kernels were sweet, juicy, and tender. Tomorrow is Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day – Stand Up For Real Food. Share this posting with your children and help educate them where their food comes from. Enjoy!