How do you store fresh corn on the cob?

The summer of 2022 was the height of sweet corn for me. Not only had Corn Kid become a mini-sensation, but I had also been up to my ears in fresh farmer’s market corn for weeks. This heavy corn diet began after I decided to make esquites with my loot. My family loved it so much that I made it every weekend for the rest of the summer. I would go to the farmer’s market every Saturday, pick up the freshest corn I could find, and make the recipe the same day for lunch or dinner, which meant I didn’t have to worry about storing the corn.

This summer, however, I’ve been trying new ways to prepare fresh corn, so I often find myself picking it up without a dish in mind, which sometimes means using the corn a few days later. Of course, that’s not ideal: Our general advice on storing corn has always been… don’t do it. The flavor and sweetness of the ingredient only diminish the longer you wait. But depending on where you source your corn, that advice can vary. I spoke to Smoke-McCluskey, a Mohawk chef and owner of Corn Mafia, a micro-mill project that explores indigenous foodways, to find out more.

What happens when your corn goes dormant?

Because of its fast metabolism, corn can quickly lose its sweet flavor as the sugars turn starchy. This has led to the age-old advice to take your corn straight from the field to the cooking pot. However, the time it takes for the corn’s flavors to turn into starch depends on the type of corn you’re dealing with and where you buy it. When it comes to sweet corn, the type most Americans buy to eat off the cob and for recipes like corn ribs and Kansas City-style cheesy corn, the amount of time you have to eat it depends on whether you get it from a local farmer or the grocery store.

Grocery store corn vs. farmers market corn

Harold McGee’s About food and cooking: the science and knowledge of the kitchen notes that “in three days, traditional sweet corn,” which is usually locally grown corn, “converts half of its sweet sugar into flavorless strings,” imparting a taste that many dislike. Commercially grown corn, however, has been bred into sweeter varieties that can withstand the long processing times required to get from the farm to a warehouse and then onto grocery store shelves.

“Nowadays, with the new commercial sweet corn, some of it is designed to mature slowly,” Smoke-McCluskey says. “So the sugars start to convert a little bit slower than regular sweet corn, say, even a decade ago. You can leave it in the refrigerator for five or six days. It’s probably been out of the field for five or six days (when you buy it) and it’s still sweet when you eat it, for the most part.”

Unfortunately, there’s no way to know what variety you’re buying at the grocery store; most are simply labeled “sweet corn.” “There are thousands of varieties of corn,” Smoke-McCluskey says. If you’re buying corn at a farmers market, ask the farmer what he’s selling and he should be able to tell you more about the variety and how much time you have before the quality deteriorates too much.

What to look for when buying corn

While you may not be able to determine what type of corn you’re buying, there are a few things you should look for to ensure you’re picking the best of the bunch. “I look for the plumpest kernels,” says Smoke-McCluskey. Editorial director Daniel Gritzer notes that the silks “should be moist and tender, not brittle and dried out,” and Smoke-McCluskey adds that they “should look somewhat healthy, not limp and mushy. I look for a nice green, vibrant husk. I don’t want any browning or drying out at all.”

The best way to store corn

If you want to store your corn, you can keep it in the husk and toss it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. The cold slows down the conversion of sugars into more complex (and less sweet) starches. While it’s always best to eat your corn as soon as possible, you probably have some time, depending on the type of corn you bought and where you bought it. Longer-lasting varieties (which are often found in supermarkets these days, but are also grown by some local growers) can be kept in the refrigerator for another five to six days after purchase. If you bought corn that doesn’t hold its sweetness as long, you should eat it sooner, anywhere from one to two days after purchase. If you’re unsure, talk to your produce manager or the farmer for more advice.

The best way to store corn for long periods of time is to freeze it. You can do this by blanching the corn in boiling water for one minute, quickly cooling it in ice water, and then cutting off the kernels. Spread them out on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer until frozen. Then place them in a sealable bag and store them in the freezer for up to three months.

The takeaway meal

Depending on where you buy your sweet corn, your storage options will vary. If you buy the short-shelf variety (which is sometimes still sold at a farmers market), you’ll want to use it as soon as possible, as this type of corn loses its flavor very quickly. If you buy corn from the grocery store, you should be able to use it in a little under a week before the flavor really fades. Store the corn whole in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, or cut the kernels from the corn, blanch them, and freeze them, then store them in a ziplock bag for up to three months.