Sweetcorn is a staple vegetable in the UK, with its sweet flavour and versatile texture making it a great fit to eat either on its own, as a side, or mixed into all manner of dishes. But sweetcorn needn’t be fussy to cook and in fact, making sweetcorn in the microwave is far faster, far cheaper and amazingly, far healthier too than using a big ol’ kitchen saucepan to cook your corn to perfection.
That’s why sweetcorn connoisseurs and corny amateur chefs alike are being encouraged to swap their pans for a microwave to make tastier and more nutritious sweetcorn, whether it’s tinned sweetcorn or corn on the cob. If you’re cooking corn on the cob, it couldn’t be simpler. Just pop it whole into the microwave and zap it for a few minutes, according to All Recipes.
Microwave sweetcorn recipe – faster than boiling
It says: “Microwave corn on the cob quickly and easily without crowding your grill or waiting for a whole pot of water to boil.
“This no-nonsense recipe for corn on the cob lets your microwave and a moist paper towel steam each ear of corn to perfection.
“Microwaving corn on the cob is an incredibly easy way to prepare corn more quickly than traditional versions, such as on the stove or on the grill. “With just an ear of corn, a wet paper towel, and a microwave, you can have a great vegetable side dish ready in just a couple of minutes.”
First, remove the husk (if there is one, many supermarkets sell the corn already de-husked and de-leafed), then wrap a moist paper towel or kitchen roll around the corn and place it in the microwave.
Then microwave it for three to five minutes – until the kernels are tender but crisp.
All Recipes adds: “The cook time varies depending on the size of the ear of the corn and the power of your microwave. If you follow this recipe, a medium ear of fresh corn should be perfectly cooked in two to five minutes.”
With tinned sweetcorn, it’s even easier. Asda explains how to cook its 57p tinned sweetcorn: “Empty contents into a suitable non-metallic container, cover and vent. Heat on full power. 700W 2 Mins / 900W 1 Min. Stir and drain well before serving.”
Whereas, if you put them on the hob, it would take five minutes of gas/electricity on your hob, which would cost you more money than running the microwave for 60 seconds.
Why boiling vegetables is not as good for you
And according to Healthline, boiling veg can actually destroy its nutritional value, because it breaks down key vitamins like Vitamin C and Vitamin B. That means boiling sweetcorn, for example, could be less nutritious than microwaving it.
Healthline explains: “Vegetables are generally a great source of vitamin C, but a large amount of it is lost when they’re cooked in water.
“In fact, boiling reduces vitamin C content more than any other cooking method. Broccoli, spinach, and lettuce may lose up to 50% or more of their vitamin C when boiled.
“Because vitamin C is water-soluble and sensitive to heat, it can leach out of vegetables when they’re immersed in hot water. B vitamins are similarly heat sensitive. Up to 60% of thiamine, niacin, and other B vitamins may be lost when meat is simmered and its juices run off.”
So the quickest, healthiest and cheapest way to cook sweetcorn, whether on the cob or from a tin – is not the hob, but in the microwave.