Blanch and Freeze Sweet Corn
Every bag of corn in the grocery freezer aisle has been cooked before freezing. Blanching corn removes surface dirt but more importantly deactivates enzymes that lead to spoilage. To blanch corn, you'll need a wide pot, tongs, and a bowl full of equal parts water and ice to create an ice bath.
Ingredients:
8 corn cobs (Makes about 4 cups of corn.)
Instructions:
Shuck the corn: With a sharp knife, cut the tops and bottoms of the ear of corn, removing about in inch or so. Remove the corn's husk and the silk. Bring a wide pot of water to a boil over high heat. While the water boils, fill a large bowl with equal parts water and ice for the ice bath.
Blanch the corn: Using the tongs, add the corn. Depending on what your pot will hold, you may need to do this is batches. Boil each batch for 4 minutes.
Shock the corn: Remove the corn from the boiling water and place in the ice bath. Repeat blanching and shocking the remaining corn cobs.
Cut the kernels from the cob: Remove the corn cobs from the ice bath. Cut the corn kernels from the cob by slicing from the top to the bottom of the corn cob, cutting between the kernels and the cob. Alternately, you may keep them on the cob but that tends to take up a lot of freezer room.
Freeze the corn: Transfer the corn kernels into zip-top freezer bags, remove as much air as possible. Use a straw to suck out as much air as possible while flattening the bags. Seal the bags, label and date.
Notes:
Storage: The corn can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. Yield: One ear of corn usually yields about 1/2 cup kernels.
Another Favorite Way Any leftovers from a meal, all you need to do is cut it off the cob and put in Ziploc freezer bags. Again, we use a straw to suck out as much air as possible, but you can also use the professional food sealers. They keep very well in any kind of freezer - the secret is getting all the air out so ice crystals don't form.