What You Should Know About Cooking Corn In The Microwave

If your busy day consists of a jam-packed schedule with sticky notes reminding you to eat a snack, or if you simply choose to steer clear of the stove these days, it's quite possible that your go-to kitchen appliance is one of the best inventions to grace this world — the microwave. While this favored mess-free method of cooking might facilitate our lives, oftentimes there are little things we miss when it comes to microwaving our favorite foods, especially when they consist of veggies like corn.

Corn is the number-one crop in the country, according to the USDA. And while most of that corn isn't solely consumed by people — most is turned into feed for farm animals — it has nonetheless become a key ingredient in many of our favorite dishes and can be found in almost just about everything from soda to fish, per The Washington Post.

Microwaving corn, whether straight from the can or cob, is incredibly fast and easy, with not much to it, but there are steps you should consider next time you heat up your fresh, frozen, or canned kernels and cob.

First things first, when it comes to canned corn, or any canned item for that matter, it's recommended you thoroughly rinse the can to prevent any dirt particles from contaminating the contents (via Leaf). For best results, drain canned corn before microwaving. As always, be sure to place your preferred corn types on a microwave-safe plate or bowl.

Trim the tops off darkened silks before inserting the ears in the microwave. When it comes to cooking fresh corn, keep in mind the amount you'll be using. Ideally, microwaving on high for 3 minutes for every one to two ears should do the trick. For larger ears, add in an extra minute of cooking time for every two corn ears.

If you're looking to heat up whole cobs, don't worry as that too can be easily cooked in the microwave. For optimal results, keep the cob in their husks as the moisture from the silk allows the kernels to be steamed during the process, and also adds extra flavor.

Fun fact: canned corn is precooked and only needs a few minutes to fully cook, according to Leaf. For canned corn, heat 1 cup of drained kernels on high for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it has reached the desired temperature or texture. For larger batches, be sure to add more time. Large quantities will need an additional minute on high for every extra cup. Be sure to stir the corn after each minute to ensure even heating.

Before heating up frozen corn in the microwave, allow it to first defrost to minimize the overall cooking time. If the kernels are frozen, they will require more stirring during the process. For every cup of frozen kernels, microwave on high for 2.5 minutes. Extra cups will need an additional 1 minute of cooking time. 

We'd like to give Percy Spencer a much deserved shout-out, for had he not accidentally invented the microwave, we'd have nowhere to quickly heat up our beloved corn (via Business Insider).