Creamed Corn Recipe

"Though sweet, not savory, this creamed corn is a perfect side," not a dessert, says chef and food writer Susan Olayinka of The Flexible Fridge. Try it with burgers, chicken, grilled fish, or a host of vegetarian entrees. Of course, a big bowl of creamed corn is welcome on any holiday table, from the Fourth of July BBQ to a Thanksgiving Day spread. Easy to make, sure to please, and ready in all of 20 minutes, this may well become your new anytime go-to side.

Best of all, there's a very good chance you already have all of the ingredients needed for creamed corn on hand, or you can keep them stocked with ease, as the central ingredient, the corn kernels, can be canned or frozen.

As noted, you probably have all of the stuff you'll need for this creamed corn on hand with the possible exception of the cream. And if you cook enough, you probably have that too.

What you'll need is two cups of sweetcorn kernels, a quarter cup of whole milk, a half cup of light cream, two tablespoons of sugar, an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, a quarter teaspoon of vanilla extract, and three teaspoons of cornstarch. If you don't have everything on hand, make sure you take a trip to the grocery store before you start cooking.

If you are using canned corn to make your creamed corn, rinse it quickly before using it here. With frozen corn, give it some time to thaw or allow some extra time for thawing during the initial heating here. Either way, put the sweetcorn into the a medium-sized pot and place it on a burner. Turn the heat to a medium setting and wait until you hear it start to sizzle, then pour the milk and light cream into the pot.

Stir a few times to mix everything together and to let the temperature in the pot rise for a few moments.

Put the cornstarch, the vanilla extract, the sugar, and the salt into the pot and mix things well. At this point, the creamed corn will begin to get noticeably creamier and thicker. Turn down the heat to low and keep on stirring regularly for about five to seven minutes, making sure it doesn't thicken to the point that it gets too dry. Remember, you still want plenty of liquid here.

Once you are happy with the consistency, the creamed corn is now ready to serve. You can add in black pepper and other spices or serve it as. Either way, you really can't go wrong.