How to Cook Corn on the Cob for a Crowd or Picnic
Have you ever invited a large crowd for a summer picnic and tried to figure out how to make corn on the cob that would stay fresh and hot for hours?
There would be no way to have 20-30 ears of corn ready and waiting for your picnic guests without using some sort of method to keep the corn fresh, hot and fly-free.
This is our favorite method of providing hot corn on the cob to our picnic guests.
Buy fresh corn on the cob – Always buy corn the morning of your picnic if possible. Your best bet to getting the freshest corn is to visit your local farmers market.
This method to prepare corn will keep your corn nicely warmed for hours. Your guests will love it!
What you Need to Prepare Corn for a Crowd:
- 25-30 ears of corn
- large pot to cook corn
- at least 2 pairs of tongs
- 2 glass casserole dishes
- aluminum foil
- sticks of real butter
- salt
- 1 medium-sized cooler
- boiling water
- (A nice Aunt or Cousin that comes to help out.)
What Steps to Take to Prepare Corn for a Crowd:
- Clean the cooler you will be using to hold the corn.
- Fill the cooler half-way with water or you can guess how much water you will need.
- Pour that water into a large pot and boil.
- When the water comes to a rolling boil, pour the water back into the cooler and close the lid.
- This water will be dumped out when the corn has been cooked and wrapped and will leave the cooler warm for hours.
- Start a large pot of water to boil (no salt) to cook the corn. Do not OVERFILL the pot with water because you need to add the corn to cook.
- Set up your 3 prepping stations. Station 1. is a glass dish to hold the cooked corn directly from the boiling water. This will help to dry the corn before buttering. Station 2 is melted butter in a glass dish to roll the corn around in. Station 3 is the foil wrap station. Cut off enough foil to wrap corn and have it ready after the corn has been well buttered. The 3rd station is also the salt station. Salt the corn and then wrap.
- When the water comes to a rolling boil, add as much corn as will fit into the pot.
- When the water starts to boil again, set your timer for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes of cooking, using your tongs, carefully remove each ear of corn from the boiling water to the first station glass dish to dry.
- Quickly take each ear of corn from that dish and roll it in the butter dish.
- Gently lay the buttered corn on the foil and lightly salt.
- Wrap the corn in the foil and crimp ends tightly.
- When the first batch of corn is buttered and wrapped, dump the hot water from the cooler and quickly add the wrapped corn.
- Make sure to work quickly and keep the cooler lid closed. This will ensure the corn stays warm for hours.
Top Photo Credit: baysmom3 via DesignHunt / CC BY-NC
