How to cook Sweetcorn

Nothing beats fresh corn on the cob, boiled and eaten with a little butter and a tiny pinch of salt and pepper. You can grill or barbecue whole cobs, either in their husks or wrapped in kitchen foil. Sweetcorn is also delicious in salsas, salads and in cornbread.

Look for fresh-looking husks, tightly packed with plump kernels. If in doubt, frozen sweetcorn is also a good option – it’s frozen soon after it’s picked so you still get most of the nutrients and sweetness that you’d get from fresh corn.

WATCH: Healthy corn chowder

READ: Sweetcorn okonomiyaki

WHAT IS SWEETCORN?

Sweetcorn is the same plant that gives us popcorn. We harvest sweetcorn before it’s fully mature, but if you allow it to ripen and dry, you get maize, which is the grain we use for popping corn. The different parts of the sweetcorn plant have quite strange names. The whole part that you pick or buy is called an ear. Inside the leafy husk are the soft stringy bits, called silks, which surround the kernels on the cob – these are the seeds of the plant.

WHEN IS SWEETCORN IN SEASON?

Sweetcorn is in season from July to November. It’s delicious charred whole on a barbecue for a smoky flavour.

HOW TO STORE SWEETCORN

Fresh corn should be wrapped in a damp cloth and refrigerated.

What are the health benefits?

Sweetcorn can be a great source of fibre, which helps with our digestion. Six to eight baby sweetcorn, three heaped tablespoons of frozen or tinned sweetcorn, or one whole corn on the cob all count as one of your 5-a-day (one portion of veg or fruit is 80g raw weight). Sweetcorn is high in vitamin C and is a source of thiamine.