The Best Way to Cook Corn on the Cob, According to Our Tests

As with many vegetables, you technically can buy corn on the cob year-round. But the time when you really should buy it is during its peak season from May to September, when it’s at its sweetest, juiciest, cripsiest, and plumpest prime. Late summer is the sweet spot for just-picked corn on the cob, the ultimate expression of fresh corn goodness. 

You’ll find lots of advice on how to best cook fresh ears of corn, ranging from the stovetop to the oven, grill, and beyond. To determine which methods make the most of fresh summer corn, I tested six different ways to cook it. Nothing I tested was bad, per se, but some methods enhanced the juicy, crisp texture and sweet flavor more than others. 

A word about my method

I chose the freshest unshucked corn I could find, which was at my favorite local Latin market. I used fresh bicolor corn with the traits we like: moist husks, golden silks, and plump kernels from end to end. I used two ears of corn to test each method. With the exception of the butter bath method, I treated all the corn the same way: I simply brushed it with melted salted butter to allow the corn’s inherent flavors to shine.

Roasting corn in the oven

Cook time: 23 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Rating: 6.5/10

Method: I researched roasting methods, and the one that I saw most often was to wrap shucked, butter-brushed ears individually in foil, place them on a baking sheet, and roast at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes. I split the difference and roasted them for 23 minutes. 

Results: This method wasn’t exactly bad, it was just my least favorite of the six I tried. The cooked corn was tender but bland and overall felt a little “meh.” For that amount of cooking time (and 12 minutes of oven preheating), I wanted the corn to pick up more flavor, or maybe a little browning or caramelization on the surface — but it didn’t. There was no roasted quality in the flavor.

Pros: Once you wrap the corn and get it into the oven, this is an easy, hands-off method that will cook the ears while you tend to other things.

Cons: You’ll spend a good bit of time cooking corn this way, and the oven will heat up your kitchen.

Cooking corn in an Instant Pot

Cook time: 2 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Rating: 7/10

Method: For this test, I poured 1 cup of water into my Instant Pot and placed the trivet inside. I then arranged two shucked ears onto the trivet, closed the lid, and set the cooker to cook at high pressure for 2 minutes. It took my cooker 8 minutes to come to pressure. Once the cook time was over, I immediately released the pressure by turning the valve to “venting.” I brushed the cooked corn with melted salted butter.

Results: The corn was crisp and sweet, but it was just a little tough compared to the corn I cooked using other methods. 

Pros: This was the quickest method I tested. It’s an easy, solid approach for cooking basic corn on the cob.

Cons: The corn’s texture suffered a bit here. It was tougher than corn cooked using the other techniques.

Boiling corn

Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Rating: 7/10

Method: I brought salted water to a boil in a Dutch oven, then added two ears of shucked corn. I boiled the corn until it turned a deep yellow color, which took 5 minutes. After removing the corn from the water, I brushed it with melted salted butter.

Results: This was a solid method for cooking corn. The corn ended up juicy and tender, and its inherent sweetness was apparent. 

Pros: The kernels are very juicy, with a crisp pop in each bite.

Cons: This method is very basic and does not add any character to the corn.

Grilling corn in the husks

Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Rating: 8/10

Method: Here, I simply kept the corn unshucked and used one of our suggested grilling techniques. I heated my grill to medium-high, arranged the corn on the rack, closed the lid, and cooked for 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Results: The husks were dried and charred, and they peeled back easily — along with all of the silks — from the cooked corn. The corn picked up a hint of pleasant, reedy flavor from the husks and stayed very juicy.

Pros: The husks and silks come off with incredible ease. The corn steams inside the husks, picking up a hint of flavor from them and remaining moist and crisp. Also, this method won’t heat up your kitchen.

Cons: For me, the main point of firing up the grill is to get some flavor from the fire. With this method, the corn doesn’t pick up any notes of char or smoke. This is also the slowest way to cook corn on the cob that I tested.

Simmering corn in a butter bath

Cook time: 8 minutes
Total time: about 18 minutes
Rating: 9/10

Method: For this test, I used the same instructions I saw on several sites. I filled a pot halfway with water and brought it to a boil. Then I stirred in 1 cup of whole milk, 1 stick of unsalted butter (cut into pieces), and 1 teaspoon of salt and simmered until the butter melted. I then added the corn and simmered it for 8 minutes.

Results: I was delighted by the amount of milky, buttery flavor that permeated every kernel. The corn was crisp, juicy, and tender, with a mild, sweet flavor.

Pros: The corn tastes the sweetest when cooked this way. Granted, most bicolor corn starts off quite sweet, but if you want to bring out the flavor even more, this method is best for you.

Cons: You’ll have a lot of cooking liquid, which includes a cup of milk and a stick of butter, left over. You don’t have to waste it, though. You can refrigerate it and use it later when making chowder, risotto, or pasta.

Winner: Grilling corn without the husks

Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Rating: 10/10

Method: To test this method, I used one of our suggested grilling techniques: I heated my grill to high, maintaining a temperature of 475°F. I then brushed my shucked corn with melted salted butter, placed it on the grill rack, closed the lid, and grilled for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally to char all sides evenly.

Results: This corn was by far the most delicious of the bunch. It picked up an irresistibly robust char flavor, a roasty-toasty quality that deepened the savory notes in the corn while allowing its sweetness to shine through as well. I was a little worried that the kernels might be dry, but because the corn was brushed with butter first, it didn’t dry out at all. It was amazingly juicy and crisp. And again, the flavor was heavenly.

Pros: Brushing shucked corn with butter and grilling it adds light char flavor that enhances the sweet corn flavor, making it taste like the best version of itself and then some.

Cons: You’ll have to invest a little time to heat up the grill. Go ahead and throw some burgers or brats on, too, to get more bang for your buck.

Final takeaways

All of these methods produced tasty corn on the cob. When you start off with peak-summer goodness, you’re almost guaranteed a good result. If you’re always chasing bigger and bolder flavor, grilling shucked corn is the right choice for you, since it delivers a little char. If you enjoy simple sweet corn goodness, you’ll get the best results from the butter bath technique — but you truly can’t go wrong with any of them.