Corn. Sweet, delicious, and one of the most improbable grains to become a staple. If you look at the strange and ancient ancestors of wheat, rye, barley, or oats, they basically look like an untamed version of the same beast. Fewer seeds, more spikes, a punk look just daring you to husk their shell before the fiber content rips a new path through your intestines – but still recognizably related to the sweet tame versions we all eat today.

Ancestral corn, on the other hand, doesn’t look like some teenage goth version of the same grain. Heck, it doesn’t even look edible. The oldest versions of corn had around 8 – 12 ridiculously tough kernels per stalk and those were encased in individual shells.  Once you pried them free, early corn kernels were so darn rugged you had to boil them in lye just to make them edible. How hungry do you have to be before you think boiling angry looking plants with lye sounds better than eating dirt?

This is why it’s a good thing the future of the human race isn’t up to me.  I would’ve stopped at leafy greens and juicy berries. Then we all would’ve died that winter. Luckily, ancient Americans were a hearty, determined bunch who worked incredibly hard to transform a substandard weed into a staple crop that now feeds millions worldwide. Not too shabby.

Corn is still pretty mysterious to a lot of people. There are so many parts. It’s not clear how one applies heat to create yummyness.  If you’ve only ever made corn by cracking open a Green Giant can, I have a surprise. It’s as easy as boiling water.

Really.

Fill the biggest pot you own 2/3 full of water. Now turn up the heat and go away until it boils. This is a good time to peel away the husk and silk. (Am I the only person disappointed we can’t weave corn silk instead of using catepillar casings? Come on biological science! Get on the ball here!)

Once the water is boiling, toss in your corn. If the corn’s too big, break the cob in half. It’ll make you feel like a karate champ.

Toss in your shucked corn, put on a lid (or cover the pot with a cookie sheet or even foil if you don’t own a lid) then turn off the heat. That’s right. Your water’s hot enough.

Set a timer for 10 minutes. When you return, the cooling water will have miraculously transformed your corn from something that looks like it could be used for exfoliation into a sweet dinnertime delight. Or lunch. Really, the only meal I don’t eat it at is breakfast.

Want to see it for yourself? Watch The Rookie Cook’s video on How To Cook Corn On The Cob.