Butter and Milk Boiled Corn on the Cob

milk boiled corn on the cob in a bowl with butter

4.88 from 8 votes

Butter and Milk Boiled Corn on the Cob

Milk boiled corn on the cob is the ultimate way to have the most tender and buttery corn. Once you try simmering fresh summer corn in a buttery milk bath, you'll see exactly why this is truly the best way to cook corn!

Prep Time3

Cook Time8

Total Time11

Course: Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 50kcal

Author: Eden Westbrook

Ingredients

4 corn on the cob silk and husk removed, cut in half
8 cups water
2 cups whole milk
½ cup salted butter that's 8 tablespoons or 1 stick
2 tablespoon sugar
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Garlic Herb Compound Butter

½ cup salted butter
½ tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoon parsley leaves
2 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

Bring water to a boil in a large pot with a fitting lid. Once boiling, add the milk, butter, and sugar to the water and bring back to a boil.
8 cups water, 2 cups whole milk, ½ cup salted butter, 2 tablespoon sugar
Once all the sugar is dissolved in the boiling water, turn the heat to low. Add your corn then put the lid on the pot for 6-8 minutes. Leave it be and make your compound butter.
4 corn on the cob
After your corn is finished cooking, season with salt and pepper and serve with generous amount of the compound butter.
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

Make the Garlic Herb Compound Butter

Add all the compound ingredients to the bowl of your food processor and spin on low until the herbs are chopped and everything is incorporated into the butter.
½ cup salted butter, ½ tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, 2 tablespoon parsley leaves, 2 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Remove the butter from the food processor and put into a serving bowl.

Notes

Storage and Reheating

Store the leftover corn, either wrapped tightly in aluminum foil or in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Rewarm in the microwave (without the aluminum!) or in another milk bath for a few minutes until warmed through. Serve with butter!

Variations and Recipe Tips

- Thanksgiving Flavors - make the corn even more flavorful and festive by adding herbs and garlic to the butter bath. Chop up rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley and put it right into the butter bath with a few cloves of garlic.

- Broth it up - instead of boiling plain water, use vegetable, chicken, or turkey broth (or Better than Bouillon Base in the water) to give the sweet corn a savory touch.

- Hot Honey Corn - add some hot honey to the broth and compound butter for a sweet heat!

- If you cut your corn into pieces, you're looking at a cooking time of about 5-7 minutes

- A secret to removing silk with ease - use a slightly damp paper towel to help lift the silks from the corn without crushing the kernels.

Nutrition