Joi Ito — Cooking
Recipe

Corn on the Cob, Precision Oven

For the original recipe and instructions, see “Corn on the Cob, Precision Oven” at Joi Ito, adapted from J. Kenji López-Alt / Anova Culinary

Joi’s recipe 4 Cook 30 minutes vegetables, corn

Description

Corn on the cob in the Anova Precision Oven in sous vide mode, 84°C for 30 minutes. Pectin in corn starts to break down at 83°C, so this is the lowest temperature that tenderizes it; the kernels stay crisp and sweet instead of turning soft. No pot, no bag.

Notes

Adapted from Sous Vide Corn (Anova) (J. Kenji López-Alt / Anova Culinary): https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/sous-vide-corn

Ingredients

  • 4 ears of corn (optionally leave in husk, both ends trimmed)
  • 2 tablespoons / 28 g butter, plus more for serving
  • Kosher salt
  • Aromatics, sparingly (optional: cilantro, scallions, garlic, dried chilies)

Directions

  1. Shuck the corn, or leave the husks on and trim both ends. Husked corn can be rubbed with butter and salt before it goes in.
  2. Oven: Sous Vide Mode, steam 100%, rear element, 84°C / 183°F, middle rack. Probe target to the oven temperature, or a 30-minute timer.
  3. Lay the ears in a single layer on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Tuck aromatics beside them if using: a few sprigs of cilantro, a sliced scallion, a crushed garlic clove, or half a dried chili. Keep it light.
  4. Cook 30 minutes. The corn can hold up to 2 hours; longer than that it goes mealy.
  5. Optional: Broil, top element, 250°C / 482°F, no steam, 3 to 5 minutes for a little char.
  6. Husk if needed, butter and salt at the table.

Without a bag the butter does not soak in during cooking, so the butter at the table matters.