Last week’s mail certainly proved my theory that we have the best expert community going on here at Everyday Cheapskate. Even better, we’re willing to share.
Microwave Corn on the Cob
Dear Mary: I wish to share a sweet corn trick with you and your readers that allows you to cook fresh corn in the husk in the microwave. Cut through the husk right up to—not through—the cob at the stem end (where the ear was attached to the stalk) and all the way around. Microwave on high for three minutes per ear. Example: If you have two ears, microwave for six minutes. Remove from the microwave carefully, and then pull the corn right out of the husks. No muss, no hairy corn silk! —DickInstant Pot Corn on the Cob
Dear Mary: Preparing fresh corn on the cob is quick and easy in an Instant Pot. Pour 1 cup cold water in the pressure cooker. Set the trivet in place, and then place 4 ears of shucked and cleaned fresh corn on the cob on the trivet. Close the lid, and cook on High Pressure for 2 minutes no matter how many ears you are cooking. Turn off the heat and Quick Release. Open the lid carefully. Serve immediately with butter. Fresh corn on the cob comes out perfect every time. —RobCorn Off the Cob
Dear Mary: I use a Bundt pan to slice corn kernels off the cob. Place the pointy end of the cob on the center hole of the pan (with the open part of the pan facing up) and gently slice downward. The Bundt pan does double duty as a stand and kernel collector. —CathrynSoft Brown Sugar
Dear Mary: Instead of paying $6.95 for the cute little terra-cotta Brown Sugar Saver I spied in a fancy kitchen store, I headed to the Home Depot garden center and found a tiny 3-inch unsealed terra-cotta saucer for 50 cents and followed the same instructions: Soak the disk in water for 30 minutes. Snuggle it into your brown sugar and it will stay soft for up to six months per soak. Mine might not be quite as cute, but it works like a charm! —JodyRemove Strawberry Hulls
Dear Mary: There’s no need to buy a fancy strawberry huller gadget. Just use an ordinary plastic drinking straw to hull strawberries. Wash the berry, and then push the straw up through the bottom of the berry until it breaks through the top and takes the hull—the white part in the center of the berry—with it. Remove any remaining leaves as necessary. This works really well. It’s fun, too! —RhondaPhotos for several of today’s tips can be found at EverydayCheapskate.com/sweetcorn.
