What is up with this? Grown men and women standing by the bins of corn, shucking the ears right there and taking them home naked. Why? You can take a peek at the quality of the ear by peeling the husk back an inch or two. Unless they are going to cook it as soon as they get home, it will dry out and lose freshness. And they get in the way of civilized people who just want to select a few ears and move on.
Are these the same people who buy watermelon pre-sliced and shrink-wrapped?
I worked in a farm market in high school and it used to happen all of the time. I also used to cut and shrink-wrap watermelon*. I doubt the two demographics coincide. The shucker wanted the best value possible making sure all ears were perfect. Probably the same group of folks that would remove carrot tops and broccoli stalks to save money.
*I used a large machete to cut the watermelon (which probably wasn’t a good idea because we went to the VFW for lunch on a regular basis). One time I was cutting into a watermelon that I didn’t realize was completely rotten on the inside. The instant the machete edge touched the skin of the watermelon it literally exploded sending rotten watermelon all over me and the room. Disgusting…
As one of the guilty parties…
You can get a sample of the quality by peeling the husk back, but sometimes there are issues farther down the ear–kernels not ripened or missing, fungus or funky stuff depending on storage, etc.
BUT, I agree that you should only shuck the corn if you’re going to cook it when you take it home that day, preferably wrapped in the plastic bag and put in the fridge when you get home.
Bruce
Our grocery stores encourage it - put up big garbage bins for people to use. I don’t do it, but only because I’m lazy - ain’t no one got time for no shucking in the store.
I don’t shuck in the store, but I would think the issue could be as mundane as folks trying to save time and not having the mess in their house/apartment.
Don’t see anything here to get worked up over.
+50
+51
Man I hate the mess that corn silk leaves behind. I should be shucking at the store too, great idea!
But are they really encouraging this practice, or simply accommodating it?
I wonder if corn ears were sold by the pound way back when… frugal shoppers would have saved by not paying for the husk (at the expense of eatng corn that is not shucked right before cooking)… like the broccoli trimmers that Tim mentioned (the grocery store should have a SWAT team to deal with those folks). At any rate, it is amusing to witness the curious corn ritual, however it started.
The notion of avoiding a mess at home is what made me wonder about a potential link to pre-sliced watermelon… yeah, it is mushy and tasteless, but you do avoid a mess at home. Maybe grocery stores should set up watermelon carving stations… now that would be fun to watch.
Simply grap the corn tassel at the tip of the ear while you grasp the husk, then quickly rip the husk and silk off together… voila, no mess, and only a strand or two of silk clinging to the ear. And you get to eat corn that has not been drying out since you shucked it in the store…
Rachel Ray is the master.
Most grocery stores have broccoli heads, and broccoli (head and stalk)… the heads are more expensive.
strangely my wife likes the stalk and dislikes the head… makes it easy 
I had always been told that the corn will start losing flavor more quickly after being shucked.
The motive is to ensure you buy a perfect ear. I’ve been trying to convert Arnold away from the practice.
This is absolutely correct, and a corn purist would not shuck the corn more than a few minutes in advance of cooking. In my experience this does generate flack from city bred spouses who weren’t brought up in the true corn religion, and who aren’t willing to accept the occasional hidden flaw as the price one must pay for fresh tasting corn.
+1 for the stalks. Peeled, cubed, then steamed or boiled in salted water or chicken stock. Also good in mixed veg recipes.
Don’t shuck anymore. I nuke them (3 1/2 min, then let sit a few minutes) which is fast and tasty. Preserves the the vitamins too IIRC.
I think the most important factors are time after being picked and storage temperature.
I’m inclined to agree, but regarding time after being picked Mark Bittman has this to say:
“It used to be that immediately after picking the the natural sugars quickly turned to starch, but the new brands of corn retain their sweetness incredibly well, sometimes for several days.”
My experience bears this out. It’s still true that the sooner you eat the corn after it’s picked, the better it is, but the fall off in quality is not nearly as dramatic as it used to be. However, to quote Bittman again:
“Store corn, still in its husk in the refrigerator; it will not go bad but will decline in sweetness as it ages” (italics are mine)
Leaving the husk on and cool storage are non-negotiable for me.
I like to grill them with the husks still on, then peel them after they’re cooked. Yummy.
90% of the fresh (Jersey) corn I eat is soaked in water and grilled in the husk on the BGE, so no in-store husking for me.