Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Make Dried Corn

Make Dried Corn








Dried corn has many uses, both in cooking and in crafts. Dried corn can be used anywhere from making hominy to heat packs. It can be used in any recipe that you would normally use fresh corn and, as a bonus, can stay good for years when stored properly. Drying corn is a great way to preserve fresh kernels year round and it's easy to do.


Instructions


Preparation


1. Shuck, wash and trim all the corn. Remove all the silk from the cobs and cut off the ends.


2. Bring your pot of water to a rolling boil and gently place the corn into the water one ear at a time. Only put in enough corn so that each ear is completely covered in water.


3. Boil corn for at least 10 minutes. Remove cobs with tongs and place into the ice bath; leave the water boiling on the stove. Let corn cool for 3 to 5 minutes.


4. Put cooled cobs on towels to dry while you add more fresh corn to the boiling water. Repeat the process until all the corn has been blanched.


5. Remove all the kernels from the blanched cobs with a knife and collect in a large container. Stand the cob up on a plate with the stem side down and cut downward with the knife, letting the kernels fall onto the plate.


Dry the Kernels








6. Spread the kernels evenly on the dehydrator trays or on a cookie sheet if using an oven. Load the trays into the oven or dehydrator.


7. Set the dehydrator or oven to 150 degrees F. Rotate the trays and stir the kernels every 30 to 60 minutes throughout the drying time to create evenly dehydrated kernels.


8. Bake or dehydrate for several hours, until the kernels are hard when squeezed between two fingers, with no visible moisture. The dehydrated kernels will also be very brittle.

Tags: cobs with, dehydrated kernels, Dried corn, fresh corn, Make Dried