Garlic & Herb Butter Bath Corn

Meghan Splawn
Meghan Splawn
Meghan was the Food Editor for Kitchn's Skills content. She's a master of everyday baking, family cooking, and harnessing good light. Meghan approaches food with an eye towards budgeting — both time and money — and having fun. Meghan has a baking and pastry degree, and spent the…read more
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published Jul 10, 2020
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Credit: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Food Stylist: CC Buckley/Kitchn

Boiling sweet summer corn in a butter bath with fresh herbs and garlic makes it taste like your favorite steakhouse side.

Serves6

Prep10 minutes

Cook15 minutes

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Credit: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Food Stylist: CC Buckley/Kitchn

I don’t like to play favorites when it comes to recipes, but this garlic and herb butter bath corn might be my favorite twist on classic butter bath corn. Here’s why: Adding just a handful of any herb (you know, the ones languishing in the crisper drawer) and a few cloves of garlic makes sweet summer corn taste like your favorite steakhouse side. While fresh herbs are a delight here, don’t be afraid to substitute dried herbs as needed.

New to the butter bath technique? Prepare to fall in love. Fresh ears of corn are cooked in boiling water, milk, butter, and salt until tender. This garlicky herb variety is just one of many easy ways to upgrade the technique. Here are four more to try.

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Garlic and Herb Butter Bath Corn

Boiling sweet summer corn in a butter bath with fresh herbs and garlic makes it taste like your favorite steakhouse side.

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 15 minutes

Serves 6

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 4 cups

    (1 quart) water

  • 6 ears

    fresh corn

  • 6 cloves

    garlic

  • 1/4 cup

    fresh thyme leaves

  • 1 cup

    milk

  • 1 stick

    (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter

  • 1 teaspoon

    kosher salt

Instructions

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  1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, shuck 6 ears fresh corn, then cut each ear in half crosswise. Smash 6 garlic cloves and pick 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves.

  2. Add the garlic, thyme, 1 cup milk, 1 stick unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to the pot. Carefully add the corn and reduce the heat to medium. Boil for 8 minutes. Use tongs to remove the corn from the butter bath and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days.

Filed in:
corn
Side Dish
Vegetables