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How to Cook Corn on the Cob for Large Crowds: Cooler Corn!

by Emily Buys 51 Comments

Cooking Corn on the Cob For a Crowd (aka Cooler Corn)

How to Cook Corn on the Cob for Large Crowds: Cooler Corn

I saw one of the most amazing and baffling cooking tips ever, on Pinterest last Fall. I couldn’t wait until corn season returned, so I could give this idea of “Cooler Corn” a try. If you have ever wondered how to cook corn on the cob for a crowd, this is THE WAY!

Cooking corn on the cob for a big crowd, using a pot and water, can take a long time, or use up a lot of pots. By using a cooler (aka Ice Chest), you can cook a boatload of corn at once. Give your cooler a good wash and scrub, then lay out your corn on the cob. Poor two kettles, or pots, of boiling water over your corn. Close the lid of the cooler and let your corn sit for about 30 minutes. Voila!! We gave it a try over Mother’s Day weekend, and it worked perfectly! The corn should be able to sit and remain a good temperature, for a couple of hours.

Some people worry about the chemicals inside the cooler leaking into the food, but I checked with my manufacturer and my cooler is BPA free. You will want to do a quick search to make sure your cooler is BPA free, but these days brands are doing a much better job of keeping our products safe. 

All your corn on the cob problems solved with these easy cooking method!

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Recipes, Sides Tagged With: cooler cooking, corn cob, corn on the cob, how to cook corn on the cob, ice chest

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lynda says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:13 PM

    Love corn! Thanks!

  2. CRSmith says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:14 PM

    This is a great idea! We are always cooking for an “army” around here. I will try this soon. Thanks!

  3. Cathy Stesney says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:15 PM

    Wow, now that’s something I never would have thought of! Thank you- I can use this tip for Memorial Day!!

  4. Valerie Strawmier says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:15 PM

    I’m hungry already!! 🙂

  5. Katya Campos says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:16 PM

    just started to learn how to cook!! thanks for this awesome tip

  6. nicole sellers says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:16 PM

    This seems like a fantastic idea!!!

  7. Lori Thomas says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:17 PM

    Yum thanks for the easy idea!!!! You rock Clever Housewife

  8. cheryl says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:17 PM

    Thanks for posting this , I am going to try it this it weekend!!!

  9. heather says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:19 PM

    This is an awesome idea!!

  10. Allison Solseth says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:20 PM

    This is very interesting… sure would be handy when you have a lot of people to serve!

  11. Bobbie says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:21 PM

    That is an awesome idea!!

  12. Jennifer T says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:21 PM

    Great idea!

  13. Heidi Hutson- Vain says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:24 PM

    Win a gift card or not, this idea is fabulous!!! I will SO use this!!

  14. Gwen Longino says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:24 PM

    Super great idea! I have a church picnic coming up and I will be doing this.

  15. Jodie says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:26 PM

    That is really cool, think I’m going to try that out for Memorial Day!

  16. holly saunders says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:26 PM

    super great idea..ty for posting

  17. Carol Markiewicz says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:29 PM

    This is a very “corny” idea andI love it, and it’s my birthday today, I would love to win the Starbucks gift card

  18. Tiffany I. says

    May 21, 2012 at 1:40 PM

    My toddler LOVES corn in the cob….maybe this will keep him happy for a little while!!! 🙂

  19. Cheryl Bryan says

    May 21, 2012 at 2:02 PM

    Great tip! I will be trying this out soon!

  20. Amanda O says

    May 21, 2012 at 2:45 PM

    I want to throw a party just so I can try this!!! Sounds awesome! Kinda like the perfect boiled egg trick!!!

  21. Rachel Tiller says

    May 21, 2012 at 3:35 PM

    How interesting! I would have never thought.

  22. Stephanie says

    May 21, 2012 at 5:19 PM

    That is an amazing idea! I wish I would’ve read this last summer for our family reunion!

  23. Kim Anderson says

    May 21, 2012 at 8:40 PM

    I can’t wait to try this out. We are having our Cub Scout camping in June and can’t wait to share this with everyone! What a great tip! Thanks and God Bless you!

  24. Emily Lyon says

    May 21, 2012 at 10:31 PM

    Good luck Kim! This is a perfect tip for camping!

  25. Emily Lyon says

    May 21, 2012 at 10:31 PM

    There’s always next reunion!

  26. Emily Lyon says

    May 21, 2012 at 10:32 PM

    You totally should throw a party! Memorial Day would be perfect for it!

  27. Kim Shumway says

    May 21, 2012 at 11:01 PM

    I’m curious, do you drain the water after the thirty minutes cook time? Thanks!

  28. Jhanell says

    May 22, 2012 at 6:26 AM

    Corn on the cob is one of my favorite summer time foods. I organized a BBQ for mother’s day and this would have been perfect to test out. Will have to try for Memorial Day Weekend.

    Thanks

  29. Emily Lyon says

    May 22, 2012 at 8:12 AM

    Good luck!!

  30. Emily Lyon says

    May 22, 2012 at 8:14 AM

    I would drain the water so the corn doesn’t get soggy.

  31. Megan says

    May 23, 2012 at 6:42 AM

    Hey Emily, I was just wondering, does the water in the cooler have to be covering the corn? If Im cooking a lot of ears of corn, it seems I may need a couple more than 2 kettles of water. But just wanted to check…
    Thanks for your help 🙂

  32. Emily Lyon says

    May 23, 2012 at 8:13 AM

    I don’t believe we had our corn completely covered. We did go out and turn the corn on top, partway through. I don’t know if that is necessary, but it’s what we did to ensure cooking. I think the cooler kind of steams the corn.

  33. Margarita says

    July 29, 2012 at 6:35 PM

    Great idea! I’m gonna try it for our annual family beach party. Prepare it at home and add a stick of butter to the water. By the time I drive down to the beach they should be ready to eat. I’ll also take the powered cheese and chili a-la mexican style.

  34. Emily Lyon says

    July 30, 2012 at 1:47 PM

    That sounds fabulous!!

  35. Carl says

    January 22, 2013 at 8:47 AM

    Here’s a commercial for coolercorn!

  36. Carl says

    January 22, 2013 at 8:49 AM

    Here is a ‘commercial’ for coolercorn!

    http://blip.tv/sasketchshow/coolercorn-6508725

  37. Kris says

    February 11, 2013 at 3:45 PM

    Just wondering if this safe. Some plastics release chemicals when heated, which would then leach into the corn. I would be very cautious about using any product in so different a manner than it was intended.

  38. Emily Lyon says

    February 12, 2013 at 11:47 AM

    I did some calling around and some research and found that this brand does say this is safe.

  39. Kathey Green says

    April 2, 2013 at 11:10 PM

    I have never tried this, but have been wanting to. I heard you can do the samething with potatoes (baked) and other veggies.

  40. Charm says

    June 24, 2013 at 12:50 PM

    Do I need 2 coolers if I’m doing 6 dozen (72) ears?

  41. Emily Lyon says

    June 24, 2013 at 5:49 PM

    It depends on the size of your cooler but I would venture to say yes.

  42. Eliza Gohde says

    July 26, 2014 at 8:35 PM

    Thank you so much. We are going to us this for my Mom’s 75th birthday bash.

  43. Emily Lyon says

    July 26, 2014 at 10:42 PM

    How fun! Enjoy!

  44. Buddy says

    August 21, 2014 at 6:41 PM

    Any way you could use frozen corn?

  45. Emily Lyon says

    August 22, 2014 at 2:30 PM

    I would imagine you can, but the cooking time might be different.

  46. Ann Singleton King says

    August 19, 2016 at 9:08 PM

    Have you tested this using frozen corn-on-the-cob?

  47. Emily Buys says

    August 22, 2016 at 12:54 PM

    Hi Ann,

    I haven’t tested this with frozen corn, but I imagine it would work. I just wouldn’t leave it in the water for very long.

  48. Tasha says

    January 30, 2018 at 8:42 AM

    I was assigned to bring corn to family function of 18 people and I used this technique so I wouldn’t have to cook in batches. I loaded up the cooler, corn, and boiling water before throwing into my trunk. My husband thought I was crazy. I did have in there for about an 1hour before serving and worked like a charm! Plus kept me out of the kitchen!! Thanks for the idea!

  49. Emily Buys says

    February 6, 2018 at 7:48 AM

    Awesome, Tasha! I’m so glad it worked out!

  50. Sue Bond says

    August 27, 2019 at 1:25 PM

    I saw some ask about using frozen corn. Has anyone tried it!
    Thanks!

  51. Emily Buys says

    September 12, 2019 at 8:36 AM

    Good question! I haven’t heard if anyone has tried it but I’d be interested to know how it turns out.

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