Clever Housewife

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

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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!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. CRSmith says

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

  3. Cathy Stesney says

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

  10. Allison Solseth says

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

  13. Heidi Hutson- Vain says

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

  14. Gwen Longino says

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

  17. Carol Markiewicz says

    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

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

  20. Amanda O says

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

  22. Stephanie says

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

  23. Kim Anderson says

    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!

  27. Kim Shumway says

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

  28. Jhanell says

    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

  31. Megan says

    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

    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

    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.

  37. Kris says

    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.

  42. Eliza Gohde says

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

  48. Tasha says

    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!

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