Help!! Slicing Corn on the Cob!!

[Jen]

Anyone know if there is a way to slice corn on the cob? I'm trying to make the catfish kebabs from the August issue (they look delicious so far, by the way) but it says to slice each ear into 8 slices. Ha! I can't do this! I managed to cut it in half by scoring it then breaking it, but now each half is too small to break again.

Anyone know how to do this? Quickly? (I'm in the middle of my 20 minute marinating step).

Thanks,
Jen

[katygirl]

Well, this isn't a quick fix because you have to purchase it, but, they make really handy corn off the cob tools. It has little teeth on one end and it slides over the cob and the kernels come off! They are under 5 dollars at kitchen stores. My mom got me one a couple of years ago and I use it often. If you don't have one, I would just use a plain old sharp knife (watch your fingers)

Good Luck,
Katy

[Jen]

Thanks, Katy, but the recipe calls for slicing them across the cob - into eight rings. I finally figured out a way (well, it was my ingenious DH who is always trying to find new ways to use tools!). We put the knife into the cob where we wanted to cut, then covered the knife with a kitchen towel and tapped gently with a hammer. This seemed to work OK, but not exactly the safest kitchen trick I've tried! Anyone found a better way to do this?

OT, the funniest thing DH did with his tools was a couple of Christmases ago. I (silly me) decided to make little reindeer cupcakes for my coworkers on the last day before Christmas. I'd seen them in a book and they looked so easy - I just made plain chocolate cupcakes, iced them, made eyes and red noses with Jelly Belly's, then attempted to add the reindeer horns. The book used pretzels, and cut them in half to make the horns (if you can imagine it, it's really cute - the two halves look just like antlers). Well, try doing this - it's almost impossible without breaking the pretzels! I was getting pretty discouraged, and, at about midnight, having to contemplate the idea of going back to the store to get more pretzels because I was afraid I'd break them all. DH came up with the idea of using his dremel tool to cut the antlers. At first I was skeptical...but it worked like a charm! It was so funny though...I still have a picture of him, safety glasses on, cutting the little pretzels into antlers! I didn't tell my coworkers until much later that he'd used his dremel tool to cut them...they were a bit taken aback (he used a clean bit though, so it was sanitary and everything!). Anyway, it still makes me laugh to think about it!

[katygirl]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, :o I misread. I'm glad you figured out a way!

Katy

[Ed]

Hi,

I have a suggestion for future use.

One of my favorite tools in the kitchen is a Meat Cleaver, It would make short work out of cutting a corn cob across into rings with or without the corn on the cob. If a little force is needed it can be tapped with a hammer on the back of the cleaver safer than tapping on a thin bladed knife.

Also you can use it like a sharp knife for cutting the corn off of the cob, but it needs to be sharp.

A clever is a very handy kitchen and camp tool.

Ed

[Jen]

Thanks for the suggestion Ed! I have never had a real cleaver, although my Mom has a fabulous one - a great big Chinese thing (very sharp!!). I've always been a bit scared of it, probably because she was always warning us to stay away from it when we were kids. I'd love to get one, but my kitchen is so small and I don't really have a safe place to store it! I've always planned to buy one once I have a bigger kitchen with more drawer space.

My brother, who's training to be a chef, bought himself a small cleaver (I think it's a Henckels). It only about 8" or so, and it has a slight rounding to it (so you could use it for rocking back and forth when chopping herbs, garlic, etc.). He gets them wholesale from work, so I asked him to order one for me but I don't have it yet! I don't have any really good knives so I'm very excited! (What a kitchen nerd). Maybe that would work better.

Thanks for reminding me of the "wonders of cleavers" Ed! Now I'll have to phone my brother and find out what happened to mine!