Corn has become a precious commodity this drought-stricken year and this summer I've heard about an unusually high number of strangely labor-intensive methods for cooking it, even when it comes to my seasonal favorite preparation — grilling. I've been told earnestly that grilled corn has to be shucked, brined overnight, air-dried, then carefully grilled for about an hour; or boiled in a court-bouillon for no less than ten minutes; or steamed stem-end down, tied with kitchen twine like asparagus, upright in a pot. It's as if all the cooking shows collectively overloaded people's common corn sense, making one of the simplest foods overwrought and complicated.
