Can You Freeze Baby Corn?
Quick Answer
Yes, you can freeze baby corn after blanching it to maintain its quality. Properly prepared, it can last up to a year in the freezer while retaining its texture, flavor, and nutrients.
Read on for more detail
Baby corn is an adorable-looking vegetable used for appetizer plates and Asian-style dishes. Aside from looking cute, baby corn is also healthy and delicious.
But baby corn is very delicate and doesn’t last as long as regular corn. How do you store baby corn to extend its shelf life?
Can you freeze baby corn? Yes, you can freeze baby corn. It is best to freeze baby corn after you have blanched it. Blanching helps retain the texture, color, and flavor of baby corn. Baby corn can last up to a year in the freezer.
Continue reading to learn how to freeze baby corn, how to defrost and use it, and if you can refreeze baby corn.
What Is Baby Corn?
Baby corn is regular corn that has been harvested at a much earlier stage. But this immature and small corn still has got a lot of flavor. Baby corn is sweet and nutty. Texture-wise, it is pleasantly crunchy.
Baby corn is very healthy. It is a good source of soluble fiber, vitamins, and minerals. You can eat baby corn both cooked and raw.
Adding raw baby corn to salads is a great idea. You can also eat these crunchy vegetables with your favorite dipping sauce.
You can use baby corn to make stews, soups, and stir-fries, as well as roast or deep-fry it.
How Long Does Baby Corn Last?
Baby corn is a very delicate vegetable. You should store it in the fridge as soon as you bring it home.
Baby corn stored in a plastic bag in the fridge will maintain its best texture and taste for up to 3 days. If you keep the husks tightly wrapped on the ears, baby corn may last a few days longer.
Cooked baby corn doesn’t last long in the fridge either. It is best to eat leftover baby corn within 3-4 days.
Can You Freeze Baby Corn?
If you have bought more baby corn than you can eat within a couple of days, then storing baby corn in the freezer is certainly the best thing you can do.
Corn does freeze well, and baby corn is not an exception. If you take your time to properly prepare baby corn for freezing it will suffer minimal texture and flavor changes.
How To Freeze Baby Corn
It is best to freeze baby corn after you have blanched it. Blanching helps maintain the texture, flavor, and nutrients of the corn. Additionally, blanched baby corn lasts longer in the freezer than raw baby corn.
Here are step-by-step instructions for freezing baby corn.
- Start by cleaning and washing the corn. If the corn has husks and some silks attached to it, remove them and then rinse the corn under running water. Unlike some other vegetables, corn doesn’t come very dirty as it is protected by the husks.
- Trim off the ends using a sharp knife. As baby corn is quite small, you don’t need to divide it into a few parts. But if you like to cut baby corn into smaller pieces before adding it to your dishes, you can absolutely do it before freezing.
- Next, blanch the baby corn. Boil the corn for a minute and then transfer it into ice-cold water to immediately stop the cooking process and keep the corn crisp.
- Remove the baby corn from the water and let it dry. Pat dry with paper towels if needed.
- An optional step is flash-freezing the baby corn. To do this, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the baby corn on it. Freeze the corn for a few hours until solid.
- Put the baby corn into zip-top bags. If you have a lot of baby corn, freeze it in a few batches.
- Label the bags with the date and put the baby corn in the freezer.
Can You Freeze Baby Corn Without Blanching?
If you don’t have time to blanch baby corn before freezing it, you can skip that step. However, as noted above, blanching the corn first does extend its freezer life. So, if you skip blanching, try to use up the baby corn sooner.
To freeze baby corn without blanching, do the following:
- Clean and wash the baby corn.
- Cut it into 1-inch pieces if you want to.
- Let the corn dry or pat dry it using paper towels.
- (Optional) Flash-freeze baby corn.
- Put the corn into airtight containers or bags.
- Label with the date and store in the freezer.
How Long Does Frozen Baby Corn Last?
Baby corn stored properly in the freezer will keep well for up to 12 months. If your freezer temperature is stable, the corn may last longer than that.
However, the sooner you use the baby corn the better as the flavor and texture qualities of the corn will gradually deteriorate as it sits in the freezer.
How To Defrost Baby Corn
The best way to defrost baby corn is to transfer it from the freezer into the fridge and let it thaw overnight.
You can accelerate the thawing process of baby corn by placing it in a bowl filled with cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes until the corn has fully defrosted.
You can also thaw baby corn in the microwave using the defrost setting. In this case, however, make sure that you use the corn immediately.
Can You Use Baby Corn Without Defrosting?
You don’t always have to defrost baby corn before using it. Skip the defrosting step when using frozen baby corn in soups, stews, and stir-fries.
You will only need to cook the corn for a few additional minutes so that it thaws and cooks through.
How Do You Know If Frozen Baby Corn Is Bad?
We recommend you don’t keep baby corn in the freezer for longer than 12 months. Chances are high that the corn will start to develop freezer burn past that time.
While eating freezer-burned corn is not harmful, expect the corn to have an off-putting flavor and texture when you defrost it.
Signs of spoilage for frozen baby corn include discoloration, mold, and dry spots. If you have had the baby corn in the fridge for many months, smell it when you have defrosted it to make sure it is good.
Can You Refreeze Baby Corn?
You can refreeze baby corn. However, there are two things you should know when you are refreezing vegetables and food in general.
First, you should only refreeze baby corn if you have defrosted it in the fridge.
Never refreeze food that has been defrosted in the microwave or at room temperature as there is a higher risk of bacterial contamination with these defrosting methods.
Second, refreezing baby corn may further affect its texture and flavor. So, we don’t recommend you do it.
If you’re looking for a new recipe to try out with your baby corn, here’s a great video on the subject!
