The Corn Zipper is a handy little gadget, dare I say a must-have Food Find, if you like to eat and use fresh corn kernels in your cooking, and, if you are powerless over specialized kitchen tools, which I just may be.
There are a number of brands to choose from when selecting a corn zipper; this just happens to be the one that works for me.
After spying this tool in one too many kitchen supply stores, and asking myself “Do I really need this?” I stumbled across my current version in a discount store; the same corn zipper I had seen before but at an undeniable price. So of course, I snapped it up, and have made regular use of it ever since. I have to report, it is truly worth adding to your collection if you are a corn lover, so the answer to the question, “Do I really need this?” is a definite “yes!”
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Zipping your way to more corn!
For many years past, I used the age old method of running a knife down the length of the cob to release the kernels, and while this is effective, I find it is easy to get the knife in too deep to the cob, making the cutting more difficult and also releasing too much of the chewy cob into each corn kernel. Enter - the corn zipper!
Similar to a vegetable peeler, but with the right spacing for corn kernels and with a row of sharp micro teeth instead of a single blade, the corn zipper efficiently strips the corn off the cob complete with a pleasing unzipping-like noise. Unlike using a knife, the released kernels are cut from the cob at just the right point, meaning no more chewy ends to the kernels, and no more awkward knife work.
A corn zipper like mine or other similar versions can be found in any well stocked kitchen supply store or from online vendors. If you live in Toronto, I’ll happily tell you where I found my discount version!
Preserving corn kernels
Every late summer I make a point of buying dozens of cobs of local organic corn to unzip and freeze in silicone pouches for fall and winter eating, and this useful tool has made this happy ritual even easier. I can’t attest to the corn zipper being any less messy to use than the traditional knife method - sweet corn juice still splatters happily on the counter in either case - but as an added bonus, every time I think of the term ‘corn zipper’ it puts a smile on my face.
Using up the leftover corn cobs
After all the corn zipping is done and plump pouches of bejewelled yellow kernels stocked in the freezer, the cobs can also be used to make homemade corn broth. This deeply flavoured corn broth, which can be used in the place of vegetable stock or bouillon, can be used right away, or frozen in glass jars to make delicious corn soups like Corn and Miso Soup and Corn Soup with Dill and Ginger.
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