Why it works: Corn and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,345 recipes. Both carry 2,3-pentanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
To Can Green Corn
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the corn
Cut the corn from the cobs.
Dissolve the tartaric acid in a little hot water.
Cook and can
Boil the corn in plenty of water with the dissolved tartaric acid until thoroughly cooked.
Can and seal the corn immediately.
Season to serve
When ready to use, drain the water and add baking soda, sugar, salt, and butter to taste.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Corn + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,345 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Corn + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,168 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Corn
- Forms the main body of the dish and provides its sweet, starchy flavor.
- Tartaric acid
- Adds acidity that helps the corn hold its color and texture during cooking and canning.
- Baking soda
- Raises the pH of the cooked corn, softening it and adjusting its flavor when added at serving.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smoother mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Boil the corn with the dissolved tartaric acid until thoroughly cooked. The corn must be cooked fully so it is safe and tender before canning. Acid added to the cooking water helps preserve the corn's color and texture during processing.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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