Wondering How to Reheat Corn on the Cob? Here Are 3 Easy Methods

Nothing says summer quite like the experience of biting into crunchy, sweet, butter-drenched corn on the cob. However, if your eyes were bigger than your stomach and you’re up to your ears in corn (pun intended), you needn’t send the leftovers to the trash bin. Instead, read our guide on how to reheat corn on the cob and you’ll be able to enjoy that seasonal treasure for days to come.

An oven reheat is the best way to ensure your corn on the cob leftovers retain their satisfying crunch—and, fortunately, this method is also fairly quick and very easy. Here’s what to do.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Prep the corn. The corn in question has already been cooked—but if you have not yet seasoned it, now is the time. First, lay each cob out on its own sheet of aluminum foil. Then, add some salt, pepper, butter or whatever seasoning blend you prefer to the cold cobs.
3. Add butter and water. If your corn was previously seasoned and you opted to skip step two, you should still add an extra pat of butter to help keep the corn moist throughout the reheating process. Once you’ve plopped some butter on the cobs, sprinkle each one with a teaspoon of water. (Hint: You’re basically going to be using the oven to steam those suckers.)
4. Wrap the cobs up in the aluminum foil and twist both ends to ensure no steam escapes. If your corn on the cob resembles a tootsie roll, you’ve wrapped it correctly.
5. Transfer your bundled-up corn on the cob into the oven and heat it up for five to eight minutes, or until it has reached your desired temperature. Note: It’s totally fine to open the aluminum foil and prod the corn to check the temperature—just be sure to wrap it back up before returning it to the oven if it needs more time.
6. Once the corn is nice and hot, remove it from the oven and carefully unwrap it. You know what to do next.

It’s summer, your kitchen is a sauna and turning on the oven would feel like a form of torture. (We get it.) Considering that leftovers are basically the microwave’s raison d’etre, it should come as no surprise that this handy appliance can be used to take the chill off of refrigerated corn on the cob. That said, this method can easily result in overcooked corn if you don’t take care. Fortunately, if you follow these steps your corn on the cob should fare just fine.

1. Place the corn on the cob in a microwave safe dish.
2. Add a small pat of butter to each cob you’re warming up.
3. Tightly cover the dish with plastic wrap
4. Check your microwave settings: The best way to avoid overcooked corn is to ensure your microwave is operating on 50 percent power.
5. Send the corn into the microwave and set the timer (or simply stand by) such that the corn is heated intermittently, in 10 to 20 second intervals.
6. Check the temperature of the corn after every few intervals. Roll it around in that yummy butter while you’re at it—just be sure to replace the plastic wrap cover before it goes back in the microwave.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the corn emerges nice and hot. Voila...you’re done!

You don’t want to heat up your home...and you don’t own a microwave. Fear not: The stovetop can also get the job done. Best of all, you need nothing more than a pot of boiling water for this method.

1. Fill a pot with enough water to completely cover the corn on the cob and bring the water to a boil.
2. Once the water is boiling, add the precooked cobs of corn. (Be careful not to splash yourself.)
3. After about 3 minutes, use a pair of tongs to remove each pre-cooked cob of corn from the boiling water.
4. Dress up the hot corn on the cob with butter and your choice of seasoning before you dig in.

If you want to have another tango with that corn on the cob, you’ll need to make sure it hasn’t been lingering in your fridge for too long before choosing one of the methods above. The good news is that cooked corn on the cob can last for three to five days in the refrigerator, which should give you plenty of time for round two...without having to eat the same meal back to back. Still, this window of freshness will be reduced considerably if you haven’t stored the cobs properly. As such, it’s important to wrap the cooked corn on the cob in aluminum foil before sending it to the fridge in an airtight container.

Not sure you can get around to eating that leftover corn before it goes bad? No problem. Corn on the cob can be frozen. To do this, simply follow the same storage advice we gave for the fridge—aluminum foil and an airtight storage container or freezer bag—and your corn will stay fresh for up to a full year in the freezer (i.e., until next summer.)