Everything you need to know about cooking corn

Corn is quintessential summer. It's easy to measure the passing of the short-but-sweet season during long drives down roads flanked by cornfields: The taller the stalks get, the fewer lazy days we have left.

Here's the thing: When your seasonality window is small and time is running out, a sharpened toolkit of knowledge is essential. If you're not careful, corn will slip through your fingers — and not just because it's covered in butter. Consider these tips and recipes your arsenal.

• First, choose your ears carefully. We all know the peek-and-see trick, but these tips will help you decide whether an ear is worthy of your kitchen, just by looking at it.
• Get those husks off. Hint: The microwave is your secret weapon.

• Struggling with leftover silks? Slip them off easily with these suggestions.
• At last, the time to cook your corn has come. Save yourself the agony of setting the timer, and use our favorite technique instead.

• Want to experiment with techniques other than boiling? You can always try stewing, charring, baking, or pudding-ing. There's also pasta. Or these savory masa cakes. (Try to stop us. You can't.)

• Corn is summer gold: Don't waste it. Here are some inventive uses for every part of the cob (yes, even that pesky silk).

This article originally appeared on Food52.com: Everything you need to know about corn

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