How to Cut Corn on the Cob (without Making a Mess)

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: August 25, 2021 References

There's something about fresh corn on the cob that captures the taste of summer. If you happen to spot ears of corn at the grocery store or farmer's market, get a few and cut them into cobettes for steaming or remove the kernels to make a corn salad. There are a few easy ways to cut corn with a knife, but a corn stripping tool can also come in handy!

Question 1 of 5:

What's the easiest way to cut corn kernels from the cob?

Press a cob against a cutting board and slice off the kernels with a knife. Shuck an ear of corn and set the narrow end on a cutting board. Hold the wide end at the base of the corn cob up at a 45-degree angle and pick up a chef's knife with your other hand. Slice the knife through the kernels going from the wide end down to the narrow end. Then, lay the ear on the flat side you just cut and slice off the kernels from the top side. Keep turning and slicing.^{[1]
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- Lay a damp kitchen towel underneath your cutting board to prevent it from sliding around on your counter.

Question 2 of 5:

How do you cut corn on the cob in half?

Snap the corn in half to make cobettes. Even with a really big chef's knife, it can be tricky to cut an ear of corn in half. Fortunately, it's a lot easier to just use your hands! Shuck the corn, then grip both ends of the ear with your hands. Firmly snap the ends down so the corn breaks in half in the middle.^{[2]
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- Do this before you cook the corn since it's hard to handle hot corn safely.

Question 3 of 5:

How do you cut corn on the cob without making a mess?

1
Place the corn in a Bundt pan to collect the kernels. Set an upside-down Bundt pan on your counter and shuck an ear of corn. Stick the wide end of the corn cob base into the center hole of the pan. Then, take your chef's knife and start slicing the kernels from the narrow end of the cob down to the bottom. The kernels will fall into the pan!^{[3]
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- You can also use a plain tube pan if you don't have a Bundt pan.
2
Stack an upside-down bowl inside a larger bowl if you don't have a Bundt pan. You don't need to buy a special pan just for cutting corn on the cob! Set a large bowl on the counter and get out another bowl that fits inside it. Turn the bowl upside-down and set it in the larger bowl. Then, rest a shucked ear of corn vertically on the smaller bowl so you can cut the kernels and they'll fall into the big bowl.^{[4]
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- If your large bowl slides around your counter, lay a damp cloth underneath it to stop the bowl from moving.
3
Cut the corn on a clean kitchen towel if you want to gather up the kernels. Lay a big kitchen towel flat on your counter and slice the bottom ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) from the wide end of a shucked corn cob. Stand the ear of corn vertically on the towel. Then, take your chef's knife and slice down along the kernels so they fall on the towel. When you're done with all your corn, just gather the towel corners and pick it up so you can pour the kernels into a pot or bowl.^{[5]
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- When you cut kernels and they fall on a countertop, they tend to bounce. If you cut on a towel, however, they won't spring off.

Question 4 of 5:

How can I get corn off of the cob without a knife?

Drag a corn stripping tool down the length of the cob so the kernels fall off. Hold the wide end of a shucked ear of corn on your counter and tilt the ear at a 45-degree angle. Take a corn stripping tool—it looks like a vegetable peeler but has teeth on 1 side of the blade—and press it near the narrow end of the cob. Pull it from the top down to the base so it slices through kernels and they fall off.^{[6]
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- If your blade didn't cut deep enough, you can pull the blade down the cob again to get the rest of the kernels and the milky corn cob liquid.

Question 5 of 5:

How can I cut corn on the cob into coins?

Use a chef's knife to cut an ear into 1 to 1 ¹⁄₂ in (2.5 to 3.8 cm) pieces. Lay a shucked ear of corn flat on a cutting board and hold 1 end in place. Take a chef's knife in your other hand and carefully start cutting across the ear at the opposite end. Push down hard to cut through the ear at 1 to 1 ¹⁄₂ in (2.5 to 3.8 cm) intervals until you reach the end.^{[7]
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- This makes coins or medallions that are great for tossing on the grill. They cook quickly and can really round out a meal.