An Air Fryer Is All You Need To Transform Frozen Corn In A Flash
Sweet corn is one of the quintessential foods of summer (especially for those whole hail from major farming states). If you're a corn-lover, you probably know the feeling of getting too excited about the harvest and accidentally buying too much. Luckily, you can always freeze your extra corn and save it for later. This also works if the corn you purchased was from a batch that wasn't that great because, interestingly enough, frozen corn is sweeter than fresh corn. Another benefit of having frozen corn is that it is super easy to cook into a healthy and nutritious side dish — and if you use the air fryer, you don't even have to thaw it first.
In fact, using an air fryer to cook frozen corn (whether you bought it fresh and froze it yourself or bought it prebagged and frozen from the store) is one of the best methods because it makes for flavorful corn that isn't mushy. Cooking frozen corn on the stovetop in a skillet is a fine option. However, it requires more time and attention than the air fryer. With the air fryer, you can simply preheat it and pop the frozen corn inside.
How to cook frozen corn in an air fryer
If you're looking to cook a bag of frozen corn, you'll want to preheat the air fryer to between 400 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Dousing the frozen kernels with cool water in a sieve will help to melt any residual frost. You may also have to split any large corn icebergs to make sure that the kernels are all separated and not stuck together in clumps. Once that's done, you can pat the kernels dry with a paper towel, dump the corn into the air fryer, and then let it do its thing. You may want to give everything a stir before zapping it for a second round. This will allow the corn to get nice and brown like it would if you cooked it on the stovetop or grill (but with way less work).
Now, you can remove the corn from the air fryer and season it however you like. The traditional garlic, butter, and salt combo is always great. Or, you can make things interesting and create a Mexican street corn salad by adding some cayenne pepper, garlic, salt, fresh cilantro, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and crumbled cotija cheese.
Take your frozen air fryer corn even further
Air fryer frozen corn recipes don't just stop there. In fact, you can even cook frozen corn on the cob in the air fryer. For frozen cobs, simply preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure to flip the corn halfway through so that it cooks evenly. When done, add butter and salt for juicy and sweet corn on the cob.
If you want to get more creative with your air fryer frozen corn, you can also take a recipe for classic fried corn fritters and make them in the air fryer instead. For this recipe, you will have to let the corn thaw first, so you don't end up with wet fritters. Once defrosted, you can make the corn fritters like you usually would and then cook them in the air fryer at around 375 degrees Fahrenheit for several minutes on one side and then again for an equal amount of time after flipping. Allow the corn to cool for a bit before serving with a side of sour cream or blue cheese dressing.