Creamed corn, or cream-style corn, is just what it sounds like, a creamy corn dish. To get the best flavor in your creamed corn, incorporate the natural corn milk by scraping the sides of corn ears into your saucepan. This adds extra flavor before you add the remaining ingredients and keep the cream part from tasting too milky. If your creamed corn is too soupy, a few thickening agents can fix the problem in just a few minutes, leaving you free to enjoy a perfect creamed corn dish.
Add more corn to your creamed corn mixture for the simplest fix. The excess corn soaks up some of the cream, thickening the dish without changing the flavor. Scrape kernels off the sides of an uncooked ear of corn and add the kernels to the saucepan until the creamed corn reaches the desired thickness. Using extra corn is also an excellent option for those concerned about the nutritional benefits, as it doesn’t add as many calories.
Add cornstarch if your creamed corn needs a small amount of thickening and isn’t very watery. Cornstarch needs to be mixed with a cold liquid before being added to the creamed corn to avoid lumps. You can use water or cream in this case. Mix equal amounts of cornstarch and liquid together to make a grainy sauce, then add it to the creamed corn. Stir and simmer slowly to allow the cornstarch time to thicken the dish. You need about 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch per cup of creamed corn to really get the thickening process to work as desired.
Incorporate a combination of flour and cream to thicken your creamed corn if it’s watery. Flour is useful as a thickening agent, much like cornstarch, but when combined over heat with cream it creates a roux, thus adding a necessary creaminess to a watered-down creamed corn. Mix together 1 part flour and 2 parts cream for each cup of creamed corn and add to the dish. Stir well and give the dish time to simmer and the thickening to kick in.
Tips
Try eating creamed corn served on toast as a tasty snack.