Author Archives: ice4safety

 Then my sister, a capable Maine cook with years of camping experience, said “Let’s do cooler corn!” Before I could ask “What the hell is cooler corn?” a Coleman cooler appeared from the garage, was wiped clean, then filled with the shucked ears. Next, two kettles-full of boiling water were poured over the corn and the top closed.  Then, nothing.

When we sat down to dinner 30 minutes later and opened it, the corn was perfectly cooked. I’m told that the corn will remain at the perfect level of doneness for a couple of hours.
My mind was blown.

Turns out, Cooler Corn is pretty well known among the outdoorsy set, but for those of us who avoid tents as  much as possible, it’s perfect for large barbecues and way less of a mess than grilling. In fact, I may even buy another cooler just so I’m ready for next summer, now that I’m in the know..

Update:  We failed to mention this should be used in an emergency situation – we were reminded recently that unless a plastic container is labeled as being approved for handling food/cooking it should not be used on a regular basis due to the leaching of chemicals that may be hazardous to your health.  You may oddly enough be faced with cooking the only food you have – in this case corn – for a group of people. You could also cook other types of food in this manner as well. Corn is a highly popular treat of course.

Bottom Line – Yes- it works, but keep it in mind for an emergency – An alternative method if you have a large enough cooler would be to place food safe metal/glass containers (like aluminum party dish, pyrex ware etc) inside the cooler and pour in the water to accomplish the same result  – now you would have a super insulated steamer – without the worry.  When you are evacuating or surviving in unfamiliar territory you might have to rely on a variety of methods to stay alive – likely NOT worrying about whether you will get cancer in 20-30 years.   

Some coolers, like the very expensive Yeti Coolers are made of food grade plastic.