Ina Garten has an endless wealth of culinary know-how to share with her fans. She taught us how to expertly grill a steak, how to blanch veggies (in the same pot of water as pasta, no less) and how to elegantly organize kitchen shelves. Now, she’s taken to Instagram to share her ingenious corn-cutting hack that’s bound to save you time—and cleanup.
This Ingenious Ina Garten Hack Will Forever Change How You Prepare Summer Corn
A kernel of knowledge, if you will
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Published Aug 22, 2025
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“In the summer in East Hampton,” she wrote in the caption, “when the fields are filled with gorgeous corn, I love to make corn salads, sautéed corn, corn chowder—anything that uses fresh corn! I’ve loved it ever since I moved out here, which is why you’ll find so many corn recipes in my cookbooks.”
“I have an easy trick for getting the kernels off the cob,” she continued. “Stand the cob on its trimmed stem end (or little tuchis, as I said to my assistant the other day!) and slide a sharp knife down between the kernels and the cob. I like to do this over a clean dish towel so the kernels don’t scatter all over the counter. Then, I just fold up the towel and pour them into a measuring cup or bowl. Easy!”
In the video, she’s wearing a denim button-up (obvi) and showing us how it’s done. She first trims the ends of a fresh corn cob, so she has a flat surface to stand it up on. She then starts trimming off the kernels while turning the corn. Once she finishes, she folds up the towel and pours the kernels into the bowl.
Of course, the towel is the key to a mess-free experience. Instead of picking up bits off the floor, any strays will likely be contained. But I also think her tip to use a very sharp knife is essential. Not only will this make the slicing easier, but it’ll also keep the knife from slipping and accidentally cutting you in the process.
In case you want to try it out, Garten provided five of her favorite recipes that call for fresh corn in the caption as well:
