Corn on the cob will be more flavourful if you add 2 ingredients when boiling it

Corn on the cob is the perfect side dish in the summer at a barbecue and in the cooler months with fried chicken or mashed potatoes. It's a versatile ingredient that can be enhanced with spices and other ingredients to make the perfect dish. While boiling corn on the cob sounds simple enough, it can sometimes taste quite bland.

Corn on the cob should be juicy and sweet, but achieving this can be quite challenging if you're using plain water to boil your sweet corn. Instead, Angeline Stratz at the TastingTable recommends adding sugar and lemon juice to the pot to make your corn more flavourful.

The sugar and lemon juice naturally enhance the corn's natural flavour while improving its texture.

The sugar adds sweetness to the corn while the lemon juice adds further sweetness and acidity, which helps the kernels stay firm instead of turning mushy.

If you are boiling six cobs in a large pot of water, the food expert recommends adding one tablespoon of lemon juice and two tablespoons of sugar.

You can then increase and decrease these amounts depending on how many cobs of corn you're boiling.

Even if you're planning to add butter later on or you're using the corn on the cob to whip up another delicious side dish, enhancing this natural sweetness will only improve the flavour of your overall dish.

There are other ingredients that can be added to the boiling water to enhance the flavour of corn on the cob.

If you're planning to add melted butter to your corn on the cob, the Tasting Table also recommends adding a cup of whole milk to the water to enhance the softening of the kernels. Ensure you don't add lemon juice as this will cause the milk to curdle.

Coconut milk can also be used if you avoid animal products.

When cooking the corn on the cob, the best technique involves turning off the cooker as soon as the cobs hit the boiling water.

The corn on the cobs will be perfectly cooked after 10 minutes but you can cook them for more or less depending on your preference.

Once cooked, allow them to cool on a plate before serving.