By Alice K. Thompson for Food Network Kitchen

Alice is a contributing writer and editor at Food Network.

Most of us feast on fresh sweet corn as long as the season lasts, eating it any way we can: boiled, grilled, roasted or raw; in salads, soups, tacos, casseroles or straight off the cob. The good news is, there’s no reason to say goodbye to it when summer ends. Corn freezes excellently, maintaining just about all its sweet flavor and crunchy, bouncy texture. With a few minutes of prep you can enjoy fresh corn well into the cold months. Here are our three favorite ways to freeze corn, plus how to choose the freshest corn for the best results.

How to Freeze Fresh Corn

Corn is one of the easiest vegetables to freeze. Start with corn that’s as freshly picked as possible, then choose the method that works best for you: Freezing whole cobs, or slicing off the kernels and freezing them either raw (the speediest!) or cooked. It takes just a few minutes to bank the sweet taste of summer.

How to Freeze Corn on the Cob

Freezing whole ears is super easy and gives you lots of options for using your corn later. Blanching, or quickly cooking in boiling water, will best preserve the texture, making it worth the few minutes it takes to do it.

Step one: Boil the water. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Fill a bowl with ice water and set aside.

Step two: Add whole ears. Peel the corn and drop a few ears at a time into the water. Let the water come back to a boil and cook until the color of the kernels brightens and the kernels plump ever so slightly and become just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Step three: Cool quickly. Transfer the ears with tongs to the ice water and cool, about 5 minutes. Remove from the water and pat dry.

Step four: Freeze. Slide the ears into resealable freezer bags and remove excess air. Mark the bags with the date and use the ears within 8 to 12 months.

When ready to use the frozen cobs, you can boil them straight from frozen until tender. Or thaw them first for an hour or so on the counter or a few hours or overnight in the fridge, then cook the ears whole or slice the kernels off the cob.

How to Freeze Raw Corn Kernels

Nothing could be easier than this method, and it yields fantastic results. Sure, blanching before freezing gives corn a bit of a texture edge, but it’s a small difference. For cooked or baked dishes like creamed corn, corn risotto, casseroles or cornbread, the end product will be nearly identical.

Step one: Remove the kernels. Peel the corn and rest the wider end of a cob on a cutting board or in a large bowl. Cut down with a sharp knife, cutting the kernels off in strips.

Step two: Freeze. Break up any large clusters of kernels. Transfer the kernels to resealable freezer bags or airtight containers. Date the bags and use the kernels within 6 months.

That’s it! You can thaw the corn on the counter in about an hour or in the fridge for a couple hours.

How to Freeze Cooked Corn Kernels

To preserve the absolute best texture in your frozen corn, blanch fresh corn on the cob and then cutt off its kernels. Best of all, when you go to defrost it, the kernels are already cooked and can go instantly into cold dishes like salads or grain bowls.

Step one: Boil the water. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Fill a bowl with ice water and set aside.

Step two: Blanch. Peel the corn and drop a few ears at a time into the water. Let the water come back to a boil and cook until the color of the kernels brightens and the kernels plump ever so slightly and become just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Step three: Cool quickly. Transfer the ears with tongs to the ice water to cool, about 5 minutes. Remove from the water and pat dry.

Step four: Remove the kernels. Rest the wider end of a cob on a cutting board or in a large bowl. Cut down with a sharp knife, cutting the kernels off in strips.

Step five: Freeze. Break up large clusters of kernels and transfer the kernels to resealable freezer bags. Date the bags and use the kernels within 6 to 10 months.

When it comes time to use them, thaw the kernels on the counter for an hour or so, or transfer them to the fridge for a couple hours.

How to Choose the Freshest Corn

Corn is at its best when you eat it as close to harvest as possible. That means hours, or a maximum of a day if possible. Corn’s natural sugars begin to turn to starch immediately upon picking, compromising its flavor and tenderness. If you grow your own or visit a farmstand, your corn will be very fresh. Otherwise, you can easily tell fresh-picked from days-old at the market. Don't peel back the husks to check the kernels inside, which ruins the corn for other shoppers. Instead, look at two telltale indicators:

Husks: These should be bright green, flexible and wrapped smoothly around the kernels — never papery or dry, and the outline of the kernels underneath should never show through.

Silk: The strands at the top of the ear should be moist, pliable and golden or light-brown, not brittle and dark brown.

Related Links:

35 Corn Recipes You’ll Make All Summer Long

Corn on the Cob 5 Ways

Easy Summer Sides