Why are the tips of corn cobs cut off?

[Pazuzu]

Spent a summer creating corn sex and fighting corn spiders, a good portion of the corn you see is the top few percent visually, the rest gets chopped up for chowder, creamed corn, niblets, cow feed, corn syrup, ethanol, etc. You're buying the Rodeo Drive of corn when you buy a whole ear.

[Dixie]

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Dixie

That's dent corn - aka field corn. It's animal food.
Sweet corn would look something like that if you let it mature beyond the edible stage.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by craigster59

Same happened to me when I was born.

I had no say in it, and it hurt so much I couldn't walk for a year.

Hilarious!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

That's dent corn - aka field corn. It's animal food.
Sweet corn would look something like that if you let it mature beyond the edible stage.

For a sec, I was thinking, "what the hell is dent corn" and then a realized that "dent" was literal. I'm guessing that the deal is that once they get to the point that they have a dent in the top of the kernels that they are "over-ripe" and don't taste as good or something like that?

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by masraum

For a sec, I was thinking, "what the hell is dent corn" and then a realized that "dent" was literal. I'm guessing that the deal is that once they get to the point that they have a dent in the top of the kernels that they are "over-ripe" and don't taste as good or something like that?

Yes, as the kernels mature they lose moisture and shrink down. It's call "dent corn" because it isn't ready to use until it starts to shrink enough to cause a dent. That ear is about halfway dry - dry enough to chop into ensilage (fermented cow feed) but not dry enough to store without spoiling.