They use a lot of corn.
Corn is indeed a low-fat food, containing about 1 gram per ear until you slather it with all that butter.
But it is by far the biggest crop in the United States, grown in 42 states to the tune of more than 9 billion bushels per year. Nine billion bushels of corn contain some 3 billion gallons of oil, and that’s enough to deep-fry Delaware.
The oil resides in the germ of the grain, where Mother Nature stores it as a concentrated form of energy, 9 calories per gram, to fuel the everyday miracle of creating whole new plants from seeds. In corn, the germ makes up only about 8 percent of the kernel and only about half of that is oil, so an ear of corn isn’t exactly a gusher.
As you can imagine, it takes some doing to get the oil out. At the mill, the kernels are steeped in hot water for a day or two, then coarsely ground to break the germ loose.
The germ is then separated by a floating or spinning process, after which it is dried and crushed to press out the oil.
Related Posts
-
How do oil companies stop an oil well blowout that comes from a sea floor oil rig?
On June 3, 1979, a Mexican oil well, Ixtoc 1, blew out when an undersea drill hit a volatile pocket of oil and gas. The immense pressure of the gas caused the well…
-
What is the Difference between Light Olive Oil and Regular Olive Oil and Is Light Olive Oil Healthier?
Light olive oil does not contain fewer calories than other olive oils or, for that matter, any edible oils. As far as calories are concerned, an oil is an oil, all oils are…
-
Is it true that each strand of silk on an ear of corn represents a kernel of corn?
Yes, but only if pollen falls on the silk. Otherwise, a kernel does not develop. A corn plant produces corn silk surrounding each ear about two months after the plant emerges from the…
-
How do corn producers get corn off the cob and into the can?
When truckloads of freshly picked corn arrive at a processing plant, the ears are dumped onto a conveyor belt that transports them to a husking machine. Rotating rollers with fluted surfaces strip the…
-
Where does the term Corn Dodger come from and What does Corn Dodger mean?
A Corn Dodger is made of corn meal, all right, plus a little salt and water or milk, and then fried in a hot skillet, three or four at a time, and it's…
-
Where Does Corn Syrup Come From and How Is Corn Syrup Made?
I know what you’re thinking. The corn that you bought at the farmers’ market the other day wasn’t really “as sweet as sugar,” as the vendor promised, was it? “Sweet corn” does indeed…
