Few foods capture the taste of summer quite like fresh corn on the cob. Whether you’re firing up the grill for a backyard barbecue, packing a picnic, or serving a simple weeknight dinner, sweet, buttery corn is always a crowd-pleaser. But while boiling corn seems simple, it’s surprisingly easy to leave it cooking longer than necessary and lose some of the tender, juicy texture that makes fresh corn so delicious.

The secret actually starts before the corn reaches the pot. Choose ears with bright green, tightly wrapped husks, soft golden or light-brown silk, and firm, full kernels. Keep the husks on while refrigerating the corn until you’re ready to cook it. Once cooking time arrives, however, many people make the same mistake: they assume corn needs to boil for 15 or even 20 minutes. Fresh corn can cook much faster than that. So what’s the ideal number of minutes? Continue below for the simple timing guide and cooking method.