Corn development stages may seem odd to someone uniformed of what happens when corn kernels mature. We eat sweet corn in its milk or dough stage.

If you like sweet corn more firm, let it mature to the dough stage, otherwise eat it in the milk stage.

Sweet corn does not dent like field or crop corn does, and neither does popcorn. What is denting and why does it occur?

As field corn matures it develops a depression on the kernel's crown.

That forms because crop corn has a hard form of starch on the sides of each kernel and softer starch in the center.

The soft, inner starch shrinks more than...