ARTICHOKE 101 | how to cook and eat artichokes
TLDRDanny Spees offers a comprehensive guide on handling artichokes, from selecting and storing to preparing and cooking them. Artichokes, an immature flower bud of a thistle plant, have a unique flavor between asparagus and celery, and are rich in nutrients. Spees highlights the importance of using stainless steel tools and lemon to prevent oxidation, and demonstrates trimming, cooking, and removing the inedible choke. She recommends steaming as a beginner-friendly method and suggests enjoying artichokes with lemon, olive oil, or dips. Alternative options include canned, jarred, and frozen artichokes for convenience.
Takeaways
- 🌱 Artichokes can seem intimidating but are easier to handle than you might think.
- 🌸 An artichoke is an immature flower bud of a thistle plant, with tightly packed leaves.
- 🍽️ You can eat almost the entire artichoke: the stem, the heart, and the base of the leaves.
- 🥗 Artichokes taste like a mix of asparagus and celery, offering a clean and fresh flavor.
- 💪 Nutritionally, artichokes are high in fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin C, while being low in calories.
- 🛒 When buying artichokes, look for ones that are green, plump, and heavy for their size, with tight leaves and fresh stems.
- 🌡️ Store artichokes in the fridge in a tied bag, removing excess air, and use them within five days for best results.
- 🍋 Use a stainless steel knife and pot, and keep a lemon on hand to prevent browning when cutting artichokes.
- 🔪 Trim off tough leaves, cut the stem, and remove the choke after cooking. The stem and heart are the most delicious parts.
- 🍴 Steaming is a popular and simple method to cook artichokes. They are done when the stems are fork-tender and leaves pull out easily.
Q & A
What is an artichoke?
-An artichoke is an immature flower bud of a thistle plant. It is a round green vegetable with tightly packed leaves.
What does an artichoke taste like?
-The flavor of an artichoke falls somewhere between asparagus and celery, offering a clean and fresh taste.
What are the nutritional benefits of artichokes?
-Artichokes are high in fiber, rich in antioxidants, and contain a good amount of vitamin C. They are nutrient-dense and low in calories.
When is the peak season for artichokes?
-The peak seasons for artichokes are spring and fall. During these times, they have the best flavor, most nutrients, and are generally more affordable.
What should you look for when buying artichokes?
-When buying artichokes, look for ones that are nice and green, heavy for their size, and have tightly packed leaves. Fresh artichokes will also squeak when squeezed.
How should artichokes be stored at home?
-Artichokes should be left in the bag from the grocery store with excess air pushed out and the bag tied at the top. They can last in the fridge for up to five days, but are best used sooner.
Why is it important to use a stainless steel knife and pot when preparing artichokes?
-Artichokes oxidize quickly when cut, leading to browning. Using a stainless steel knife and pot helps to minimize this oxidation, as does rubbing the cut surfaces with lemon juice.
What is the best way to cook artichokes for beginners?
-Steaming is the simplest and most popular way to cook artichokes. It requires minimal special equipment and yields tender, flavorful results.
How can you tell when artichokes are fully cooked?
-Artichokes are fully cooked when the stems become fork-tender and the bottom leaves pull out easily.
What parts of the artichoke are edible?
-Almost the entire artichoke is edible: the stem, the heart, and the base of the leaves. However, the choke in the center is inedible and should be removed.
How should cooked artichokes be eaten?
-Start by pulling off the outermost leaves, scrape the edible part off with your teeth, and work towards the center where the leaves become more tender. The artichoke heart is the most prized part and is delicious when eaten last.
Can you use other forms of artichokes if fresh ones are not available?
-Yes, canned, jarred, and frozen artichokes are also great options and can be added to salads, egg dishes, grain dishes, and pasta dishes.
Outlines
🌿 Understanding and Preparing Artichokes
Artichokes may seem intimidating, but they are simpler to handle than they appear. Danny Spees explains how to buy, store, prepare, and cook artichokes. Artichokes are immature flower buds of thistle plants, recognizable by their tightly packed leaves. The globe artichoke is the most popular type. Almost all parts of the artichoke are edible, including the stem, heart, and leaf bases. They have a flavor similar to a mix of asparagus and celery. Nutritionally, artichokes are high in fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin C while being low in calories. They are best bought fresh, ideally during their peak seasons in spring and fall. When selecting artichokes, look for ones that are green, heavy for their size, with tightly packed leaves and fresh-looking stems. Brown streaks on the leaves are due to frost and do not affect flavor. Proper storage is crucial to maintain freshness, and they should be kept in the fridge in a tied bag with excess air pushed out.
🧑🍳 Cooking and Enjoying Artichokes
To prepare artichokes, start by rinsing them under cold water. They oxidize quickly when cut, so use stainless steel utensils and rub cut surfaces with lemon juice to slow down browning. Remove tough leaves near the base and trim the stem and leaf tips. Artichokes can be cooked in various ways, but steaming is the simplest method for beginners. To steam, place artichokes in a pot with water, olive oil, and lemon. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until the stems are fork-tender. After cooking, cut the artichokes in half and remove the inedible choke with a spoon. The heart is the most prized part, surrounded by edible leaves. Artichokes can be enjoyed hot, cold, or at room temperature, often served with lemon, olive oil, and sea salt or dips like vinaigrette or aioli. If fresh artichokes are unavailable, canned, jarred, or frozen options are also delicious and versatile for various dishes.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Artichoke
💡Globe artichoke
💡Nutritional benefits
💡Peak season
💡Oxidation
💡Cooking methods
💡Artichoke heart
💡Artichoke leaves
💡Storing artichokes
💡Preparation tips
Highlights
Artichokes can be a fairly intimidating vegetable if you've never worked with them before, but they are actually a lot easier to handle than you might think.
An artichoke is an immature flower bud of a thistle plant. It's a round green vegetable made up of a lot of leaves packed tightly together.
The most popular type of artichoke is a globe artichoke, which is big, round, and sometimes shaped like a tulip.
You can eat almost the entire artichoke: the stem, the heart, and the base of the leaves.
The flavor of artichokes falls somewhere between asparagus and celery, offering a clean, fresh taste.
Artichokes are high in fiber, rich in antioxidants, and have a good amount of vitamin C. They are high in nutrients but low in calories.
Artichokes can often be found at the grocery store year-round, but their peak season is spring and fall.
When buying artichokes, look for ones that are green and a little heavy for their size, with tightly packed leaves and fresh-cut stems.
Artichokes can start to brown quickly once cut due to oxidation, so use a stainless steel knife and pot, and rub the cut areas with lemon juice.
To prepare an artichoke, trim the bottom of the stem, score it, and rub with lemon. Trim the top of the artichoke and any thorny leaf tips.
The choke, a prickly and thorny part in the center of the artichoke, is inedible and should be removed after cooking.
One popular way to cook artichokes is to steam them, which is simple and great for beginners.
To steam artichokes, place them in a pot with a few inches of water, olive oil, and lemon. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until the stems are fork-tender.
Once cooked, remove the choke with a spoon and enjoy the tender artichoke heart, which is the best part.
Artichokes are delicious hot, cold, or at room temperature, and can be served with lemon, olive oil, and sea salt, or alongside a vinaigrette or garlic aioli.
Canned, jarred, and frozen artichokes are also great options and can be added to salads, egg dishes, grain dishes, and pasta.
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