Despite their magnificence, richness, and health benefits, artichokes are rarely used in the kitchen. However, with just a little preparation, they are shockingly simple to prepare.
Though when it comes to time, there is some guesswork involved. Artichokes that are smaller will definitely take less time to cook than larger artichokes.
You will have to estimate the cooking time since you can’t just pluck a petal or stick a knife into the bottom of the artichoke to see whether it is done.
The good news is that you will be an expert at estimating in no time. It is not difficult at all, I have highlighted amazing tips and time estimates for you in this article.
Artichoke Nutrition Facts
Tips on How to Cook an Artichoke
The Artichoke – When examining your artichokes, you will find that the petals, choke, and heart are the three main sections.
The “heart,” which may be discovered immediately below the “choke,” is the major prize! After eating the leaves, you scrape out the choke with a spoon, revealing the soft creamy heart. It’s heaven on earth when you drizzle it with some butter.
The outer petals of the artichoke become so soft when cooked that you may simply pluck them, and enjoy them by dipping them in melted butter, mayo, or aioli, and scrape the meat off with your teeth.
Preparing The Artichoke – It can be overwhelming when preparing artichokes for the first time, but don’t be put off! It’s simple once you have a guide. So, here is what you should do:
To begin, double-check that you have all of the necessary things you need.
As soon as you cut an artichoke, it begins to discolor. You will need a quartered lemon to rub over the sliced surfaces of the artichoke to reduce oxidation. I also suggest using a stainless steel knife rather than a carbon-steel one, as the latter can cause browning. A chopping board, a peeler, a large saucepan, and a steamer basket are also required.
Also when preparing the stem. Make sure any stiff and tiny petals on the artichoke stem are peeled away. Then, with your knife, trim the stem’s end. You only need to shave a tiny little bit off it.
The stem is 100% edible and has a delicious meaty texture. You will want to make and eat it right away.
How To Cook An Artichoke – Steaming artichokes in a pot of water on the stovetop is one of the most basic methods of preparing an artichoke recipe.
To make the artichoke sit flat in the pot, I always cut the stem off the bottom. Once the artichokes are in the pot, I add a few inches of water, bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cover.
It is critical to keep an eye on the water level to ensure it doesn’t totally evaporate. If you want, lemon slices can be added to the water to prevent browning.
Notably, when you see that you can easily pick a leaf off or slip a knife into the bottom of the artichoke, you know it is done.
How Long Does It Take to Cook an Artichoke
| Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Total Time |
| 5 min | 40 min – 1 hour, 20 min | 45 min – 1 hour, 25 min |
The time it takes will vary depending on the pot you use, the size of the artichoke, how many artichokes you put in the pot, and how intensely you simmer.
It normally takes 40-60 minutes in my experience, although it has taken up to 80 minutes on occasion when cooking particularly large artichokes.
Notably, cooking artichokes in the pressure cooker saves you 30-40 minutes. Yes, artichokes can even be cooked in the Instant Pot in 5-15 minutes – this is depending on their size though.
However, you must allow 10-15 minutes for the pressure in the pressure cooker to build up, so add that time to the cooking time. Unlike the cooktop method, you don’t have to keep an eye on the water to make sure it doesn’t evaporate.
The artichokes will stay warm in the Instant Pot until you’re ready to serve.
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Grilled Instant Pot Artichokes
Ingredients
- Artichokes
- ½ lemon
- Filtered water
- Melted butter
Instructions
- Notably, two medium/large artichokes or three little artichokes usually fit in an Instant Pot. So start the recipe by removing the artichoke stems to make the bottom of the artichoke flat – you can trim the leaves if you like.
- In the Instant Pot, go ahead and combine 1 cup of water and lemon slices. After that, you can proceed to add the steaming rack, make sure you place the artichokes flat side down on the rack.
- Make sure the release valve is in the “Sealing” position before placing the lid on the Instant Pot and locking it. At high pressure, hit the “Manual” button on the Instant Pot, then use the “+” and “-” buttons to set the timer for 10- 20 minutes.
- The length of time you cook the artichoke will be determined by its size. You can follow this timing – set the timer for 7 minutes for small, set the timer for 15 minutes for medium., and set the timer for 20 minutes for large. Note that there may be some guesswork involved in the time. Your artichoke may be between small and medium-size, or medium and large size.
- The pot normally takes 10 to 15 minutes to heat up and build up pressure. After some steam escapes from the lid, the clock on the display will begin to tick.
- When the artichokes are done, you can remove them from the water and set them aside to cool until they can be handled easily.
- Then proceed to cut the artichoke in half lengthwise. Spray with olive oil on the cut side, and set the flat side down on a hot grill next to whatever meat you’re cooking.
- You can grill until grill marks appear. To obtain those diagonal grill marks, tilt the artichoke a quarter turn with tongs.
- Enjoy and serve with melted butter, mayonnaise, or aioli to dip.
- Notably, when cooking artichokes alone, I adjusted the temperature to 400 degrees. Also, if you are having a party and want to prepare ahead of time, you can steam the artichokes the day before, put them in the fridge, and then prep and grill them when you are set.
You can watch this video recipe to know how well to cook artichoke and how long it takes.