One of the most common ways to eat an artichoke is steamed. It's an easy preparation method assuming you have a few tools like a steamer basket and a large stock pot.
Before you can actually steam an artichoke though, you need to know how to clean and prep a fresh artichoke first.
How to prep an artichoke.
Ahh, artichokes. A thistle that has one of the worst reputations for being difficult to prep and cook. Yup, that's right. This vegetable is a perennial thistle that belongs to the sunflower family. But no need to worry; once you have mastered how to prep artichokes cooking them any which way your heart desires will be a piece of cake!
What part of the artichoke do you steam?
You can steam the entire artichoke with the choke in or the choke out. I prefer to cook mine choke in. I remove the inedible "hairy" choke along with the inner leaves after I have cooked my artichokes, right before we eat them.
Did you know..
Did you know that you can steam an artichoke in the microwave too?
Click here to learn how to steam an artichoke in the microwave!
What kitchen equipment do you steam an artichoke in?
When steaming artichokes you will need a large stock pot with a steamer insert. Add ingredients to the bottom of the stock pot like water, wine, citrus, and spices to create an aromatic cooking liquid.
This is what I use to steam artichokes.
I purchased this exact set off of Amazon years ago and love it. I use it regularly for all sorts of applications and highly recommend it for cooking artichokes.
Click here to shop this set on Amazon!
Then place the artichokes stem side down in the steamer insert, snugged together. Place the steamer insert into the stock pot of water and cook covered for 30-50 minutes depending on the size of the artichokes and the degree of doneness you are looking for.
Do I need to cover the artichokes when steaming?
Yes, you will need to cover the artichokes when they are steaming to ensure that the steam will not escape, and the artichokes cook all the way through.
How long do you steam artichokes?
When you are steaming artichoke, it will take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour for them to be fully cooked through depending on size and to what level of doneness you are cooking them to.
Sometimes, recipes call for artichokes to be par-cooked this takes significantly less time than steaming an artichoke until completely cooked. However, par-cooking means an additional cooking process will be needed before you can eat the artichokes.
What does par-cook mean?
Par-cooking is a process by which food is partially cooked so that it can be finished or reheated later. Restaurants use this method quite often, however it can also be very useful to the home cook especially when cooking dishes like grilled or stuffed artichokes.
How to make sure an artichoke is fully cooked
You know an artichoke is fully cooked when a knife or a fork is inserted into the bottom of the artichoke, and there is no resistance.
If you have any tips or tricks for steaming artichokes or you tried our method and found it helpful I would be so grateful if you would rate the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below!
PrintHow To Steam An Artichoke
Knowing how to steam an artichoke is an important kitchen skill to learn. Once you learn how to steam artichoke you can par cook artichokes for other recipes like grilled artichokes or cook them all the way through and serve them with your favorite dipping sauces.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 60 min
- Total Time: 1 hr 10 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Steamed
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
4 artichokes
1 lemon, halved
4 cups water
1 cup white wine
2 bay leaves
Instructions
In a large stockpot with a steamer insert, add the water, wine, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium and simmer.
Meanwhile, clean and prepare the artichokes through step 5 of this post.
Place the artichokes stem side down in the steamer insert, snugged together. Place the steamer insert into the stock pot of simmering liquid and cook covered tightly for 30-50 minutes depending on the size of the artichokes and the degree of doneness you are looking for.
Remove the steamer basket from the stock pot and allow the artichokes to cool.
When cool enough to handle, carefully pull open the petals at the top of the artichoke and remove the small, inner inedible leaves and the hairy "choke" by scraping it with a small spoon.
Either continue with another cooking process if you par-cooked the artichokes or serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauces.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 artichoke
- Calories: 125
- Sugar: 2.7 g
- Sodium: 82.2 mg
- Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Protein: 3.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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