Instant Pot artichokes are easy to prepare and take less than 15 minutes to complete. They are tender and perfectly steamed, allowing you to easily carve out the center for a salad or dip the leaves in butter.
You might also enjoy making potatoes and asparagus in the Instant Pot. Two great side dishes!.
I frequently prepare artichokes, but I’ve never loved how challenging it is to steam them perfectly. It would either turn out too crisp or too soggy. Depending on the size, you simply place it on the trivet and cook it in the Instant Pot for 8 minutes. It steams up flawlessly, just like this corn on the cob. Such a time saver!.
In the Instant Pot, an artichoke can be prepared in two different ways. You can steam it face up whole or cut it in half, removing the fine leaves from the center. I usually prefer to steam them whole. It’s fun to serve them that way.
A great excuse to eat more butter
I’ve always thought of artichokes as a food for special occasions, perhaps because I assume they require a lot of work or because they provide the best justification for eating a whole stick of butter for dinner. In any case, let me assure you that they don’t have to be labor-intensive, especially if you make pressure cooker artichokes.
But they’re still a great justification for devouring a whole stick of butter. Just sayin.
How to choose a great artichoke
Choose brightly-colored artichokes that have tightly packed leaves. A small amount of brown is ok, but if the leaves are splayed, the artichoke is likely older and less fresh.
They should feel heavy for their size. If they feel deceptively light, they are likely a little dry and potentially not very meaty.
A fresh artichokes leaves should squeak when squeezed, so give them a quick squeeze!
Frost-kissed leaves do not mean the artichoke is bad. In fact, artichokes that have white frosty spots are often sweeter and more tender than others.
Remove any small leaves that are toward the bottom of the stem. They should pull off easily by hand.
Slice the top 1-inch or so off the tops of each artichoke with a sharp kitchen knife or a serrated knife.
Using scissors, work around the outside of the artichoke, trimming the sharp tips off of each outer leaf.
Cut the base of the stem off so that the artichokes rest flat, bloom side up.
Optionally, you can rub the tops of the artichokes down with 2 quarters of lemon wedges to help maintain the color of the artichokes. Regardless, they will darken a bit when cooked but the lemon will help them maintain more of their green color.
Once the large outer leaves have been removed (and the meat is eaten from them) you will get to the point where the leaves are very small, tender, and fairly meatless. You can easily remove these all at once be pinching the bunch and twisting them off in one motion.
Youll be left with the heart and the fuzzy choke. DO NOT EAT ANY PART OF THE CHOKE. You can remove this inedible part of the plant by scraping it out completely with a spoon or knife. Discard once removed. The remaining meat is known as the heart and is delicious.
