Can you freeze Artichokes? This is one of the most commonly asked questions we get in the springtime because Artichokes are easier to find and often on sale in May when compared to other times of the year. It’s our goal to answer any Artichoke-related question accurately, so we conducted our own Artichoke freezing trial.
This is what we learned about freezing Artichokes:
Freezing Raw Artichokes  Freezing a raw Artichoke will make it turn a dark brown color, but the Artichoke will still taste good once cooked. We froze a raw Artichoke for two weeks, thawed it and then boiled it. The thawed Artichoke had dark brown outer petals and stem. Once cooked, it tasted like a non-frozen Artichoke but not quite as fresh. Positive: Ability to buy fresh Artichokes on sale and store in freezer until ready to cook. Negative: Dark brown appearance and slightly different texture than a fresh Artichoke.
Freezing Cooked Artichokes:  The cooking method affects how well a frozen, previously-cooked Artichoke tastes. This is how we froze the cooked Artichokes: - Cooked the Artichokes using three different methods.
- Let cooked Artichokes cool and drain for two hours prior to wrapping in foil for freezer.
- Stored in freezer for two weeks.
- Thawed for five hours at room temperature before serving.
Based on our test, we recommend steaming or baking an Artichoke if you want to freeze it to eat at a later date. Here are the differences we found with the three cooking methods we tested: Out of the three cooking methods we tried, the steamed Artichoke tasted the most like a fresh Artichoke after the frozen Choke was thawed. Positives: Nice color and texture. Negatives: Did not retain the flavors of the seasoning added during the steaming process. The baked/roasted Artichoke came out moist and tasty as we seasoned it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar prior to baking. The seasoning flavors were still good after the Artichoke was frozen and then thawed. Positives: Once thawed, retains color and seasoning more than any other cooking method. Negatives: Slightly drier than steamed artichoke, however still very moist. The boiled Artichoke was our least favorite of the three cooking methods when freezing the Artichoke after cooking. Positives: Nice color. Negatives: Spongy consistency and waterlogged.
Correctly wrapping Artichokes for freezing: For this cooking experiment, all of our Artichokes were well wrapped with heavy-duty aluminum foil and then placed in zip-top, plastic, freezer bags for additional protection. We recommend taking these steps to prevent freezer burn on your Artichoke to preserve flavoring.
Advantages of freezing a cooked Artichoke:  Freezing cooked Artichokes allows you to save them for a later date and prevents the Artichokes from going bad before you are able to eat them. For ideal flavoring, thaw the frozen Artichoke, warm in the microwave, cut in half, season and cook on the grill.
Artichoke varietal differences: Our freezing experiment was done with classic Green Globe Artichokes from Ocean Mist Farms. Other Artichoke varieties may react differently to freezing. |
