Are Fresh Artichoke Hearts: Worth The Trouble? If this is a question you have wondered about before, or you haven’t wondered, but now you think, hey that is a good question. Be sure to keep reading!
Using fresh artichokes only for the hearts requires a lot of preparation work. From yanking to trimming to scraping. It also results in a lot of waste if you are only planning to use the hearts on a fresh artichoke. You might be wondering, is it really worth all of the fussing and waste, or is there perhaps a better alternative?
There are several different options for alternatives to fresh artichoke hearts. Some of these are canned, jarred and frozen. While every form has their own pros and cons, here is our analysis. We encourage you to try them out and see what you think as well.
1. Canned Artichoke Hearts
Texture: Soggy and limp
Smell: Earthy with a slight hit of metallic scent
Color: Light gold
Taste: Okay, but a bit flat in taste
Our Opinion
Canned artichoke hearts would work okay if you slice them thinly and use raw atop a salad. However, when cooked they do not perform as an artichoke should. We would not recommend using canned artichokes for anything that requires cooking.
2. Jar Artichoke Hearts
Texture: Very similar to a fresh artichoke, slightly softer towards the center.
Smell: Smell quite a bit like vinegar from the preservation process.
Color: Range from a pale yellow to a dark green
Taste: Tastes strongly like Italian dressing, except with a tiny taste added.
Our Opinion
Would not recommend using jared artichoke hearts at all. The taste is not very good in our opinion. If you are going to go to the work and spend money on them, you would be better off getting fresh, canned or frozen.
3. Frozen Artichoke Hearts
Texture: Once thawed, had a wavy top meat and solid bottom, like they are supposed to
Smell: Root, fresh dirt like
Color: Light green to turf green
Taste: Raw had a mild sweetness to them and cooked nicely as well
Our Opinion
Better than fresh in a lot of cases! With frozen artichoke hearts you get a great taste, some cases even better than fresh, while not needing to do the work of fresh artichokes. Would definitely recommend.
Fresh Artichoke Hearts: Worth The Trouble? If you are looking for an alternative to fresh artichoke hearts, try out canned or frozen hearts! Also, let us know what you think! We encourage you to not only take our word for it, but do a taste test for yourself.
What is your favorite way to prepare artichokes at home?
You might also like Ravioli With Sweet Potatoes Mascarpone And Parsley. Also What Is Pancetta? Be sure to stay up to date with all of our reference articles here.
