Ingredients

　　

Bland

Step 1

The best thing is a tiny, tiny, wee bit of dried fennel (about 1/8 teaspoon) in the cooking water. Once the artichokes are fully cooked, add flavoring to the butter you dip the leaves in, like a shake of Tabasco sauce. Or use hollandaise sauce or aioli (very garlicky mayonnaise) instead of butter for dipping. Or make instant béarnaise sauce by adding a good pinch of tarragon to packaged hollandaise. Or use vinaigrette (3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar) on either hot or cold artichokes.

　　

Difficult to drain

Step 2

Put something absorbent, like a washcloth or lots of paper towels, in the bottom of a bowl. Turn the artichoke upside down in the bowl. (Please clean the washcloth before using it on yourself. If artichoke balm were any good for us, you can be sure the cosmetic people would be selling it.)

　　

Old

Step 3

If your artichokes have been around a while, add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon sugar to each 1 quart water you use to cook them. The sugar sweetens them just a tiny bit (what a surprise!), and the salt helps retain their color and flavor.

　　

Step 4

If your old artichokes look funny, try removing some of the outer leaves. They may still be just fine inside.

　　

Separating, falling apart

Step 5

Once it has started, there isn’t much you can do beyond handling them very carefully. A good way to keep it from happening next time is to wrap the artichokes in cheesecloth before cooking. We suggest you remove the cheesecloth before serving—and definitely before eating!

　　How to Repair Food, Third Edition