Can you freeze artichoke hearts?
Can you freeze artichoke hearts? Yes, you can freeze artichoke hearts for about 6-8 months. It is important to blanch them before freezing them to preserve their color, flavor and nutrients.
How to freeze artichoke hearts?
- Start by preparing your artichokes by removing the leaves on the outside and removing the hay in the center, so as to recover the artichoke hearts.
- Rinse the artichoke hearts in cold water then drain them.
- This step consists of blanching the artichoke hearts. Fill a saucepan with water, add the juice of half a lemon and bring to the boil. Plunge the artichoke hearts into boiling water for 3 minutes. Then immediately plunge them into a bowl filled with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain them and pat them dry with a towel.
- This step pre-freezes the artichoke hearts individually so they don’t stick together. Arrange the artichoke hearts on a baking sheet, making sure they are not touching each other, and put the sheet in the freezer for about 2 hours.
- Once the artichoke hearts are completely frozen, take the baking sheet out of the freezer. Then transfer the artichoke hearts to an airtight container or a freezer bag. Label the container or freezer bag with the date and contents to avoid wasting your artichokes later. Carefully seal the container or freezer bag and return the artichoke hearts to the freezer.
What is the shelf life of artichoke hearts in the freezer?
If you properly prepare and blanch your artichoke hearts, they can keep for 6 to 8 months in the freezer.
How to defrost artichoke hearts?
To gently thaw artichoke hearts, remove them from the freezer and refrigerate them overnight or for several hours.
To defrost artichoke hearts quickly, wrap them in aluminum foil after taking them out of the freezer and then let them defrost using steam, for example by placing a wire rack over a pan of boiling water.
