Preparing Artichokes for Cooking Whole

Fill a nonreactive bowl with cold water and acidulate the water with the juice of half a lemon, and add the juiced lemon half to the water as well. (The other half of the lemon will be used for rubbing the artichoke, to keep it from turning brown.)

Starting with the leaves near the stem, bend back the outer leaves and pull them down toward the stem, snapping them off just before reaching the base. Continue in this way until reaching the pale, yellowish inner cone of leaves.

Shave off all the dark green from the base and stem of the artichoke with a paring knife or vegetable peeler to expose the light yellowish-green flesh. Remove as little flesh as possible, maintaining the natural shape of the vegetable.