Best way to cook an artichoke

I found this helpful: Melissa Clark, article in The New York Times, May 2011, "Embracing the Artichoke."
http://nyti.ms/GAZQYd
The accompanying recipe with fregola has a good description in the first paragraph too.

My mom was big into artichokes when i was growing up. She had never tasted them until she left VA and went to CA after WWII. Here's her method which is what I use. You can burn up pots w this method, so i set my timer to check them after 1/2 hour and every 15 min after that, replenishing the liquid as needed.

99% of the artichokes i have eaten have not had nasty thorned tips, so i never cut them off. So, cut stem straight across 3/4" below the artichoke base. Squeeze artichokes into pot shoulder to shoulder (you don't want them falling over) or prop up single or plural chokes with empty soda cans filled with water and scrunched as needed. Add 2 " water and 1 " cider vinegar. Cover pot with tight fitting lid. Bring to boil, turn down to simmer. Check per timing above. Test leaves for doneness after an hour.(45 minutes for small chokes.) Add liquid if needed to finish.
Fyi, with so much acid (vinegar) these chokes last for weeks in the frig in a plstc bag.

I steam them as mentioned and eat them with a dip, with some cajun seasoning, lemon juice and mayo.

I usually trim them just as creamtea described, and then simple steam the whole artichoke until the leaves peel off easily.

After cleaning (cut of the prickly tips, bend & break off the first layer or two of tough outer leaves, cut off about an inch of the top "dome"; also trim off part of the stem and peel it; I do keep some of the stem. Cut in half with a good chef's knife) I like to simmer them in water to which fresh lemon juice, minced parsley, salt, peppercorns, and fresh minced garlic have been added. Cook until base is tender when pierced with a sharp knife.