How to Cook a Lobster

French chefs plunge them into boiling water; English ones, in an attempt to appear more humane, drive kitchen knives through their skulls before doing the same thing.

No wonder the miserable creatures go red. They're mad as hell. What a way to treat the king of crustaceans.

Let's make a pact. From now on let's treat the lobster with the respect (and humanity) it deserves. Here's how:

Use a pan deep enough to hold 6 liters of salted water to which you have added some shredded onion, a garlic clove or two and a bay leaf. Purists who live by the sea also like to add a pint of seawater. People like me, who've seen what gets washed up as a result of coastal run-off, don't.

Put a trivet or round roasting rack in the bottom of the pan, on which you will place the lobster. You do this so that it is not touching the bottom of the pan and will not be burnt as the metal heats up.

Does this improve the flavor? No, it's purely for the comfort of the lobster.

So, this is what you have ? a pan of cold brine, seasoned, in which a lobster sits on a trivet as happy as a sand boy. How do I know this? Because lobsters have two states of being ? they're either happy or they're dead.

Now, using a gentle heat, gradually raise the temperature of the water to around 90°F, at which point the lobster will be fast asleep and sweetly dreaming. It will never wake up.

You can now turn up the heat until the water reaches a gentle simmer and cook the lobster for around 8 minutes a pound.

Drain and plunge into iced water. Let it cool in there before draining again and transferring to the fridge until needed.

The lobster will reward you for this kindness by being succulent and tender. It won't be stuffed with adrenalin and its meaty fibers will not have contracted into something resembling India rubber. The next step is to cut the lobster in half and to clean it.

Lay it on its back and use a strong, very sharp, knife to cut it in half from tail to head. You will easily see the stomach bag at the back of the head and the blackish gut running the length of the body. Remove these and discard.

You may also, if you wish, discard the greenish liver, although aficionados hold this to be a delicacy. It's certainly edible, but personally I chuck it because I don't like the color.

And that's it. You can now serve your lobster cold with some freshly made mayonnaise, or indulge in one of the more fanciful hot dishes for which some restaurants have become famous.

This article by former head chef Michael Sheridan was originally published in The Cool Cooks Club forum. There are more cooking tips and a free cooking course at http://thecoolcook.com

---

How to Bake: How Long Should My Bread Rise?

It depends. The best way to tell if the dough... Read More

Solving The 7 Most Common Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistakes

Let's face it EVERY cook makes mistakes (yes, even us... Read More

Cake Baking Tip Guide

Successful cake decorating is all about preparation. Baking and preparing... Read More

About Baking: Eight Tips for Perfect Pancakes

Pancakes are easy and almost foolproof. But there are some... Read More

Do you own an AGA or RAYBURN cooker ?

The Cooker-rail....This is a novel way of increasing the drying... Read More

Fruit Cake

Are you the fruit cake in your family? Before you... Read More

Cooking With Kids--Safely!

School's out! And summer is a good time to introduce... Read More

Kitchenaid Stand Mixers ? A Kitchen Work Horse

Kitchenaid stand mixers are very popular in today's kitchens and... Read More

Perfect Picnics - Frugal Food Safety Tips

Summer is finally here and for a lot of us... Read More

Foods That Freeze Well

"Can I freeze it?" is a question often asked in... Read More

The Barbecue Pit

The barbecue pit has been around since 1920,s and it... Read More

Storing Fats and Oils

The human body requires the intake of six types of... Read More

Is Your Cookware Poisoning You?

For over 40 years scientists have known that the fumes... Read More

Working with Eggs

Bad eggs are rare but they do occur. Crack eggs... Read More

Modifying Your Recipes, More or Less

You just found that great recipe that you have been... Read More

Reductions: Proving Less is More

Any liquid can be reduced just by heating it -... Read More

A Cookie Assembly Line: Efficient Cookie Baking for Busy Cooks

As a busy working mother, I'm short on time, especially... Read More

Is Cooked Food Really All That Good For Us?

In nature all animals eat living foods as yielded up... Read More

Cooking -- What You Need To Know

From ancient times till the nineteenth century cooking was basically... Read More

How to Bake: Muffins (with recipes)

Muffins are a mainstay around our house. They are as... Read More

Keeping and Wasps and Flies Away from your Barbecue

It is one of life's oddities that we take a... Read More

Eat your Veggies! Simple Cooking Methods

Vegetables add colour, taste, texture and bulk to our daily... Read More

10 Mind-Easing Ways To Make Sure Your Childs Bag Lunch Is Safe

Perishable food must be kept cold while commuting via bus,... Read More

Microwave Ovens and the Healthfulness of Microwaved Food

Microwave ovens do have benefits. They are certainly convenient. They... Read More

Make-up or Mixing Methods for Muffins

When muffins aren't perfect, the first reaction is to change... Read More

Chinese Cooking Technique: Thicken

"Thicken", or "Thickening" is a very common technique used in... Read More

The World of Cornbread

We're partial to cornbread. We like its rustic texture and... Read More

Picnic Checklist

In the previous article, we suggested that you start a... Read More

Troubleshooting Cookies

If your cookies are too tough . . . You... Read More

The Perfect Scone: Keys to Make Your Scone Just Right

Ah, there's nothing like a tender, steaming scone in the... Read More

How to Choose the Right Smoke for the Right BBQ Dish

BBQ smoke is one of the easiest ways to add... Read More

10 Easy Ways To Protect Your Family From Food Poisoning

Do you realize the many ways that bacteria can contaminate... Read More

Secret of Light and Fluffy Biscuits and Pancakes

Would you like to lose some weight -- in your... Read More