# Cooking Live Lobster



## handofike (Mar 28, 2011)

I have decided to cook Lobster for my girlfriend.... the only way I can kill it is to freeze it to death first.... What is the best way to thermadore it after this has been done, straight from the freezer or thaw a little? Roughly how long to cook to sweet and tender???

Thanks


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Why are you freezing it? That's really a strange way of killing something.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Have you ever worked with Lobster before?  I don't think so !


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## handofike (Mar 28, 2011)

I was told that as I'm a novice that freezing was the easiest way as they trash around a lot if you boil them live and it's difficult for a novice to cut the spinal cord.....


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

My goodness. Take it easy on the guy. He's not quite so sure about his methods, wherever he may have gotten them from, and he's coming here for better advice.

You don't even have to kill them, just drop them in the screamingly boiling water _(Julia Child did it that way so it can't be wrong)_, or you can jab them just behind the head w/ a Chef's knife in the nice crevasse of their shell. A fraction of a second, lights out.

Now as for cooking times, here's an _*"IDEA"*_, not gospel carved in stone:

_*Boiled*_ : 1 lb. : 12 - 15 minutes / 1-1/2 lbs. : 15 - 20 minutes. / 2-3 lbs. : 20 - 25 minutes / 3-1/2 - 5 lbs. : 25 - 30 minutes

_*Steamed*_ : 1-1-1/2 lbs. : 20 minutes

_*Grilled Whole* *(pre-cooked) _: 1-1-1/2 lbs. : 2 - 3 minutes

_*Grilled Tails*_ : Each : 5 - 7 minutes

_*Broiled Whole* *(pre-cooked)_ : 1-1-1/2 lbs. : 3 - 4 minutes

_*Broiled Tails*_ : Each : 9 - 10 minutes


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## handofike (Mar 28, 2011)

Thanks Iceman... I always thought that was the idea of forums too.... 

So I can just drop them in and that's fine.... That's what I expected to do but was told it would get messy....

Thanks again!


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

handofike said:


> That's what I expected to do but was told it would get messy....


You can always hold a lid over them until they subside...

I prefer to kill them before I cook them though: place your knife as on these pictures, then push it all the way down, then slightly forward (toward the eyes) by about 1 inch or so.


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## handofike (Mar 28, 2011)

Thanks French Fries...

I've just checked YouTube for a few videos and your way does seem a better way of doing it....






Cheers


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

How long does it take a Lobster to freeze to death ?????? I think the boiling and knife through the body is the faster way...........


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

ChefBillyB said:


> How long does it take a Lobster to freeze to death ?????? I think the boiling and knife through the body is the faster way...........


I think some people put the lobster in the freezer for a little bit just so it falls asleep, then they boil it. I think it makes the whole experience easier on the cook, but I'm not sure exactly how easier it is for the lobster. And personally I don't want my lobster to stay in the freezer at all.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

French Fries said:


> I think some people put the lobster in the freezer for a little bit just so it falls asleep, then they boil it. I think it makes the whole experience easier on the cook, but I'm not sure exactly how easier it is for the lobster. And personally I don't want my lobster to stay in the freezer at all.


I figured the keyword was fresh, I do feel better that they are sleeping. I already have some cows, pigs and fish in there to keep them company..............I was in your neck of the woods a week ago............


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## benway (May 24, 2009)

A Japanese cook I worked with would "hypnotize" lobster by standing it up on its head and claws and rubbing the top of its head.  My advice is that if you like eatting animals is to not make it too personal.  The best way to pay your respects is to do a good job in preparing your dish.  In the case of a lobster for thermador this means to whack it in half with a cleaver.


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

"You don't even have to kill them, just drop them in the *screamingly* boiling water "/img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif

They say that lobsters don't feel pain. I must say in my younger days there were a many times that I was feeling no pain. Don't think I would have enjoyed boiling or freezing.

We had a summer place in Martha's V. where I learned to cook lobsters 40 yrs ago.

The live puppies go into a large pot with rocks or a grate on the bottom so they don't touch it. They can burn or overcook.

Then fill the pot with salted room temp water. Flame on slowly at first to get the water warm. Around blood temp the lobsters fall quietly asleep. Then increase

the flame to simmer. Adjust time to # of lobster. This is the nicest way for the lobsters, and the meat will be the tenderest it can be.

Any type of shocking will result in tensing. adrenaline will flows and the meat will be chewy.

for what that's worth

salty


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

Good point *Panini*. I used the term _"screamingly boiling"_ because I believe the temp would immediately go down as you add the lobsters _(kinda like putting things into a deep-fryer)_. I like things to be as extreem as possible in the beginning, then adjust after.

Hey *French Fries*, those are great demonstration pics. Nice addition.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

After steaming plunge them in icewater so they stop cooking and dont get tough.. Save the liquid you boil them in for a stock. Or boil them in a Court Boullion mixture for flavor.


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

It's a wellknown procedure to first put the lobster in the freezer for a short while (1/2 hour or so), just to benumb it. Then you put it indeed in a boiling court bouillon; you need to see the liquid bubbling, just simmering is not enough. Please do use a large pot with enough liquid in it, in which the lobster can easily be submerged entirely.

Put the lobster in upside down, head first, without hesitation and be sure it is completely under the liquid. This kills the animal instanteniously. You may however see some post-mortem contractions of the legs, nothing to worry about, the animal is dead. Cooking time depends on the weight of the animal. Iceman gave you some cooking times.

Handofike, when you say _thermadore_ the lobster, do you mean making _lobster Thermidor_? That's a recipe starting with cooking a lobster. You're not nearly halfway when the lobster is cooked.

However, nothing really difficult.


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## handofike (Mar 28, 2011)

Thanks all...

I'm going to do a trial run in the week.... Still I think that a knife through the nervous system is probably the most humane way to go. Not 100% sure how I'm going to cook it now, as I've looked into maybe butterflying the tail but will be boiling the claws etc....

I need to do some research.

Chefedb, thanks for the icewater tip

Thanks again!


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## mmwineguy (Apr 22, 2011)

Lobster pouched in butter, what two things go better together


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

There is a great article on ChefTalk by Chef Joe George on how to kill and cook a lobster.


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Just curious if anyone else starts their lobster in room temp water? I tried to google it and could not find anything.

I'm shocked. This was the norm for us as well as most others living around us. We would just head down to

the boats and buy their culls for dirt cheap. We cooked a lot on the beach. We always had a piece of plywood to

keep them from walking off. If you put them upside down, they will stay/sleep.

There was an absolute difference in the texture of the meat compared to boiling.

What I can remembe,r the lobsters will sleep with a temperature change, sometimes play dead.

The capt's would tell us they start to loose sweetness as soon as they leave the trap.

pan


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

I miss Maine Lobster, down here we have the Florida Spiny Lobster which no matter what you do with them they are tougher and stringy. Only thing they are good for is cut small lobster salad. I really believe people freeze them first because they are afraiid of them when they move.Put them in boiling H2O  with a wedge of lemon, piece of celery,onion,carrott, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning 12 to 14 minutes thats it.


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## soopersaucer (Apr 23, 2011)

I would agree, chefedb that the frozen out of season spiny lobsters don't compare to the Maines but when they are fresh and  in season,  I like the flavor and texture of the finished product for what it is. In the Keys we would salt and pepper the raw meat dredge in flour and cook  in a cold pan with whole butter and  chopped garlic scampi style. And one day out of the year you could go catch your own lobsters with a limit of six I believe ......that free lobster tasted doubly good!


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## the-boy-nurse (Aug 9, 2010)

I could be way off my rocker but I read somewhere that "hypnotizing" a lobster by holding it's head down is the result of blood shifting out of it's open circulatory system. Lobsters are cold blooded and like any cold blooded animal more docile when they are cold. Sticking em in the fridge makes them a bit lethargic thus less flapping.

For those of you squeamish about killing the lobster remember your salad is still alive when your eating it.

Ive heard it said that killing the lobster faster makes it taste better because it reduces panic hormone release in the lobster. Anybody know if there is any truth to that? That said, if you're going to kill a lobster correctly i think you should offer it a cigarette and a blindfold.

Just sayin-

TBN


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

TBN,

(instead of a ciagarette, maybe an ativan ?)

Eric Ripert shows in his video (as French Fries showed in his pic) how to kill a lobster Humanely.






I personally never had a problem with a very large pot of water....that being said , everyone is different and I can appreciate how the OP feels , and thumbs up for making a lobster dinner for his girlfriend. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif


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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

chefedb said:


> I miss Maine Lobster, down here we have the Florida Spiny Lobster which no matter what you do with them they are tougher and stringy. Only thing they are good for is cut small lobster salad. I really believe people freeze them first because they are afraiid of them when they move.Put them in boiling H2O with a wedge of lemon, piece of celery,onion,carrott, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning 12 to 14 minutes thats it.


I agree but also know that florida lobster or spiny lobster (bugs) are not lobster at all. They are actually most closely related to crayfish. They are ok, but it's something like eating a giant shrimp rather than an actual lobster. I have put in my time chasing them around the keys though!


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

eastshores said:


> I agree but also know that florida lobster or spiny lobster (bugs) are not lobster at all. They are actually most closely related to crayfish.


In fact they're called crayfish (or crawfish) in some parts of the world. In France we call them "langoustes" (while lobsters are called "homards", so I was quite confused myself when I heard them called "something-lobster").


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

You are both correct  They are not lobster as we know lobster.. But down here they call them spiny lobsters don't ask me why . FRESH OR FROZEN THEY ARE TOUGH AND STRINGY.


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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

chefedb said:


> But down here they call them spiny lobsters don't ask me why


We don't have anything else like lobster! So that's our Florida Lobster. Spiny lobster is not a common term.. just lobster.. or bugs. You will find in some menus warm/cold water lobster. Warm being the crayfish we call lobster.. cold being actual lobster.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

eastshores said:


> We don't have anything else like lobster! So that's our Florida Lobster. Spiny lobster is not a common term.. just lobster.. or bugs. You will find in some menus warm/cold water lobster. Warm being the crayfish we call lobster.. cold being actual lobster.


Common termonology in restaurant back or front of house is spiny lobster. When talking to the public last thing we want to call them is bugs !!! Maybe home its ok.


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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

Haha true.. the slang for them amongst those that go after them is bugs. I can see where spiny lobster would be the term in restaraunts although inside of Florida I've seen them just referred to as "Florida Lobster"


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## bazza (Apr 2, 2007)

panini said:


> Just curious if anyone else starts their lobster in room temp water?


This is how I was taught to cook crab, the reason being that in boiling water crabs will shed thier legs and allow the water into the body cavity and make the meat soggy.

For lobster I put them into the freezer for half an hour, it does not affect freshness but it does make them more docile and less stressed, you are correct about the adrenalin causing tough meat but as soon as they hit the boiling water they die in an instant.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

eastshores said:


> Haha true.. the slang for them amongst those that go after them is bugs. I can see where spiny lobster would be the term in restaraunts although inside of Florida I've seen them just referred to as "Florida Lobster"


I didn't invent the word, but every place I have worked here and I have been in business 50 years thats what guys in back and front they called them. Again in restaurant lingo outside I have heard as you say Florida Lobster.


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## chefmorey (Apr 10, 2011)

You did not indicate the kind of lobster or its size. But I assume you meant a "chicken" lobster that is around 1 to 1/2 lbs. That is what you find in most stores today. You will need two lobsters, one for you and one for your girlfriend. 

1. Get a pot large enough to hold both lobsters. If you do not own such a pot, don't try to cook lobster. Go to a Kitchen shop and ask for a pot big enough to cook 2 lobsters. You can use the pot to cook crab, shrimp, corn on the cob, soup, gumbo, etc. Don't buy a cheap thin aluminum pot. Buy something thick and heavy that you can hand down to your children and grandchildren.

2. Fill it 75% full with good clean water. Use bottled water if your tap water has chlorine. Put pot on high heat to boil the water.

3. Smash 3 large garlic cloves and thrown them into the water skin and all.

4. Chop the top section with leaves of a bunch of celery and throw it into the water with the garlic. The top portion is the stalks after the waist.

5. Add 3 TBs of salt and 3 Tbsof sugar to pot.

6. Cut a fresh lemon in half and throw it into the pot. 

6. Once the water with all the ingredients come to boil, drop lobsters into water and set timer for 12 min. Cook for 12 min.

7. If eating right away, set table with clarified butter and dig in. 

8. If you wat to eat them later that day or the next day, while the lobsters are cooking, fill a sink with cold water and ice cubes. When the timer goes off, take lobsters out of pot, and throw into sink until they are cold. 

9. Once cold, take meat out of shell. Use for salads or sautéed in butter with herbs over pasta. 

Chef Bob [email protected]


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## susan brown (Apr 26, 2011)

Hello,

I have been cooking for years but haven't cooked lobsters.Actually i get frightened with the thought of cooking them alive.


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## fl italian (Mar 2, 2009)

Yes, ChefEd.. "bugs" would be pretty rough terminology, even here in FL as it conjures up "other" critters we get!When I spent my summers on Cape Cod, we always cooked those Maine guys in boiling water and they were live going it but what I've always done to simplify the thrashing was to dip the lobster, head first, into the boiling caldron for just a second or two. That hot water sort of kills them pretty quick and then I let the rest of the lobster fall into the pot.. lobster #2...same treatment.However, I must admit, though I've never done it, the bringing of the water to a boil with the lobsters in it makes very good sense as they really don't know they're getting hot...yet!No matter what... give me some butter and I'll show you places to find meat in a lobster that you didn't know existed!!Funny story, which I'll make short... when I was 9 my father took us to a place in Maine where they served boiled lobsters on beer trays and the first was $3.00 (long time ago) and they went down $0.25 with each one you ate. I was working on a $0.75 lobster and the owner asked my father when "this kid" was going to quit?? I was a skinny little sh.. but I could eat lobster!!! Too young to drink beer to fill you up!


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## adarlingshot (Mar 31, 2011)

If you have not cooked your lobster yet, might I suggest what I call the sleepy way?  Use a large pot (bigger the better), and put about 4 inches of cold water in the bottom, add the lobster (as we like to call them thanks to Homer Simpson...pinchies) and turn the heat up to high, cover and bring to a boil for just a few minutes, then remove from the heat.  I was told by a lobster guy in Nova Scotia, that the low rise in heat does two things:

1...puts pinchie to sleep before he dies...much kinder

2...keeps the meat more tender especially in the tail!

Try it out, you will find the meat to be sweet and tender, and you wont feel so bad about tossing a live pinchie into boiling water!


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## kathy17033 (Nov 28, 2012)

Freezing is much more humane than simply throwing the lobster into boiling water.


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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

Kathy17033 said:


> Freezing is much more humane than simply throwing the lobster into boiling water.


Thanks for your first post ever.

Can you explain why ?


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## kippers (Aug 31, 2012)

Simples, which would you choose GA, to go to sleep and die in a snow drift or be dropped into a cauldron of boiling water boiling?

Hello Kathy.


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

*A swift slice through the brain*, they will not have known what happened, no pain, DEAD , and it never saw it coming, it was that fast.

Using a technique that that gives the least pain or suffering to an animal or in this case , lobster, for me is humane.

I understand the reasons for putting it in the freezer but after a few minutes my soft side would kick in and I would want to rush and give it a parka , some gloves and hat, maybe a hot chocolate.

Petals


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

You're making the lobster suffer in the freezer for how long?


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## kippers (Aug 31, 2012)

this is a link to the Royal Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, your question is answered here http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Blo...here=1223294842888&blobheader=application/pdf


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Yeah, put them in the freezer for two hours, but make sure the temperature gradient is 2 degrees per hour, so don't put them in a freezing freezer, turn the temp up and gradually turn it down two degrees per hour.


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