To Boil a Lobster
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the water
Fill a large kettle with enough water to cover the lobster.
Add ¼ pound of coarse sea salt for every gallon of water.
Bring the water to a rapid boil.
Cook the lobster
Carefully place the lobster in head first to kill it instantly.
Boil briskly for 1 hour.
Remove the lobster from the water and let it drain.
Wipe off any scum from the lobster.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Lobster
- The main ingredient; heat firms its flesh and turns the shell red as it cooks.
The step that matters
Place the lobster in rapidly boiling water. The water should be at a rapid boil before the lobster goes in, so the temperature stays high and cooking is even. A large drop in temperature slows cooking and can leave the meat tough.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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