 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
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
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
A Cookie Assembly Line: Efficient Cookie Baking for Busy Cooks As a busy working mother, I'm short on time, especially during the holidays, but baking Christmas cookies is a family tradition I'm unwilling to give up. Over the years, I've come up with many ways to make the process of baking a large variety of cookies go much smoother and take less time out of my busy life. 10 Easy Ways To Protect Your Family From Food Poisoning Do you realize the many ways that bacteria can contaminate the food YOUR FAMILY eats? Do you know how to tell if your food is THOROUGHLY cooked to keep YOUR family safe from Food Poisoning? Do you know what to do if you or SOMEONE YOU LOVE gets Food Poisoning?When it comes to food preparation and storage, "Common Practices" could be POISONING your family!Here's how to avoid the problem entirely:1. Plan For SafetyMake sure you have the right equipment, including cutting boards, utensils, food thermometers, cookware, shallow containers for storage, soap, and paper towels. The Wonderful Wok: Stir Frying Basics Want to enjoy the tantalizing taste of Asian food at home? Invest in a wok! Stir-frying is one of the easiest ways to create a delicious, healthy dinner in minutes. Learn to prepare meals the Asian way: light on meat, heavy on the vegetables, and quick-cooked on high heat to retain vitamins and flavors. Is Your Cookware Poisoning You? For over 40 years scientists have known that the fumes from hot non-stick surfaces can kill pet birds such as canaries. So just how dangerous are they to you?Several studies have been conducted into health concerns surrounding Teflon, the coating invented and patented by DuPont. How To Eat Fresh Vegetables - Ideas for Working More Veggies Into Your Diet Fresh, uncooked veggies are so healthy and it's important to work them into your meal plan somewhere. The majority of American's don't eat enough vegetables and most vegetables consumed in the American diet are cooked potatoes in the form of french fries. Why do We Need to Knead? Bread dough needs to be elastic in order to capture the gases created by the yeast, stretch as bubbles form in the dough, expand, and rise. Without that elasticity, bread would not have the open texture we enjoy nor would bread be chewy. How to Bake: Bread on the Grill One of the slickest tricks we know is baking bread on the grill. Once you get to know your grill, it's easy-like baking your favorite recipe in the oven. Seasoning An Oven Untreated cast iron rusts, especially around water. To prevent metal from oxidizing in the presence of moisture, cast iron requires a process called ?seasoning?. Season Your Pans for Non Stick Cooking Nothing is more frustrating than trying to cook a delicious meal and having it stick to the bottom of the pan. A well season or cured pan will make cooking more fun, easier to clean and create better tasting food. Fruit Cake Are you the fruit cake in your family? Before you raise your eyebrow, I would suggest you read on to know what I mean.The fruit cake has tantalized the world for centuries. Flax Seed Will Add A Little Extra Flavor To Your Recipes Flax seed will add a pleasant nutty taste to any recipe. The attractive, round reddish-brown seeds of flax add flavor, extra texture and good nutrition to your breads, cakes, muffins, and other baked goods. Old-Fashioned Taffy Pull Party--How to Host Your Own Want a unique party idea for your child's birthday-or even her next weekend sleepover with friends? Try hosting your own taffy pull. It can get pretty messy, but kids absolutely love it. What is a Serving Size? Have you ever wondered how much a serving really is. Well, pull out your box of Raisin Bran, grab the milk a bowl and a spoon. Buying, Storing, and Preparing Apples When buying apples, look for those that are firm and brightly colored. Shiny red for Macintosh, Rome and red Delicious. What's the Thick on Roux? Thickening Soups and Sauces Soups and sauces can be thickened in a variety of ways. A sauce must the thick enough to cling to the food, but not so thick it stands up on its own. Reductions: Proving Less is More Any liquid can be reduced just by heating it - but why would you want to do that?The answer comes back to two of our old friends, flavor and consistency (texture).By reducing any flavored liquid you intensify its flavor and at the same time thicken it. Ten Proven Tips to Buy the Best Meat Available Ten Proven Tips to buy the Best Meat AvailableAs you look through the meat section at your local grocery store you are probably like so many others asking yourself if the steaks you have chosen is really good meat. Here are some tips on how to make sure you buy good meat. Slimming Secrets From The Kitchen To get the svelte figure, start in the kitchen. Slimming down is about taking in less calories, while you burn more calories through exercise. Easy Herb Butters Since herbs are plentiful this time of year, why not use them to make a variety of simple herb butters? You can even freeze the butters to enjoy in the cooler fall months ahead.Use these tasty butters on everything from grilled steaks, fish, and chicken, to cooked vegetables. Modifying Your Recipes, More or Less You just found that great recipe that you have been trying to find for over year. And now you're dancing around your kitchen in glee!That's when you notice that it makes enough to feed a small army, but you only need to feed two.
|
|
|
 |
 |
