Is there a reason why lobsters are boiled alive?!
This is why most whole fish come gutted, even though they still have heads/tails/gills/fins/etc. (Eyes, gills, and fins are an important sign of freshness... don't buy fish that has all that removed, if you're buying it whole.)
When this starts to happen, the protein will turn the consistency of marshmallow fluff. It's called "belly burn" around the kitchen and it smells TERRIBLE. We once had some whole sardines that had their viscera still in them, and they had belly burn and the whole kitchen smelled like rotten fish.
That said, lobsters and shellfish are usually shipped alive. Lobsters can have just the tail removed and those can be flash frozen and shipped, just like shrimp.
The major problem with tossing them in alive and kicking is they will sometimes freak out, which causes the adrenaline to pump and the meat will taste terrible. This is why all animals to be slaughtered must be calm before slaughtering can take place.
I have taken done the knife to the head method, and even though they are dead, the nerves are still reacting and the tail, no longer attached to the body, will keep moving. The first couple of times you do this is is very disconcerting... the biggest thing I've killed before that was a cockroach.
You can stroke them between the eyes and they will fall asleep, or you can stick them in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes and they will go to sleep.
Sleeping lobsters go into the pot a whole lot easier, and more humane as well. I would much rather die in my sleep, then know I was about to be dumped into a pot of boiling water.
One last note: life = freshness. Same thing goes for shellfish. If you steam them, don't eat any of the ones that don't open... they were dead before they went into the pot... and their digestive enzymes are already at work on them. No one wants to eat that.
Answers: When any animal dies, the digestives enzymes of the stomach will begin digesting the organs themselves, unless they are eviscerated.
This is why most whole fish come gutted, even though they still have heads/tails/gills/fins/etc. (Eyes, gills, and fins are an important sign of freshness... don't buy fish that has all that removed, if you're buying it whole.)
When this starts to happen, the protein will turn the consistency of marshmallow fluff. It's called "belly burn" around the kitchen and it smells TERRIBLE. We once had some whole sardines that had their viscera still in them, and they had belly burn and the whole kitchen smelled like rotten fish.
That said, lobsters and shellfish are usually shipped alive. Lobsters can have just the tail removed and those can be flash frozen and shipped, just like shrimp.
The major problem with tossing them in alive and kicking is they will sometimes freak out, which causes the adrenaline to pump and the meat will taste terrible. This is why all animals to be slaughtered must be calm before slaughtering can take place.
I have taken done the knife to the head method, and even though they are dead, the nerves are still reacting and the tail, no longer attached to the body, will keep moving. The first couple of times you do this is is very disconcerting... the biggest thing I've killed before that was a cockroach.
You can stroke them between the eyes and they will fall asleep, or you can stick them in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes and they will go to sleep.
Sleeping lobsters go into the pot a whole lot easier, and more humane as well. I would much rather die in my sleep, then know I was about to be dumped into a pot of boiling water.
One last note: life = freshness. Same thing goes for shellfish. If you steam them, don't eat any of the ones that don't open... they were dead before they went into the pot... and their digestive enzymes are already at work on them. No one wants to eat that.
It leaves all the juice and goodness of it in there! Besides I don't think they want a mess in the kitchen from all the blood and heads just lying around... lol.
They stink when dead very long unless cooked.
Once the lobster is dead the meat is no good.
You can boil them alive, put them in the freezer for 10 minutes, or split them down the middle alive.
idk but i luv going to the store and seeing them in the tank!!! i kno its sumthing a kid would like..........
i dont know, but it is so sad, that it makes me want to cry. the lobsters shouldnt be cooked alive, let alone eaten. also when they are boiling they squeal really loud, and it is soooooooooooooo sad!
Yes, Unfortunely, lobster must be alive in order to cook...The minute they died ...their meat becomes tough and imposible to eat...That why they must be kept alive...or they can be frozen by a Flash frozen industrial procedures for resale purposes
I heard from somewhere that lobsters release a chemical when they die. If they are cooked after they are dead, the meat becomes rubbery. I wouldn't know if this is true. I don't really like seafood to begin with.
All shellfish goes bad very quickly after it dies. That being said, lobsters thrown alive into boiling water are sure to be good. However, those dispatched by your fishmonger at 5pam and cooked by 7pm are not bad either. The death issue is an interesting one.
My father, having noted in Japan (in 1946) that the hot tub he just left appeared to be boiling, decided that bringing the lobster up to tempurature gradually was kind. However, as a child i found listening to the lobster banging against the inside of the pot was disconcerting. So I tried using the knife behind the eyes technique, only to find the lobster doesn't realyy know its dead, even when completely dismembered it continues to move.
There is no free lunch. The lobster suffers. It is none the less delicious.
because once they are dead they can cause extreme gastric distress/ food poisoning. this is also true of live clam, crabs and any live seafood...
Do you know how to kill one? Some chefs freeze them first but if they're real fresh it's "plop" right in the water they go!!
Hey la di da di da, They don't squeel, that's the sound of steam coming from their shells. When their air tight shells hit boiling water, the water inside them immediatly steams out causing a high pitch whistling sound. They die instantly on contact with the boiling water. They are not suffering, that is a total myth that chefs around the world will tell you is false. Don't worry, the lobsters don't feel much except for the first split second!
Ello is right, a lobster or any shellfish releases an enzyme when caught even before it dies which basically starts to dissolve and rot itself, which is seen by the blackening in crab, lobster and prawns.
A humane way to cook a live lobster is to freeze it for 30 mins before you cook it which will put it to sleep as such!
Also keeps the meat nice and firm
If you don't like the idea of boiling a whole lobster you could always buy the tail and cook it. If you must have whole lobster you can buy it already cooked. Steaming takes less time if that's any help to ya.
Also there isn't going to be "a whole lot of blood" or whatever like 1 Month Prego said.