How to cook lobster

Boiling Lobsters:
Boiling and steaming are the two easiest and most popular methods of cooking whole lobsters.

Boiling is a little bit quicker and easier to do. It is also easier to time the cooking process. Some say that the meat comes out of the shell easier when boiled versus when the lobster is steamed. If your recipes calls for fully cooked  lobster meat, boiling should be your cooking method of choice.

To boil lobsters you will need a pot large enough to hold the lobsters without crowding them. A 4 to 5-gallon pot can handle 6 to 8 pounds of lobsters. Fill the pot with water, allowing about 3 quarts of water for up to 2 pounds of lobster. Add 1/4 cup sea salt for per gallon of water. Bring the water to a full rolling boil and add the live lobsters one at a time. Start timing the cooking immediately. Do not cover the pot.

It is okay to stir the lobsters when they are half done. Cook them based on the chart below, and allow them to rest for about five minutes once they are taken from the boiling water.

Cooking Times:
1 pound lobster - boil 8 minutes
1 1/2 pounds - boil 11-12 minutes
2 pounds - boil 15 minutes
2 1/2 pounds - boil 20 minutes

Lobsters turn bright red when cooked, although you can not judge the cooking time based only on color. They are done when the meat turns from clear to opaque. Another test would be temperature. Cooked Lobster will reach a temperature of 145 - 180 degrees (sources vary on the temperature required). An article on the USDA Food Safety and Inspection web site states that seafood cooked to 145 degrees will be safe to eat. Click here for a food safety guide which includes cooking shellfish.