GB
Chief Eating Officer
I am a little confused by this. Are you saying that because the shells were so hard that something was wrong?
Tell me about cooking a live lobster
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jennyema
Chef Extraordinaire
GB
Chief Eating Officer
I would never in a million years order a lobster from a restaurant that was not on the ocean. Lobster needs to be fresh and unless you can walk to the ocean from the restaurant (OK that is a bit of a minor exaggeration) then you will find me getting something else.
Us inlanders have to take what we can get. As long as they are alive before cooking, like clams or mussels, you should be fine ordering a whole lobster in a landlocked restaurant. Especially today.
That old oil boomtown in PA, Pithole, used to have them brought in every week. And that was by horse and wagon.
That old oil boomtown in PA, Pithole, used to have them brought in every week. And that was by horse and wagon.
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
GB - re: the lobster shell hardness - yes. Neither my husband putting all his weight into using a cracker nor the waiter smacking them with a hammer - an actual claw hammer - could break these suckers open. They were unbelievably dry - in fact, the whole lobster was very dry. It definitely was not "fresh from" either a boiling or steamer pot. I should have sent it back. Having worked in the restaurant industry, I really believe that during "Lobster Fest", Red Lobster has (or used to have) a number of these beauties already cooked & out under heat lamps. At least they did back then (this was in the '80's).
Like I said, both husband & I grew up on the waterfront, so definitely know what a decent lobster should be like. Having one at Red Lobster when we had so many other options was just a severe lack of judgement at the time - lol!
Like I said, both husband & I grew up on the waterfront, so definitely know what a decent lobster should be like. Having one at Red Lobster when we had so many other options was just a severe lack of judgement at the time - lol!
GB
Chief Eating Officer
I have never heard of shell hardness being a factor in a fresh lobster. Shell hardness has to do with how long the lobster has had that particular shell. I actually prefer the hard shelled lobsters. They are a pain in the neck to break into, but I find that the lobster fills out the shell more (it has been in the shell longer so the meat fills up the empty space) as opposed to a soft shell that has a lot of empty space inside where the meat one day would have been had the lobster had a chance to grow more.
In the summer, generally July and August, lobsters shed their shells so that they can grow. Once the lobsters have shed their old shells, there are new, soft shells underneath. These shells will harden over the course of time and as the water gets colder. Since the lobsters shed their shells in order to have room for growth the following year, there is less meat inside a soft-shell lobster than there is in a hard-shell lobster of the same size. This also accounts for their lower prices.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
This is a quandry. The hard-shelled lobsters are 'fuller' so you are getting close to the amount of meat the shell suggests. But the shell is thicker and therefore heavier than a soft shell.
On the other hand, a soft-shelled lobster may not fill the shell but the shell itself weighs a lot less than a hard shell because it's so thin. As a result, a higher percentage of the total weight is meat...
...I think.
So if you had a hard-shell lobster and it molted and became a soft-shell lobster of essentially the same size, you'd pay less for the whole lobster because of the thinner shell and you'd get the same amount of meat for less money.
The soft-shells appear to give you less because there is so much space between the shell and the meat that you feal 'cheated'.
On the other hand, a soft-shelled lobster may not fill the shell but the shell itself weighs a lot less than a hard shell because it's so thin. As a result, a higher percentage of the total weight is meat...
...I think.
So if you had a hard-shell lobster and it molted and became a soft-shell lobster of essentially the same size, you'd pay less for the whole lobster because of the thinner shell and you'd get the same amount of meat for less money.
The soft-shells appear to give you less because there is so much space between the shell and the meat that you feal 'cheated'.
GB
Chief Eating Officer
The other thing to keep in mind though is that lobsters taste best when taken from cold waters. Summer is actually not the best time to eat lobster even though that is when the majority of people eat them. Lobsters from colder water are much sweeter. For me, I would rather pay a little more for the same amount of meat if it tastes better. I usually only get lobsters in the warm months though because I rarely cook them at home and only go to the ocean in the summer.
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
You're totally missing the point here GB.
I never said that shell hardness had anything at all to do with freshness. I've had literally thousands of hard-shell (& some recently molted soft-shell) lobsters over the years. Shell hardness has nothing to do with freshness.
HOWEVER - if you cook a lobster & then leave it drying under heat lamps for an indefinite period, the shell eventually turns to CONCRETE. That's the point I'm trying to make here. Not that the lobster wasn't "fresh" when cooked, but that it was then left to sit for Lord knows how long under heat lamps.
Why I had serious gastro problems that night & the next day is anyone's guess, but it probably had more to do with the handling of that poor lobster than anything else. Certainly not the shell hardness.
I never said that shell hardness had anything at all to do with freshness. I've had literally thousands of hard-shell (& some recently molted soft-shell) lobsters over the years. Shell hardness has nothing to do with freshness.
HOWEVER - if you cook a lobster & then leave it drying under heat lamps for an indefinite period, the shell eventually turns to CONCRETE. That's the point I'm trying to make here. Not that the lobster wasn't "fresh" when cooked, but that it was then left to sit for Lord knows how long under heat lamps.
Why I had serious gastro problems that night & the next day is anyone's guess, but it probably had more to do with the handling of that poor lobster than anything else. Certainly not the shell hardness.
GB
Chief Eating Officer
I was not missing your point breezy. Anyway, my point was that shells can be rock hard for plenty of reasons and that just because a shell is hard does not mean you did not get a good lobster.
Very interesting train of thought, Andy.
How about this, though; While you say the freshly molted lobster's shell is lighter, it is also larger that the original shell, thus the reason for molting.... So which weighs less, the smaller hard shell or the larger soft shell?
And.... if a lobster is like anything else that molts, it is in a weakened state, so may have even dropped a little weight during the molt.
Think about it. Just not too hard
How about this, though; While you say the freshly molted lobster's shell is lighter, it is also larger that the original shell, thus the reason for molting.... So which weighs less, the smaller hard shell or the larger soft shell?
And.... if a lobster is like anything else that molts, it is in a weakened state, so may have even dropped a little weight during the molt.
Think about it. Just not too hard
GB
Chief Eating Officer
Also, what is filling up the space inside the empty shell while the lobster is alive? Is it dead space or is it liquid of some sort or what? What is in there when it is weighed?
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
My head hurts, I think I'll go lie down for a while.
Adillo303
Head Chef
Just to liven the game up a bit. I read that when a lobster is caught, it has had it's last food. From that time till cooked, it is living off storred food / fat / whatever. The ones that are air freighted are less time since their last meal and supposedly better tasting.
For extra credit, how about the cost to meat factor on a lobster that is just about to molt. Two shells to dealwith.
AC
For extra credit, how about the cost to meat factor on a lobster that is just about to molt. Two shells to dealwith.
AC
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
AndyM - I don't blame you - lol!!!!
Just relax. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. No need to add salt, the lobsters carry enough as it is. I always laugh at folks who insist that lobsters need to be cooked in salted water. Apparently they don't realize the amount of salt water that naturally exists in lobster flesh (shrimp too, for that matter). Add 1 to 2 -pound lobsters. If cooking more than 2 lobsters at a time, do them in batches. Wait 15 minutes. Remove & enjoy. Period. It's not rocket science.
Just relax. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. No need to add salt, the lobsters carry enough as it is. I always laugh at folks who insist that lobsters need to be cooked in salted water. Apparently they don't realize the amount of salt water that naturally exists in lobster flesh (shrimp too, for that matter). Add 1 to 2 -pound lobsters. If cooking more than 2 lobsters at a time, do them in batches. Wait 15 minutes. Remove & enjoy. Period. It's not rocket science.
Jeekinz
Washing Up
This is starting to look like a knife thread.Not necessarily, AC.....
If it was a male lobster that just molted, they eat their shell.
However, if it was a female, they mate right after molting.
I guess the girls figure they don't want to let that new shell go to waste
Awesome, thanks for the info everyone! I have always heard around here that it's too much work to do lobster and to just go to a restaurant, but that'll be easy as pie to do. We'll probably get together and do it sometime in January after the holidays, so I'll let you all know how it goes.
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