XI 



Cooking and Preparing 



Lobsters are eaten boiled, broiled alive, baked-stuffed, 

 and in numerous dishes such as lobster Newburg, where the 

 meat is not served in the shell. Boiled lobster either hot or 

 cold is by far the most common method, and the easiest for 

 the cook. 



Actually, the preferred method of cooking is not boil- 

 ing, but steaming. The lobster is placed in about one inch 

 of boiling water to which a heaping teaspoonful of salt has 

 been added. Fully immersing a lobster in boiling water will 

 cook out some of its flavor— just as boiling a fowl will cook 

 out the chicken broth. For a small lobster fifteen minutes' 

 steaming will suffice. For larger lobsters, from twenty to 

 thirty minutes, if the water is really boiling when the lobster 

 is put in the pot. Do not remove the plugs or bands until 

 after the lobster is cooked. 



Some cooks claim that they seal in the flavor of a cooked 

 lobster if they immerse it in cold water immediately after 

 cooking. Whether or not this is so, the cooling off makes 

 the handling of him much easier. 



Getting the meat out of the shell is the trick of the 

 whole serving, and can seem to be too great a feat if the 

 housewife has not seen it done. It is not too difficult. Put a 

 large bowl in your sink and work over that so that you will 

 catch some of the juice as you break open the lobster (it 

 makes a wonderful bisque, when combined with milk and 

 butter and seasonings to taste ) . 



1. Break the lobster apart where the jointed tail 

 section joins the solid part of the shell. Grab one part 

 in each fist and twist. It is easy, and the whole lobster 

 will come apart, retaining its meat in each section. 



2. Push the meat out of the tail section. This is 

 best done by breaking off the five little fins at the ex- 

 treme tail of the lobster. The end tip of inner meat is 



