The Failproof Method To Tell When Your Lobster Is Fully Cooked

Ordering a perfectly prepared lobster from a gourmet restaurant is a treat, but cooking one at home comes with its challenges. Not only do you have to get past the idea of killing the lobster (which is an unfortunate but necessary step of the process), you also have to ensure that it cooks properly. Undercooked lobsters can be dangerous while overcooked lobsters are rubbery and nearly inedible. According to Curt Brown, lobsterman and Marine Biologist at Ready Seafood (one of Maine's largest seafood wholesalers) and board member of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, the failproof way to know your lobster is fully cooked is to pay attention to size.

"It's best to closely follow cooking times for steaming or boiling lobster based on the size of the individual lobsters. When the lobster is fully cooked, the antenna should easily break off the head of the lobster when pulled. The meat should be white and opaque," Brown said.

Consuming undercooked lobster can lead to a plethora of foodborne illnesses such as Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, or Vibrio vulnificus. Thoroughly cooking your lobster severely lessens these risks by neutralizing the bacteria that naturally occur in seafood. White and opaque meat is an indicator that the lobster has cooked to the ideal temperature, as is a bright red shell, a curled tail, and easily detachable legs and antenna.

Lobsters don't come cheap, so no one wants to risk ruining them during one of the most important steps of the preparation process. Besides lobster size, other factors such as water temperature, the lobster's vitality, and even the season (BTW –- summer and fall are the best times to enjoy a Maine lobster) can affect how a lobster cooks. If you're boiling the lobsters, a one-pounder will take six to eight minutes, a 1¼-pounder will take seven to nine minutes, and a two-pounder will take 10 to 13 minutes, with each additional pound adding another two minutes or so. If you're steaming the lobsters, a one-pounder will take seven to nine minutes, a 1¼-pounder will take eight to ten minutes, and a two-pounder will take 11 to 14 minutes, with each additional pound adding roughly three minutes.

Another tried and true way to tell if the lobster is fully cooked is to use a meat thermometer. This is perhaps the most accurate way to ensure that the meat will be not only safe to eat, but will have the ideal texture as well. You can insert the meat thermometer into the base of the lobster's tail for the most accurate reading. When a lobster is ready, the meat thermometer should read 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Any higher and the meat will turn tough and gummy, not exactly the right consistency for lobster linguine or lobster ice cream.