6/14/1995
BOILED LOBSTER
Fill a large kettle ¾ full of water. If seawater is not available, add 2 tablespoons salt to water. Try to allow 2½ quarts of water for each lobster. Bring water to a boil. Grasp lobsters just behind the claws and put into water. Cover; bring water to boil again. Lower heat and simmer for about 12 to 14 minutes if lobsters are 1 to 1 ¼ pounders, or 15 to 20 minutes for 1½ to 2 pound hard-shell lobsters. New shell (soft) lobsters take about 3 minutes less.

When lobster is done, the meat becomes opaque and firm to the touch and the coral, if there is any, turns red. (It stays black if undercooked.) Small lobsters are cooked by the time their shells turn red, although this is not a reliable guide for lobsters over 1½ pounds. To double check a large one, remove the cooked lobster from the pot and insert an instant-read thermometer into the tail meat between the body and tail joint; it's done at 140 degrees.