How to Kill a Lobster (Humanely)Fine Cooking

Elizabeth Passarella
Elizabeth Passarella
Elizabeth Passarella is the author of the essay collection Good Apple and a contributing editor at Southern Living. A former editor at Real Simple and Vogue, she has spent more than 20 years writing about food, travel, home design, and parenting in outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Parents, Martha Stewart Weddings, Coastal Living, Airbnb, and The Kitchn. Elizabeth grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and now lives with her husband and three children in New York City.
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published Jul 6, 2009
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The squeamish and the vegetarian can look away… But we actually found this video from Fine Cooking really interesting and helpful. Get a link below.

It’s funny that we were inclined to click on the link. We never cook lobster, but part of the reason is fear: Fear of handling live things with big claws, fear of them suffering while boiling to death, etc.

And this video isn’t promising a painless or hands-off death. As the title suggests, you’re killing here. But this method appears more humane. You let the lobster hang out in the freezer for a few minutes (to numb it), and then you kill it as quickly as possible with a swift slice through the brain.

• See the video: How to Kill a Lobster, from Fine Cooking

We’d recommend making sure your chef’s knife is newly sharpened.

Related: Sense of Place: The Flavors of New England

(Image: Fine Cooking)

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