Wayne Gisslen

Checking Freshness

Appears in
Professional Cooking: 10th Edition
Professional Cooking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2025

  • About
  1. Live lobster must be alive when cooked. This is indicated by movement of the legs and claws and by a tightly curled tail.
  2. If the lobster is dead when cooked, the meat will fall apart. If it is alive, the meat will be firm and the tail will spring back when straightened.
  3. Sleepers (dying lobsters; alive but sluggish and unable to hold up its claws) should not be purchased. Already purchased lobsters in your storage that become sleepers should be cooked immediately so the meat will still be usable.
  4. Cooked lobster meat (fresh or thawed) should smell fresh and sweet.