Dear list members,
I am currently investigating the relative merits of steam cooking vs. boiling of lobsters (Panulirus cygnus). There are many claims made by steam cooker manufacturers concerning increased recoveries of steamed vs. boiled lobsters. However, I have yet to see any hard data (cook profiles, etc) to substantiate these claims. Some of the claims I have heard (eg. moister flesh, runny hepatopancreas, more melanosis, etc) suggest that much of the steam-cooked product may actually be relatively undercooked, which would be expected to result in an increased recovery by virtue of the fact much of the water has not been "cooked out of" the lobsters.
I have recently completed my own trials comparing steaming and boiling, in which the end points of cooking were determined by monitoring product core temperatures during each cook and from these process lethality values for polyphenoloxidase enzymes were calculated for each treatment. Steamed and boiled lobsters were cooked to equivalent lethality values. I have a result, but was wondering if anyone who has conducted similar trials might be willing to share their findings in order to verify my own.
Thanks in advance.
Glen W. Davidson (PhD)
Research and Quality Manager
GERALDTON FISHERMEN'S CO-OPERATIVE
P.O. Box 23
GERALDTON
Western Australia 6531
Ph: +61 8 9965 9072
Mob: +61 0418 939 208
Fax: +61 8 9965 9001
http://www.brolos.com.au
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