Receiving & Handling Live Lobster Purchased Online by Brian Schwartz

Lobsters can survive out of water provided they are handled with care. When you order a live lobster, make sure you're adept at receiving and handling it. Rough handling can be detrimental to the lobster and can deprive you of that meal you've been dreaming about for days.

Receiving and handling live lobsters through orders placed online can be anything but a piece of cake. They may reach your front door alive and in one piece but it's up to you to make sure that they stay that way until they're cooked.

Lobsters can successfully live out of water for a prolonged period of time. However, to sustain themselves they need to be kept cool and moist. As soon as the package gets to your doorstep, handle the container with care. Lobsters have sharp shells that can easily injure other lobsters. Therefore, at all cost avoid rough handling of the container. Wouldn't it be ironic if the lobster after traveling all those miles gets to you in sound condition only to be damaged by careless handling?

On arrival the container should be placed in a cool place. Avoid keeping the carton in sunlight as this will heat the carton and make it difficult for the lobster to survive. Make sure that the container is not damaged.

Open the container and inspect the lobsters. If you see the claws, legs, antennae or the tails moving it means that they are alive. Another way to tell is by holding the lobster in the air and checking its tail. Does it flap up and down? If the answer is yes, that means the lobster is perfectly alive and strong. Can you spot any clear or light colored gel-like matter? This is lobster blood and if you discover it on arrival, it's possible that your lobster is damaged.

The company normally puts rubber bands around the claws of the lobster. Avoid disbanding the claws until after the lobster is cooked. Lobsters should never be handled by their claws since the claws are quite dangerous. Instead, handle it carefully by its body. To avoid getting nipped by the claws, handle the lobster by the lower end of the big body shell. Avoid getting your fingers under the tail since this part contains prickly edges.

You can keep the lobster in a refrigerator but don't freeze it. Lobsters have difficulty thriving in warm or freezing temperatures. You can preserve lobsters in papers that have been soaked with seawater. Lobsters stay alive through oxygen obtained by their gills. Therefore a lobster has to be kept moist at all times to get adequate oxygen. Never attempt to store lobsters in air-tight containers as they tend to suffocate and die. Keeping them in fresh water is also not an option. If you have room to spare in your refrigerator it's best to store the lobster in the shipping carton itself. Alternatively, you can also store lobster in plastic bags. Punch holes in the plastic bags to allow the lobsters to breathe. Cover the plastic bags with moist or dampened cloth or towels. The most favorable temperature to store lobsters is between 34 to 36 degrees Fahrenheit. If stored carefully, lobsters can stay alive up to 48 hours. Don't forget to keep checking on them. If you find any weak ones, it's best to cook them immediately.

Once you place your order online, be prepared to receive and handle them cautiously. After all, it's in your own interest to keep the lobster alive until you're ready to cook it.

Celebrate, anytime of year, anywhere in the country, with the finest live lobster from LongLiveLobster.com - Happy Cracking!