A good tip for sensitive souls: to make the lobster's death easier, we recommend placing it in the freezer for twenty minutes first to numb it.

When the water reaches the boiling point, take the lobster by the back. The elastics are there to hold the claws in place and make handling the lobster easier, but it's best to remove them just before cooking to avoid having the rubber contaminate your water.

If you hear little noises, don't panic. It's not the lobster crying for help, since it doesn't have vocal cords. It's the sound of the steam escaping from the shell. 

If using a 600 g lobster (average reference weight), in order for the meat to be perfectly cooked:

1. First immerse the lobster tail and head into boiling water and cook 7 minutes.
2. Add the claws and cook another two minutes, for a total of 9 minutes.

 Insert a skewer lengthwise into the tail meat before cooking. 

We like to suck on the legs to remove the meat, but it's not easy. I'll give you my technique: put them through a roller - in other words, break the shell with a rolling pin with a brisk back and forth motion. 

There's nothing more frustrating than biting into a piece of cartilage when enjoying the tender meat from the large pincer.

Take hold of the smaller pincer and bend it down, parallel to the large pincer. The cartilage will come away on its own and you can remove the meat from the large pincer - just the meat, just the pleasure. 

Consider keeping the lobster's head and shell. Clean the inside by removing any creamy bits and rinsing under water.

Place the lobster upright in the center of your platter (see photo above), surrounded by pieces of lobster or a nice lobster salad to impress your guests.