One of the most common and understandable errors people make when preparing lobster? They are intimidated once they see it in person. Lobsters can grow to be quite large, and when they're moving around and making noise, you may begin to regret every circumstance that resulted in that lobster being in your personal space.

The color of the lobster is another factor that can "throw people off". While cooked lobsters have red shells, live lobsters have dark green shells. But don't worry; once cooked, your lobster will look exactly like you're used to. Taking on a new cooking project is always a challenge, but as long as you keep that buttery lobster at the end in mind, you'll be fine.

Of course, when it comes to making your lobster, the preparation that takes place at home is crucial. But the most important part of the process occurs before you even enter your kitchen. Before you do anything else, you should go get a lobster. But where exactly should you go? Many customers make the mistake of going to a random grocery store with a lobster tank. However, in most cases, this is not what you want to do. The best place to get a lobster, according to Serious Eats, is directly from a fisherman or a fishmonger. If you live in the Northeast, you will have an easier time finding these. If you're in another part of the country, you might want to go online. There are numerous online vendors who will ship you live lobsters.

If you don't have those options, you don't have to give up completely. Rather, look for fresh, pre-steamed lobster meat. You won't get to enjoy the entire cooking process, but you will get to enjoy that delicious fresh lobster flavor.

You're going to feed a whole crew with your lobster? If that's the case, you might be tempted to grab the largest one you can find. While that is a sound deduction, it is not the best way to go about purchasing a lobster. That's because, according to HuffPost, buying a large lobster is essentially the same as buying an old lobster. However, the meat quality will not be as good as it would be if you chose a smaller lobster.

That doesn't mean you have to pick the smallest of the bunch. Instead, look for a soft-shell lobster weighing about a pound and a quarter. According to HuffPost, lobsters of this size will have sweeter meat. This should be enough for a standard recipe. It will also save you some money over purchasing the largest of the bunch.

So you get home with your lobster and it begins to frighten you. Instead of making it for dinner tonight, you reason, why not make it tomorrow? That may appear to be a good idea, but it is not something you want to do. According to Food Fire Knives, this is a common mistake people make when preparing lobster. They believe they can buy a lobster a few days ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until they are ready to cook it.

However, keeping a lobster in your fridge for that long is not a good idea. There's no reason to waste time if you cook it right away when you get home. However, you may need to purchase it ahead of time. In that case, you won't want to keep it in the fridge for more than a day at most. After all, you don't want to miss out on any of the freshness. Start cooking immediately, and the end result will be delicious.

After you've cooked your lobster, you might think you're done with the kitchen and can just throw everything away. However, it is critical to minimize food waste whenever possible. And, on occasion, reducing food waste may result in a delectable new addition to your kitchen. That is certainly the case with lobster shells. Many people believe that they should just throw them away, but doing so wastes a lot of flavors that you've already paid for.

The New York Times Cooking suggests cooking the shells and legs in a small amount of oil over low heat. Continue to move the shells and legs around the pan to coat them with oil. This will infuse the oil with lobster flavor. This oil can then be used in a variety of ways. It'll come in handy if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, whether you want to drizzle it on a salad or use it to cook a seafood pasta dish. But that's not the only way to use up your leftover shells. You could also cook them with some water to make a delicious seafood broth to use in soups and stews. This stuff freezes well, so keep it in your freezer for the next time you need broth.

When you cook meat, the animal is usually already dead. This appears to be self-evident. As a result, cooking a dead lobster may not appear to be a problem. While this is preferable to wrangling a live lobster, it will not produce the desired results.

As a result, unless you're getting that pre-steamed fresh lobster, you'll want to avoid the dead stuff — unless it's already on your plate. You don't want to get a lobster that has already begun to decompose. Not only will it taste bad and have a weird mushy texture, but it's also bad for you. When shopping for a lobster, choose one that appears to be alive not one that appears to be on its way out.

Raw seafood has a certain appeal. But what about your lobster? You don't want it to be near raw. Unfortunately, undercooking is a common mistake made when preparing lobster. It's fairly simple, especially if you're new to cooking with this crustacean. According to Foodsafety.gov, it's critical to ensure that your seafood is opaque, which indicates that it's been thoroughly cooked. In the case of lobster, however, you won't know until it's out of its shell.

A one-pound lobster should take 12 minutes to cook. Then, for each additional pound, you'll add three minutes. You will begin counting the time when the water begins to boil. If you undercook your lobster, you'll get a strange gelatinous texture that's nothing like the juicy, plump lobster you're expecting. Furthermore, you run the risk of eating raw seafood. As a result, pay close attention to the cooking time to ensure your lobster is cooked to perfection.

While undercooking is a common lobster-cooking error, there is an even more common problem: overcooking your lobster. It's the most common mistake people make when attempting to cook their own lobsters, according to GQ. It's also simple to do, especially if you're trying to avoid overcooking. Unfortunately, some seafood, such as lobster, is not very forgiving in terms of timing. Overcooked lobster tends to become chewy and rubbery. This not only ruins the texture but can also mess with the flavor. The last thing you want to do is waste the lobster you just cooked because you overcooked it by a few minutes.

You can use the 12-minute rule here as well, but keep in mind that timing will vary depending on how many lobsters you have in the pot and the method you use to cook your lobster. Enter the kitchen and assess the situation for yourself. You must sometimes experiment in order to know what to do in the future.

What image comes to mind when you think about cooking lobster? Most likely, putting it in a pot and letting it boil. Is that, however, the only way to cook lobster? Some would argue that boiling your lobster isn't even the best way to prepare it. GQ believes that steaming is the way to go. It makes sense — if you immerse the lobster in water, it will lose some of its flavors. When you steam a lobster, it cooks in a similar manner, but all of the delicious flavors is locked inside. If you choose to steam instead of boil, allow six minutes per pound of lobster.

You do not, however, have to limit yourself to steaming. Grilled lobster is delicious, and it allows you to experiment with a variety of different flavors. Chives, garlic, parsley, chili flakes, olive oil, butter, and a variety of other ingredients can be used to dress up grilled lobster, making it look even more impressive. Just keep in mind that if you go this route, you'll have to kill the lobster before cooking it — it's not as simple as throwing it in the pot.

Reduced food waste is important, which means you don't want to throw away anything that can be used. However, when it comes to cooking an entire animal, such as a lobster, you may be stumped as to what to do with all those innards. You might even wonder if they're edible. There is one part of a lobster in particular that you should pay close attention to. According to Thrillist, when breaking down the lobster tail, you're likely to come across a soft green area. This is lobster liver, also known as tomalley.

Tomalley has a strong flavor, so not everyone will enjoy it. If you've never had it before, you should definitely try it. It has a lovely flavor that is quite concentrated, so if you want to try something completely new, this is bound to be a favorite. It's considered a delicacy in some areas and is commonly used in New England dishes. According to the Maine Lobster Festival website, it can be eaten on its own or added to soups as a thickener.