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one inch of hard-boiling salted water, lid on, lobsters in a single layer

live lobsters + salted water + peppercorns + bay leaf, cooked about 8 minutes from the moment the water returns to the boil — the shell turns solid red and a tail leg pulls free with light resistance. Lobster is done at a much lower internal temperature than most cooks expect, and its proteins contract sharply past that point: a minute too long turns the tail from tender to rubbery and nothing later in the recipe reverses it. Cook in an inch of water, not a full pot; the meat is steamed as much as boiled, and less water returns to the boil faster and cooks more evenly