Do I need to untie the rope when steaming crabs

When steaming crabs, it is generally not necessary to untie the rope. The rope can prevent crabs from struggling and causing leg breakage or loss of crab roe. If high-temperature resistant materials such as grass rope or cotton rope are used, they can be directly steamed; If it is a plastic rope or chemical fiber rope, it needs to be removed to avoid releasing harmful substances at high temperatures. When steaming crabs, keeping the rope is mainly based on considerations of cooking convenience and food integrity. Crabs will struggle violently during the high-temperature steaming process, and tying ropes can effectively fix the crab legs to prevent them from falling off, while reducing the overflow of crab roe and crab paste from the gaps. Natural materials such as grass rope and cotton rope have stable properties in steam at around 100 ℃, do not produce toxic substances, and can absorb some fishy odors. Industrial plastic ropes may release plasticizers and other chemicals when exposed to heat. Such ropes need to be removed in advance and tied with food grade cotton thread instead. Some merchants use soaked nylon ropes for weight gain, and in such cases, it is necessary to untie the ropes and clean the crab body.

In rare cases, adjustments may need to be made based on the crab variety and cooking method. Highly active crabs such as hairy crabs must be tied up before steaming, otherwise their meat may become loose due to struggling. And for species with hard shells such as swimming crabs, if the rope material is confirmed to be safe, it can also be retained. When using a pressure cooker for steaming, it is recommended to remove any ropes of any material as the temperature exceeds that of a regular steamer. Live crabs can be slaughtered, steamed, and cooked for a short period of time. The ropes can be temporarily untied to quickly clean the shell and then re tied.

When dealing with crabs, it is recommended to clean the gaps in the shell with a toothbrush, and put the crabs in the steamer after the water boils to shorten the struggling time. If there is an odor or discoloration in the rope after steaming, avoid consuming the crab meat that comes into contact with the rope. When purchasing, it is recommended to choose compliant bundled products from legitimate channels. For self bundling, unbleached pure cotton thread can be used. Soaking crabs in light salt water for half an hour before steaming can help remove dirt.