How long should crabs be steamed to be fully cooked? Should I use cold or hot water to steam crabs?

The choice of cooking time and water temperature for crabs has always been a concern for many people. The correct method of steaming crabs: For crabs of uniform size, pour cold water into the pot, put the crabs in the pot, and wait for the water to boil for 15 minutes; if the crabs are larger, they can be steamed for another 3 to 5 minutes to ensure thorough cooking. This way, the crab meat will be more tender and delicious. When steaming crabs, it is necessary to ensure that they are fully cooked before eating to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort, parasitic infections, and other abnormalities. If the crabs are not steamed for 15-30 minutes, there may be certain pathogenic microorganisms in the uncooked crabs, and when humans eat such crabs, the pathogenic microorganisms will also enter the body. These pathogenic microorganisms can cause disorders in the normal flora of the gastrointestinal tract, leading to abdominal pain, bloating, and other uncomfortable symptoms, and may even cause food poisoning, acute gastroenteritis, and other serious discomforts. For some crabs, they may carry parasites, but through high-temperature and long-time heating, these parasites will generally be killed. If the crabs are not fully cooked, the parasites may still be alive due to insufficient steaming time and temperature. Eating such crabs can easily lead to parasitic infections in the body. Therefore, it is essential to ensure sufficient steaming time for crabs and only eat them when they are fully cooked. You can determine this by observing the color of the crab shell and the state of the crab meat and crab roe.

Steamed crabs are a common food in daily life with high nutritional value, rich in protein, vitamins, calcium, iron, and other nutrients. Eating them moderately can supplement the nutrients needed by the human body, but dietary taboos need to be noted.

1. Allergic people: Those allergic to crabs should avoid eating steamed crabs to prevent allergic reactions such as skin itching, redness, and rashes.

2. Gout patients: Crabs are high in purine, and gout patients may experience an increase in uric acid levels after eating them, which can worsen the condition. Therefore, gout patients should avoid eating steamed crabs.

3. People with impaired liver and kidney function: Since crabs contain a high amount of protein and cholesterol, and the liver and kidneys are the main metabolic organs in the body, people with impaired liver and kidney function should be cautious about eating steamed crabs to avoid increasing the burden on their liver and kidneys.

4. Pregnant women and lactating mothers: As crabs have the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, pregnant women may experience uterine contractions and even miscarriage after eating them. Additionally, lactating mothers should also avoid eating steamed crabs to prevent affecting lactation.

In addition to the above precautions, the following points should also be noted when eating steamed crabs:

1. Avoid eating persimmons at the same time: The tannic acid in persimmons can bind with the protein in crab meat to form tannic acid protein, which is not easy to digest and absorb. Therefore, avoid eating persimmons while eating steamed crabs.

2. Avoid drinking beer at the same time: As beer contains a certain amount of ethanol, drinking beer while eating steamed crabs may cause a disulfiram-like reaction, leading to symptoms such as dizziness and nausea.