What’s Cooking is a series in which I answer questions and share advice about food and cooking that you have but may be too shy to ask.
Many people shy away from cooking certain ingredients, frustrated that they never turn out the way they want them to; shrimp is one such ingredient. Fears grow that they do not know how to cook it and so they avoid cooking it altogether. I have said often enough, the best way to cook something is the way you like and prefer it; I believe that there is no right or wrong, however, as home cooks we are always looking to improve. And that is the context in which I am addressing the question of how to cook shrimp, that was put to me by a reader.
The main complaint about cooking shrimp is that it ends up being hard, like rubber; eraser. That result comes from overcooking the shrimp.
