CrustaStun Humane Shellfish Preparation System

Humane food preparation isn't often at the top of the priority list for many businesses when cost is usually the deciding factor between one piece of kitchen equipment and another.

But despite this, chefs and consumers around the globe — thanks to the internet — have become more aware of their impact on the planet and therefore the animals reared or fished to help us make wonderful foods.

The Crustastun is one such piece of food preparation equipment that is focussed on improving the way in which we prepare live lobster in our kitchens.

Why the Crustastun is better than 'traditional' methods

• Humane - No need to butcher animals alive either with a knife or boiling water. 
• No special training needed - easy to use by anyone in the kitchen. 
• Quick - Crustaceans stunned in 0.5 seconds and killed within 10 seconds. 
• Better tasting meat - due to almost zero stress to the animal, the lobster tastes more tender when despatched by Crustastun compared to other methods.

Scientific research has shown that even small lobsters placed in boiling water can take up to three minutes to die. Gradually heating the water up to boiling point prolongs the animals suffering, where, in some cases, it can take as much as 20 minutes. Drowning crabs can take several hours and cutting lobsters in half does not kill reliably, so many end up dismembered and cooked alive.

Chilling in a freezer can cause further suffering, as this can freeze bodily fluids and joints — which also harms flavour and texture —  before thawing in boiling or gradually heating water for yet a long, painful death.

Whilst we accept that not everyone will want to stop eating meat and fish, the Crustastun not only gives the chef peace of mind, it also instils customer confidence in your efforts to introduce more humane ways of creating certain foods.

The Crustastun uses electroshocks to stun shellfish during the entire cooking process. This method has been approved and supported by numerous Animal Welfare Organisations —  including the RSPCA and PETA — worldwide as the best and most humane method to prepare shellfish.

How it works

The crustacean gets placed down on the sprung tray unit, as the lid of the Crustastun closes, it pushes down the crab or lobster with a electrode sponge into the saline solution.

You then press one of the stun buttons found on the front of the machine to pass a current through the 13 brain centres of a lobster or the two brain centres of a crab.

This renders the animal completely unconscious, meaning they feel no pain for a more humane method of preparation.

No intricate knife skills are needed, which means you can end up with much more succulent crab and lobster dishes that have better texture and taste.

Features

• Supply voltage 220-240V or 110-120V
• Max power rating 1.2kW
• Stun tank W440mm x D360mm, 14 litres
• W17.3in x D14.2in, 3.7 US gallons
• Dimensions W500mm x H270mm x D470mm
• W19.7in x H10.6in x D18.5in
• Weight 25kg / 55lbs
• Material 316 Stainless Steel