YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    How to Shuck Holiday Oysters

    Photo by: Esquire
    Shucking
    By Francine Maroukian

    Shucking can be dangerous, and as speed and numbers increase, so does the risk - hence the chain-mail gloves made just for this task. But John Finger ... more 
    Photo by: Esquire
    Shucking
    By Francine Maroukian

    Shucking can be dangerous, and as speed and numbers increase, so does the risk - hence the chain-mail gloves made just for this task. But John Finger from Hog Island Oyster brings it simply and safely down to four steps. All you need is a clean, dry kitchen towel, a good oyster knife (below), and a modicum of good sense.

    More from Esquire:
    Holiday Recipes, Kitchen Hacks, and Tips
    Gifts to Give Everyone This Season
    less 
    1 / 7
    Tue, Dec 4, 2012 12:00 PM EST
    Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Share to Twitter
    By Elizabeth Gunnison



    Welcome to Eat Like a Man's 2012 Holiday Survival Guide, wherein we tackle some of the season's thorniest issues in food and drink to help you make it to January in one piece.



    "He was a brave man who first ate an oyster," as Jonathan Swift famously said, not least because opening the stubborn suckers is so fraut with the potential for injury to your pride and your person. And yet during the holidays, when you're looking for no-cook ways to get some kind of festive - or simply happy - feeling going, oysters are a tremendous choice. They can be relied upon to instantly lend a decadent, celebratory air to any gathering. Gouging the hell out of your hands with an oyster knife, however, really does something to dampen the spirit of the thing. So before you try serving the dear little bivalves this season, study up on our trusty guide to shucking oysters. You'll thank us later.



    More from Esquire:


    Holiday Recipes, Kitchen Hacks, and Tips


    Stylish, Affordable Gifts for Him


    Gifts to Give Everyone This Season


    75 Things Men Don't Know About Women


    SUPPER CLUB PICK

    • Childhood Favorites from the Shine Supper Club
      View Photos
      Childhood Favorites from the Shine Supper Club

      My after-school snack was a sacred ritual. I sat on the carpet in my parents' bedroom at a low table, the television turned to "I Dream of Jeannie," and ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich cut into neat squares. I wasn't fussy about crusts. I just loved the sticky pairing of creamy peanut butter with syrupy golden sweetness drizzled from a honey bear in diagonals across the soft white bread. Nothing else--save for maybe apples and peanut butter in a pinch--could have made for as sweet an