I have always hated to toss a live crab into a boiling pot of water or steam. SO, now I make an ice slurry and toss them into that first, to slow them down, then pop the top, clean them out and cook them up. It's really easy, really fast, makes very little mess and is the most humane method i know of. Give it a try next time you're going to cook a pot of live crabs!.