An octopus cooked just right is perfectly tender and flavorful enough to be served on its own or alongside salads, potatoes, or greens. However, cooking octopus isn't always smooth sailing, and not ...

Celebrity chef Bobby Flay at a live cooking demonstraton. - Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images For all but the most experienced or merely cavalier among us, octopus can be pretty tricky to make at home.

If you've ever come across this unusual tip - putting a cork in the pan when cooking octopus - and thought it was superstition or an eccentric chef's trick... know that there's a reason behind this ...