I'm cooking mussels for the first time eekk

[iPhoneDrone]

I have this recipe here yum

How hard is it not to poison everyone? And what is 3/4 sticks of butter in english?

Thanks

not hard! mussels should be shut when purchased. If they are opened, tap a few on the kitchen worktop , if they shut, they are alive and fine to eat. If they don't they are dead and should not be eaten.
Mussels will open up when cooked, those that do not open should not be eaten either. Best to buy them on day of consumption.
No idea about the butter thing.

3/4s of a stick is 75g or 3oz.

Recipe sounds lush

I guess you will need to clean and debeard them? Put them in cold water in the sink. Give them a rinse and see the weirdy stringy bit sticking out? Pull that off. While you're doing that is the time to check they are closed and tap if not. if they don't close or are broken then throw them away. Also don't eat any that aren't open after cooking. You know they're cooked when they all open up basically!

I want mussels now

I mean if they don't close or are broken then throw that one away, not the whole lot! Realised there was room for misunderstanding there.

As a really random rule of thumb I usually end up chucking about 5 from a waitrose 1kg bag.

ooo thanks everyone