Pasta Express

Errata

Has anyone tried the Pasta Express gizmo? I'm a non-cook and this thing looks like it was designed for eejits like me ! It's on ebay at

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PASTA-MAGIC-CHEF-FOR-EXPRESS-PASTA-MAKING-BRAND-NEW_W0QQitemZ110160524622QQihZ001QQcategoryZ20680QQtcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

What do you think? Life saving device or something else that will finish up in the back of a kitchen cupboard gathering dust?

SUESMITH_2

works on the same principal of something tupperware used to sell which i bought in a mad moment, personally i never felt the pasta was quite done and it didnt taste the same. mine sits in a kitchen cupboard

catmango

Ive got one, and I love it! It has pride of place in my kitchen and even goes camping with us. Cooks pasta to perfection, and also does well with noodles.

odds-n-sods

erm..... noodles are pasta??

davetrousers

I found cooking past quite easy really.

Boil in saucepan! - Who finds that difficult then?

annie-c

Sounds Ok for a quick caravan meal or something (food always tastes OK when camping ), but I'd not use it as an everyday solution....

From this website: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Pasta_Rice_Main/pasta.htm

How To Cook Pasta
Use Lots Of Boiling Water:
Use at least one quart of water for every four ounces of dry pasta. Bring water to a fast boil. Add the pasta all at once to the boiling water, and keep the heat high to bring the water back to the boil as quickly as possible. Cook the pasta, uncovered, at a fast boil.

Explanation or Science of Boiling Water:
Pasta releases a starchy substance (the foamy bubbles that form at the edge of the pan) while it's being boiled. If there is not enough water to dilute the starch, the pasta will be coated with that starchy substance. If you cook pasta with very little water, the water thickens. This thick water (which includes the starch) causes a heat transfer causing the pasta not to cook evenly. The taste of the pasta will also be affected by the amount of water.

Pasta added to water before it starts to boil gets a heat start on mushiness. Pasta quickly begins to break down in tepid water as the starch dissolves. You need the intense heat of boiling water to "set" the outside of the pasta, which prevents the pasta from sticking together. That's why the fast boil is so important; the water temperature drops when you add the pasta, but if you have a fast boil, the water will still be hot enough for the pasta to cook properly.

annie-c

odds-n-sods wrote: »

erm..... noodles are pasta??

Traditional noodles are made with more finely ground flour than regular pasta and they contain egg.

(I looove carbs so much I learn minute details about them!!!!:rotfl: )

annie-c

Errata wrote: »

I'm a non-cook and this thing looks like it was designed for eejits like me !

Errata, as someone on another thread has said already in the last day or so: If you can read and follow instructions, you CAN cook!!:T

Seriously, pasta meals are one of the nicest, easiest things you can learn to cook. You can make a tomato sauce, or spag bol in the time it takes to boils spaghetti in a pan..... have a go before you buy any more gadgets (that TBH prob will end up in the back of a cupboard...);)

Quasar

As an Italian, I find that contraption gives me the shivers. However it may well cook the pasta to satisfaction, who knows.

I cook mine "al dente" in a saucepan with lots of water - the way it was meant to be. But then I'm a traditionalist in the kitchen.

frugalsar

annie-c wrote: »

Errata, as someone on another thread has said already in the last day or so: If you can read and follow instructions, you CAN cook!!:T

Seriously, pasta meals are one of the nicest, easiest things you can learn to cook. You can make a tomato sauce, or spag bol in the time it takes to boils spaghetti in a pan..... have a go before you buy any more gadgets (that TBH prob will end up in the back of a cupboard...);)

Thanks for the description of how to make non sticky pasta - mine always seems to go that way, could you tell us how to make a tomato sauce I usually buy jars but would love to have a go myself (as you can tell I'm not a cooking person but trying!)

recovering_spendaholic

I've got one but TBH I find that if you don't get the amount of pasta just right (ie if you add too much) then it is rather starchy tasting. The kids use it though and it is good for egg noodles.