My friend was cooking rice pasta a few days ago and showed me that the packaging had a suggestion for energy efficient cooking. We knew we had to try it to see if it worked and was any good and *spoiler alert* it was great! Using this method and finding new ones that work for you is sure to save you a penne or two (oh, pasta puns).
Here’s what you do:
- Boil as much water as the instructions say for the amount of pasta that you intend to eat. Make sure you actually measure it, so that you don’t waste extra energy (or water) heating water that you don’t actually need to cook the pasta.
- Instead of boiling the pasta for the recommended time, boil the pasta for only a few minutes (between a quarter and a third of the recommended boiling time should do it).
- Give your pasta a quick stir to make sure it isn’t sticking.
- After it has boiled for a couple of minutes, put a lid on the pot and turn off the burner, Leave it to sit for a little while longer than is recommended for it to boil on the burner (again, just a few minutes longer than the total boiling time of the package said. Do not remove the lid throughout this process or the pot will lose heat too quickly and it won’t turn out right.
- Strain as usual and enjoy.
Here’s why you should do it like this:
- Save energy by heating the water for less time
- Save water by using only what you need
- Save money by saving energy and water
- Save yourself the trouble of dealing with a pot that’s in danger of boiling over
- Try something new
- Prove your mom/grandma wrong
The pastabilities are endless!
Written by Mariah Greico, Class of 2018
Photo thanks to Pixabay