"Fasta Pasta" from QVC

[pacanis]

Yeah, cute name.... It's something I saw on QVC to cook pasta in. Basically a long tupperware type container with a water resevoir in the bottom (don't know why, since you put much more water than that in) and a lid you snap on to drain the pasta when it's done being..... microwaved. Hence the fasta name I assume, but they never did tell you how long the pasta cooked for. They kept mentioning "al dente" and I wasn't sure if it cooked the pasta beyond al dente or not.... lots up in the air.
But, it had some great selling points, namely it's faster than boiling a large amount of water and having a large pot to clean plus using a collander or drainer. It also keeps lasagna noodles more "intact" and whole since they aren't tumbling around a large pot.

I have a couple pasta pots and I don't like them at all. Spaghetti always seems to find its way part way out of the holes. Let it dry there while you eat and it's practically baked on. You end up using your fingernails to scrape mooky spaghetti from both the inside and outside of the drainer.

Let's see..... what was my question..... oh yeah, has anyone here ever microwaved pasta? Does it come out tender (I don't like anything al dente)?
The containers looked nice for cooking veggies in as well if you are in the mood for nuking them, but if I got them it would be for the specific purpose of trying to find a better/easier/quicker way for me to cook spaghetti. I just never heard of microwaving it before

 

[LadyCook61]

never heard of fasta pasta and I've never tried microwaving pasta. I always boiled mine . I like the over the sink colander for draining the pasta, works well for me.

 

[LadyCook61]

Fasta Pasta Cooker - Cooking Chart

 

[pacanis]

Thanks for looking up those charts.
Maybe I'll be the first here to try nuking my pasta! You don't appear to save much time, but anything that gets a large pot off of my stove and can still do the job can't be all bad.

 

[Constance]

I've heard those things don't work well at all.

 

[LadyCook61]

Thanks for looking up those charts.
Maybe I'll be the first here to try nuking my pasta! You don't appear to save much time, but anything that gets a large pot off of my stove and can still do the job can't be all bad.

You're welcome I have a burner on my stove that is for quicker water boiling so it is not a problem for me.

 

[pacanis]

You're welcome I have a burner on my stove that is for quicker water boiling so it is not a problem for me.

Same here, that's why I said that there wasn't a lot of time to be gained. Sometimes it would be nice to have that burner for other things though.

Constance, you heard this particular gadget doesn't work well, or microwaving pasta in general? I really don't see anything in the design that would help it be better than a similar container... it's just a long microwave safe container with a "gadgety" drain lid, one of which I don't have at the moment. Maybe a celery crisper would work the same? (if at all?)

 

[JillBurgh]

Hi all. I saw this product presented on QVC earlier this week. I'm usually a huge fan of QVC stuff, especially kitchen gadgets, but I gotta say I wasn't impressed with this.

As you've already discovered, it doesn't seem to be much quicker than the old fashioned way, and the gadgety lid looks downright dangerous. One thing you can't hide on TV is fear. And that guy looked afraid every time he drained the steaming pasta.

I would think the plastic container would get VERY hot with water hot enough to cook pasta in it? Plus I noticed that half of the time the water he was draining didn't appear (from what I could tell) to be hot. You could really tell because he was much more comfortable draining the water when it wasn't steaming. I thought that was presenter-cheating.

One more thing, the recipes he made with veggies/seafood mixed into the noodles as they cooked can't possibly turn out like they did in the prez. We all know what would happen if you boiled broccoli for as long as we boil noodles. Yuck. And talk about tough shrimp!

I will admit that it looked handy for lasagna noodles. Even if it takes longer than stove-top, if this really works and you make a LOT of lasagna, it might be worth it for you. Otherwise, I say forget it!

 

[pacanis]

You make some very good points, Jill in da 'Burgh.
I hadn't thought about how hot the plastic must be after being nuked. Those things could use some big handles on them.

 

[Katie H]

I've heard of them, too. Not positive things, though. I was in a local warehouse/closeout store about a month ago and they had several hundred of them for 2/$1.99. I was at the store again about two weeks ago and it didn't look like they'd sold any and they'd been reduced to $.99. I wasn't even tempted for that price.

 

[*amy*]

Yeah, cute name.... It's something I saw on QVC to cook pasta in. Basically a long tupperware type container with a water resevoir in the bottom (don't know why, since you put much more water than that in) and a lid you snap on to drain the pasta when it's done being..... microwaved. Hence the fasta name I assume, but they never did tell you how long the pasta cooked for. They kept mentioning "al dente" and I wasn't sure if it cooked the pasta beyond al dente or not.... lots up in the air.
But, it had some great selling points, namely it's faster than boiling a large amount of water and having a large pot to clean plus using a collander or drainer. It also keeps lasagna noodles more "intact" and whole since they aren't tumbling around a large pot.

I have a couple pasta pots and I don't like them at all. Spaghetti always seems to find its way part way out of the holes. Let it dry there while you eat and it's practically baked on. You end up using your fingernails to scrape mooky spaghetti from both the inside and outside of the drainer.

Let's see..... what was my question..... oh yeah, has anyone here ever microwaved pasta? Does it come out tender (I don't like anything al dente)?
The containers looked nice for cooking veggies in as well if you are in the mood for nuking them, but if I got them it would be for the specific purpose of trying to find a better/easier/quicker way for me to cook spaghetti. I just never heard of microwaving it before

Haven't tried this product, but have nuked pasta in a plastic-like gizmo with holes years ago. Only problem was, the widget was too small - only made about a serving or so. Received a free sample from the market of a nuke-able mac 'n cheese, that came out fine, but didn't care for the processed sauce.

Did a search & went to the reviews on QVC's site - there are over 100. Reading through the first few - sounds like folks are pleased with the product. You can always return it if you're not satisfied. They do stand behind their merchandise.

Did some more poking around, & see you can make other dishes as well. I have made shrimp scampi in the microwave, & it turned out great - just don't over cook. Here are some recipes you can prepare:

Fasta Pasta Cooker - Product Information

And... an overall descrip:

Microwavable Pasta Cooker - Fasta Pasta Microwave Cooker

Re Al dente:
Cooking times are for Al-dente textured pasta. Al-dente means cooked so as not to be soft; firm to the bite. If you prefer a softer texture, you can cook for 1 additional minute or let the pasta remain in the cooker for a few minutes.

Noticed QVC sells two, but you can find one on ebay.

I'm tempted to try one myself.

 

[PastaKing]

Why do people always try to re-invent the wheel? Pasta is boiled. Now, what you boil it in is up to you. If you really want to try something, use Merlot wine. No water, just wine.

Thank me later