Fasta Pasta The Microwave Cooker
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List Price: Our Price: $7.99 You Save: $7.00 (47%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Fasta Pasta The Microwave Cooker
Customer Review: WOW, it really works!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm SO glad I bought Fasta Pasta. Before then, I would have to use a big pot and I hated cleaning it up! The boiling water also often spilled onto a stove, again, I hated cleaning it up.
At first, I was quite skeptical about this little device. I examined it and see nothing special about it. I thought "what? it's just a regular container..." I have no idea how it works but it really does work very well. I had to read and follow the instruction provided the first time. (I normally hate reading manual and instruction but this time I did) Pasta came out great the first time. You don't really have to be exact with the measurement either. My husband love his pasta very soft while I like mine to be hard and crunchy. Instead of making two sets of pasta, I just do it all at once (two servings). I took my portion out first before it gets too soft (14 minutes), then added a little bit more water and put the remaining pasta (my husband's portion) back into the microwave for additional 5 minutes. He said it's "perfect" for him. So I guess you can adjust the water and cook time according to your preference. I make pasta with Fasta Pasta all the time now (because it's so easy). It really works for me! :)
Customer Review: Works as advertised!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have always boiled water on the stove and cooked pasta al dente, which requires setting a timer and monitoring the pasta for the last couple of minutes to get my preferred al dente texture...
I have been skeptical of microwave pasta cooking, but the Fasta Pasta has "enlightened" me.. It works as advertised...
On the first batch, is a good idea to consider the power of your microwave and check the pasta toward the end of cooking to calibrate the cooking time for your unit. (The time provided on the cooking card are accurate for a 1250W Panasonic.) After that, set and forget.
Total cooking time isn't shortened much over the conventional method, but having a single step cooking process reduces stress when preparing a busy pasta dish where everything has to come together at the same time.
A side benefit is having a single cook/strain/reheat container with a small counter and dishwasher footprint (the Fasta Pasta replaces the pot and colander).
The only thing I'd change is to make the water level markings easier to read... I have highlighted the numerals with a black permanent marker to make it easier to add water without having to stand on my head.
Customer Review: Pretty clever little gizmo.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a nice little tool. The pasta cooks evenly despite the oblong shape, and it holds enough for four servings at once. I am not at all sure about the economics of it and I think it would probably depend on your particular stove and microwave and how much you cook at once as to whether it saves energy vs stovetop cooking. For me to cook one serving, it's either 8 minutes of the microwave on high or 11 minutes of a gas burner on high. I don't know which is cheaper given my gas and electric rates. It is nice to not heat up the stovetop.
My one small gripe is the draining lid. The lid has slits at once end and you're supposed to use it to drain the water off (lid stays off while cooking). But the lid just rests on top of the cooker, it doesn't snap on, so you have to hold the lid on tightly while tipping the cooker over. If it's quite full of boiling hot water and pasta, this can be awkward. So I just pour it out into my regular colander and leave the lid alone. In their next iteration they should try to have a lid that snaps on tightly, maybe with a foldover clip or something so it's less awkward. I don't see other commenters complaining about this, so maybe I'm just extra klutzy.
Customer Review: Cooks pasta perfectly, and easy cleanup
Summary: 5 Stars
Oh man, I love this thing, and it makes a great gift for family members who don't really know how to cook or who are looking to make pasta without the guesswork of boiling water.
The pros:
1) Cooks pasta perfectly, and the times suggested on the pamphlet that came with the Fasta Pasta are spot on.
2) I can't tell a difference between pasta cooked on the stove and pasta cooked in the Fasta Pasta.
3) No waiting for water to boil. If I'm prepping ingredients to make a baked ziti dish, I know exactly when the pasta will be done.
4) Cleanup is easy, both pieces fit nicely in the top rack of my dishwasher. I don't have to clean a pot and a strainer like I used to before getting the Fasta Pasta.
The cons:
Can only make 8 oz of pasta at a time. Great for when it's just my husband and I, but not practical for when we have the entire family over. I don't knock a star off my rating for this though, because I can definitely see how it'd be difficult to make the Fasta Pasta hold a ton of pasta & water, and still be efficient in the microwave.
Definitely no regrets about buying this, it makes "spaghetti night" that much easier.
Customer Review: Works as Advertised, in Fact Quite Well...
Summary: 5 Stars
I've used this product to cook 2 pasta dishes and it works as advertised, in fact it works quite well. You can cook approximately 1 box of spaghetti max at one time with this.
Unless you like your pasta "al dente," your going to want to set it in the microwave for at least 15 minutes. If you like your pasta really soft you can simply let it sit for another few minutes.
The main benefit to me isn't so much the decreased cooking times but less clean up and it frees you to do other things while its cooking, like preparing sauces or other ingredients as you don't have to watch it like you would on a stove.
If you have a small microwave, I'm using a Goldstar Intellowave, with interior space (11.5" deep x 11.5" wide x 8" high) the rotating platter can get in the way as the space is too small inside for it to make a full revolution. You can get around this by taking out the rotating plate and just resting the Fasta Pasta towards the edge or back of the microwave. It still works well if it doesn't rotate in the microwave. If your small microwave has a way to temporarily disable the rotating plate even better.