Fasta Pasta review (microwave your pasta!)

[Kaido]

TL;DR
1. Fasta Pasta = $15 microwave pasta cooker that makes perfect pasta every time
2. It actually works, that is all.

When I'm juggling cooking multiple things for dinner and babysitting a toddler to make sure he's not painting on the walls, I tend to forget about the boiling pasta & then it never comes out quite right or boils over. I was looking for a tool that could fix that in a fairly automated fashion & came across the Fasta Pasta: ($15)

http://www.amazon.com/Microwave-Pasta-Cooker-Original-Sticking/dp/B000YT2XOI/

4.5 stars out of 893 reviews. Seemed legit. Came in yesterday & gave it a shot using bowtie pasta. It has a chart for how much pasta to put in & how much water to put in (it has water line levels built-in so it won't boil over). The lid actually doesn't go on while cooking; it's used as a strainer to drain the water. Some types of pasta are one-shot cooking, others like macaroni use a cook-stir-cook procedure (ex. microwave for 10 minutes, stir, microwave for 4 minutes, then put the lid on & drain the water).

Pasta came out great! Follow the instructions for "al dente" (firm) or add an extra minute if you like softer pasta. My wife makes pasta from scratch & she gave this the thumbs up, said it came out perfect! I have a large collection of appliances because I like repeatable results that are automated: based on the cooking chart they include, you can cook perfect pasta every time with no intervention (no making sure the pot doesn't boil over or under or over-cooking it).

It is not suitable for cooking for a ton of people by itself, like if your family is over - it only holds so much pasta (but it's a fairly large tub & can hold a good amount). It can handle 4 servings of pasta in one bin; their website said you can also use 2 Fasta Pasta cookers at once in the microwave by multiplying the cooking time by 1.5, so if you can fit 2 in (again, it's a large bucket) & need to cook a ton of pasta on a regular basis easily, then it sounds like it works fine. It's also not a good option if you have concerns about microwaves & plastic, especially the combination of microwaving plastic containers.

But if you want convenience for a reasonable price, this is a pretty cool option. I thought it was dumb until I used it - after all, it's just a microwavable plastic tub - but it works great & the strainer lid is nice. I don't have to heat up the kitchen with the stove, or rinse out a big pot, or clean out a separate strainer, and the water lines are already marked in the tub, so filling it up is easy...it's basically the TV dinner equivalent for making pasta. Instructions & cookbook are available in PDF format online here:

http://r.hypercore.com/a/10125173/f/22215.pdf

The cooking instruction includes a variety of regular pasta (spaghetti, macaroni, etc.) as well as egg noodles & gluten-free pasta. It apparently does well with Ramen noodles too. The website says you can cook rice, vegetables, soups, and chocolate cake as well...dunno about that, but it's done well with my first batch of noodles so far! They have a note in their FAQ warning about Chinese imitations - apparently they've even copied the box artwork - and those sell for cheap ($4 to $6) but are supposedly not BPA-free:

http://fastapastacooker.com/faqs/

Anyway, yet another tool to add to your cooking arsenal to make things more convenient for meal prep :thumbsup:

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

What is the point again? Cooking times are slightly longer with this device than putting it in a pot on the stove. There is no "easy button" in the kitchen. Stop wasting time and energy looking for one.

 

[blackdogdeek]

What is the point again? Cooking times are slightly longer with this device than putting it in a pot on the stove. There is no "easy button" in the kitchen. Stop wasting time and energy looking for one.

From the OP:

When I'm juggling cooking multiple things for dinner and babysitting a toddler to make sure he's not painting on the walls, I tend to forget about the boiling pasta & then it never comes out quite right or boils over. I was looking for a tool that could fix that in a fairly automated fashion

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Is reading the directions on the bag of pasta and using a wind up timer beyond the capabilities of the OP?

 

[Kaido]

What is the point again? Cooking times are slightly longer with this device than putting it in a pot on the stove. There is no "easy button" in the kitchen. Stop wasting time and energy looking for one.

The point is convenience. If stove-top cooking is easy enough for you, then you're all set. However, my laziness knows no bounds & will not be satisfied until I can dump stuff in, push a button, and get perfect results with zero effort. It's the American way :biggrin:

Also, I disagree with "no easy button in the kitchen". I have roughly 30 appliances (kitchen gadgets have basically replaced computer hardware as my hobby lol). I have to make nearly all of my food from scratch due to food allergies & it's incredibly nice having machines to not only automate the bulk of the work, but also give you excellent results every time you cook. For example:

1. George Foreman to cook the chicken
2. Electric steamer to cook the vegetables
3. Fasta pasta to cook the pasta

Voila, dinner with minimal effort - it's a step above simply microwaving a TV dinner or getting take-out, but with healthier & better-tasting results. Sure, you could do it all by hand, but then I'd have to boil the pasta on the stove, fire up my grill outside, and setup the veggies for steaming, which would make my tiny kitchen hot & leave me with even more dishes to clean up, instead of just a few appliances to wipe down & rinse off. Short of having a personal chef, this is the next best thing!

 

[DigDog]

pasta is like, the easiest thing to do right.

you boil the water.

you add salt.

you throw in the pasta.

and thats it. if you need a machine to do this for you, you failed evolution.

 

[Kaido]

pasta is like, the easiest thing to do right.

Not saying it's hard, it's just not as efficient as it could be. Why not look for a better, easier way? No need for everyone to get defensive about it; we do the same thing with computers, programming, and gadgets all the time, why not with food? Just because something is easy doesn't mean we can't improve it further. Compare the processes:

1. Find pot
2. Add water
3. Boil water
4. Add pasta
5. Set timer
6. Find strainer
7. Strain using strainer
8. Rinse pot & strainer

vs.

1. Find plastic tub
2. Add water
3. Add pasta
4. Set microwave cooking time
5. Strain using lid
6. Rinse tub

Changelog:

1. One tool needed instead of two (pot & strainer vs. plastic tub) = less cleaning
2. Removes over (or under) cooking of pasta (due to a defined procedure with hardware markings for water line)
3. Removes boil-over issue (due to hardware design, if procedure is followed)
4. Removes requirement to babysit the pot (which helps you avoid #2 & #3)

Pasta v1.1 :thumbsup:

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Ya know Kaido, it's perfectly fine to have an oddball hobby of collecting the best of Ron Popeil but, please don't try to make a case for greater efficiency or ease of use. As a Chef for 35 years, you know not what you speak of.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Ya know Kaido, it's perfectly fine to have an oddball hobby of collecting the best of Ron Popeil but, please don't try to make a case for greater efficiency or ease of use. As a Chef for 35 years, you know not what you speak of.

Except that the microwave shuts itself off. That's easier than shutting off a stove.

 

[HN]

i don't think ive ever left anything in the microwave for more than 3 minutes

 

[Kaido]

i don't think ive ever left anything in the microwave for more than 3 minutes

Yeah, I was a little nervous about that. Seemed excessive. Even for non-BPA plastic :hmm:

 

[Kaido]

Ya know Kaido, it's perfectly fine to have an oddball hobby of collecting the best of Ron Popeil but, please don't try to make a case for greater efficiency or ease of use. As a Chef for 35 years, you know not what you speak of.

Okay, time to share your best recipes then

 

[Kaido]

Except that the microwave shuts itself off. That's easier than shutting off a stove.

Yeah. And preheating the stove to get the water boiling.

I mean yeah, overall, it is a very small benefit. But honestly, sometimes I'm so low-energy when I get home from work, having to boil a pot of water & watch it vs. not eating it is the make-it-or-break-it decision for dinner :biggrin:

 

[Phanuel]

Well, there's also the whole thing about how pasta is an empty carb we shouldn't be eating in the first place.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Okay, time to share your best recipes then

My best recipes can't be made in the microwave, Foreman grill or, Easy Bake oven.

 

[MongGrel]

http://www.bakeatmidnite.com/2013/07/making-pasta-in-rice-cooker.html

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007WQ9YNO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Still have been experimenting with things, it makes great grits also.

Is just a one shot and it's done thing most of the time when you get things down.

But some things require a bit more work I guess.

The nice things about these is it just automatically goes to warm after a whatever time you have set for cooking and keeps things heated I guess.

Yeah, I'm not a chef, but the more I use it for some things the more I like it.

*Side note to Kaido, yeah you can do the pasta in the steamer too *

That or just get another, I had contemplated that one actually.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I recently had some poor results cooking some brown rice that I picked up. Cooking time for different brown rices, with different moisture levels, varies way more than for any white rice. As much as 20 minutes of cooking time difference.

I've found that the easiest way to cook brown rice is exactly like cooking pasta (well, the way most people do it, not the OP). Use a large pot of boiling water, cook at a rolling boil, test doneness as you go, and when it's soft enough, drain. For fluffier rice, pull it off while it's still al dente, drain, then throw it back in the warm pot, cover and let it steam, off of the heat, for about ten minutes. Stir with a fork or wooden spoon and serve.

 

[Carson Dyle]

What is the point again? Cooking times are slightly longer with this device than putting it in a pot on the stove. There is no "easy button" in the kitchen. Stop wasting time and energy looking for one.

Given that you don't have to wait for a large pot of water to boil, overall cooking times are probably shorter, not longer.

 

[MongGrel]

I recently had some poor results cooking some brown rice that I picked up. Cooking time for different brown rices, with different moisture levels, varies way more than for any white rice. As much as 20 minutes of cooking time difference.

I've found that the easiest way to cook it is exactly like cooking pasta (well, the way normal people do it, not the OP). Use a large pot of boiling water, test doneness, and when it's soft enough, drain. For fluffier rice, pull it off while still al dente, drain, then throw it back in the warm pot, cover and let it sit off of the heat, for about ten minutes, then stir with a fork or wooden spoon and serve.

Yes it does differ, why the steamer I listed has a separate setting for it.

Have used it for that a few times, works perfectly.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Given that you don't have to wait for a large pot of water to boil, overall cooking times are probably shorter, not longer.

If 15 minutes is all you're willing to invest in eating, Mickey D's awaits.

 

[Carson Dyle]

If 15 minutes is all you're willing to invest in eating, Mickey D's awaits.

It was you, not me, who first claimed a faster cooking time.

I can see some small benefit of doing pasta in the microwave, if it's accurate in its cooking times. But at the expense of having yet another piece of mostly redundant equipment in my kitchen, it wouldn't be worth it for me.

 

[MongGrel]

These still look brand new for a little update, and thanks for every ones recommendations in that thread.

The silicone utensils also.

Well about everything.

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

The Ceramic Knife has had a few issues though to be honest.

I'm still going to take it to work yet and put it on a diamond wheel and fix it myself real soon I think though.

I forgot you even picked one up, mine I had I still like, but had started using some German ones again.

I think I can put a real edge on it myself again, I think the factory may have fudged it a bit.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2397312

 

[Kaido]

http://www.bakeatmidnite.com/2013/07/making-pasta-in-rice-cooker.html

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007WQ9YNO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Still have been experimenting with things, it makes great grits also.

Is just a one shot and it's done thing most of the time when you get things down.

But some things require a bit more work I guess.

The nice things about these is it just automatically goes to warm after a whatever time you have set for cooking and keeps things heated I guess.

Yeah, I'm not a chef, but the more I use it for some things the more I like it.

*Side note to Kaido, yeah you can do the pasta in the steamer too *

That or just get another, I had contemplated that one actually.

Interesting - I have not had good luck with pasta in my rice cooker (fuzzy logic model) or steam (electric model). Probably just need to experiment more, but I have rice going pretty much 24/7 at my house & usually use the steamer for veggies (sometimes fish) with every meal, so those are usually busy anyway.

 

[Kaido]

I can see some small benefit of doing pasta in the microwave, if it's accurate in its cooking times. But at the expense of having yet another piece of mostly redundant equipment in my kitchen, it wouldn't be worth it for me.

That's actually one point I disagree with Alton Brown on - I LOVE unitaskers! Things that do exactly one thing perfectly every time are A+ in my book. Then again, I built a giant, ridiculous rack system to house all of my kitchen gadgets, so it works for me (tiny kitchen + industrial racks = looks ugly, but functional!).

 

[Kaido]

Given that you don't have to wait for a large pot of water to boil, overall cooking times are probably shorter, not longer.

So far, it's been about equal. Pasta in a stove-top pot usually takes about 10 minutes to cook, plus boil time, so you're looking at 15 minutes either way. So not so much a time saver as a minor convenience improvement.

Also tried out some gluten-free pasta tonight & it came out pretty good!