I learned to only bring the water to a boil with the lid on, add pasta and boil with the lid off. my husband is cooking his pasta with the lid on and I am wondering why he should not do this. can it be done both ways? let me know what you know. thanks
2006-11-12 14:17:22 · 8 answers · asked by J~ME 2 in Food & Drink ➔ Cooking & Recipes
This is a really good Question...it's the simple things that are "lost" in this high-tech world.
Pasta CAN be cooked with the pan-lid on. There are two main reasons why it's not usually done that way:
Traditionally, the amount of pasta (and the corresponding amount of boiling water) are very closely correlated. A particular cooking pot would be used for a particular amount of pasta (ie, enough for 2 people, enough for 25 people, or whatever). Any less water wouldn't hold the proper amount of uncooked pasta (which expands as it cooks). Any more water would be a waste.
Secondly, if a lid is placed on a simmering/boiling pot of water, it will raise the cooking temperature inside the pot. No, the water itself will never get hotter than 212 degrees F, but the food INSIDE the water will. This would result in overcooked (soggy) pasta. Of course, the cooking time for pasta is fairly short, so the difference might not be discernible to the average person.
Also, leaving the lid on a (sufficiently full) pot of pasta water will probably cause some boil-over.
2006-11-12 14:37:09 · answer #1 · answered by jvsconsulting 4 · 5⤊ 0⤋
You can cook pasta with the lid on, however, it is not necessary and you will not be able to see if the water is boiling at a proper rate or if it is going to boil over without lifting the lid. Besides, who wants to wash the lid if you don't have to?
2006-11-12 14:30:27 · answer #2 · answered by ? 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The pasta water will expand and boil over with the lid on because the starch in the pasta has added structure to the water
2006-11-12 14:20:51 · answer #3 · answered by Steve G 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It's how I cook pasta when doing it on the stove! It is still considered cooked and is the way a lot of restaurants cook the pasta. It is also a MUCH more energy efficient way of cooking too if you are trying to reduce your gas/electric bill. I usually use the slow cooker and actually cook the pasta in the sauce rather than using too separate pans- it just uses more sauce than the two separate pan method does!
2016-03-28 03:45:51 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the water will boil over.
2006-11-13 06:49:56 · answer #5 · answered by marlene g 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It will boil over.
2006-11-12 14:25:33 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it would make the pasta soggy.
2006-11-12 14:20:36 · answer #7 · answered by dedoklonk 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
aah i tried that once and then i was cleaning up water for like 20 minutes
2006-11-12 14:20:56 · answer #8 · answered by lain 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋