Fasta Pasta The Microwave Cooker
by Fasta Pasta
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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: Wish I could be more critical
Summary: 5 Stars
I had deemed this product "too good to be true" until I read the many positive reviews here. I added it to an order of something I purchase somewhat regularly but whose price is less than the minimum amount for free shipping. Since I needed nothing else I thought, "eh, it's worth the [...] to get the free shipping," so it arrived this week.
Boy, was I surprised when I used it for the first time tonight. I live in South Florida where in the summer, cooking even a single serving of angel hair pasta can overwhelm your home a/c up for an hour, and have tried with varying degrees of abysmal failure to cook pasta in the microwave. don't even want to talk about the cleanup of pot and colander! Well, I have now found the cure for THAT problem!!!
Unless it totally butchers egg noodles (which I'll find out soon enough) I'll say this is money more than well spent. The directions are clear, cooking times appear to be accurate, and the unit fits in my small microwave, which was also a concern. I can see this unit saving a bundle not only on electricity I would have spent heating my stove, but also in cooling my home.
I can add that I had even almost completely stopped cooking fettuccini because of the long cooking time and amount of heat generated by a large boiling pot in a small space, well, now I can enjoy that treat again, or so I hope.
I will try to update as I experiment with different pastas but I'm clumsy with Angel Hair - I either get it too al dente or overdone and mushy and if the product cooks it perfectly on my first try, then it's pretty much "idiot proof!"
Customer Review: Not really FASTA, but CLEAN-A, EASY-A, and SAFE-A!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had doubts about whether the Fasta Pasta would work well to cook pasta for our busy family. I bought it mostly for my teenage daughter who loves pasta of all kinds, but I actually find myself using it WAY more than she does.
Forget dragging pots out of the cupboard, finding a strainer, clearing room for draining and rinsing pasta - you can do it all in the Fasta Pasta! I have used it for spaghetti, macaroni (mix in the cheese sauce right in the Fasta Pasta!), even homemade ravioli, and lasagna.
For certain types of pasta, it's recommended that you stop the cooking partway and stir the noodles around so they won't stick together and they'll cook evenly. I found the lasagna particularly hard to stir, and some of it stuck together a little bit, while other bits came out slightly undercooked, but I probably added more than the recommended amount.
The lid makes removing from the microwave and draining the pasta super-easy (but remember - never COOK with the lid on!), and sometimes, depending on what I'm doing with the pasta afterwards, I will just add a bit of oil and toss the pasta in the Fasta Pasta as well. The water level lines and serving-size measurers are a happy bonus as well.
Overall, pasta cooked in the microwave with the Fasta Pasta is delicious and easy to cook to al dente perfection - I never would have believed it! Cook times are fairly long, and you'll have to play around a bit with the timing of your particular microwave oven, because ovens do vary quite a bit in power.
What a great find for anyone who'd like a cleaner, easier, safer way to cook delicious pasta!
Customer Review: Works wonders with semolina, wheat and Barilla Plus pasta
Summary: 5 Stars
As a pasta fiend, I call shenanigans on the few low reviews and the description of the food tasting like "microwaved" pasta or mush. If someone else made it they wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Because there is no difference. You're boiling water and cooking pasta. The microwave boils water just as well as a pot on a stove, it's far from a poor substitute - it's an amazing substitute! Negative outcomes are psychosomatic results from the placebo-effected American public. The Fasta Pasta is the easiest way to make pasta I have ever come across. As a skeptic through and through, I held my opinion until I made a few batches.
It does not work with linguine of any kind(it clumps no matter what you do) and it does not work with gluten-free pasta (it breaks up from the fast boil). It works wonders with semolina, whole wheat and Barilla Plus products. I never would have thought it possible that a microwave pasta maker would make such perfect pasta, but it does.
I personally make mine by boiling the water first in an electric kettle then I cook the pasta as per the instructions on the box. Rather than take forever to boil on the stove in a massive pot, it goes into a plastic shoe box in the microwave.
Oh, one more thing - altitude has nothing to do with it. I've lived in the highest places in the US (between 6 and 5 thousand feet above sea level) and the only thing I have to do is add a minute to the cooking time. I have not tried vegetables or anything else in this product. DO NOT USE OIL, it will stain and damage the plastic while cooking.
Customer Review: Fasta Pasta Convert!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I feel like a lemming or cult member, but...The Fasta Pasta is AMAZING!! Not the Pasta Boat (sorry, Kathy Mitchell-of-the-crappyass-cooking-appliance-infomercials-that-I-like-to-watch), the Fasta Pasta! This thing actually works, even when I was positive the pasta was underdone or overdone - the Fasta Pasta proved me wrong. Perfect al dente every time. Even cheap macaroni from Dollar Tree came out just right.
Keep a few simple ingredients on hand at all times and you will rarely spend hard-earned cash on delivery or take out just because you're wicked exhausted.
In the past, when I was too tired to cook properly, I would do one-pot imitation Hamburger Helper-type meals: make a quick sauce, throw in pasta, cook till done. Hey! I know how horrifying it may sound, but just being honest. Most if the time, the pasta overcooked and was gummy. Edible and hot enough to eat, but not too tasty. Fasta Pasta changed that.
Now, I just pop my desired pasta into the container, add the appropriate amount of water and salt, and start the microwave. While the pasta microwaves I use the 10-15 minutes to whip up some kind of sauce. Ding! Add 'em together and in less than 20 minutes I have can have a delicious, healthy meal.
Yeah, theoretically cooking pasta is just boiling water. How hard can that be? How lazy can you be if you don't want to do that? Well, those are the opinions of the ignorant! Get a Fasta Pasta and have your culinary life changed forever. One of BEST things I have ever purchased...seriously.
Customer Review: Works great at the office!
Summary: 5 Stars
Simply works great! I prefer "al dente," and use slightly less water than the recommended fill line. Your tastes may vary, so you'll have to adjust on the first few tries.
Originally bought for office, where I only had access only to a microwave and mini-fridge. Pasta box was cheaper than reheated leftovers and faster than fast-food across the street (sometimes didn't get much time scheduled for lunch).
It's so simple, my 5 year old enjoys throwing in ingredients with me, though I wouldn't let him strain the hot water out. Cleanup is easy, and it's top-rack dishwasher safe (yes, I am male, and like the dishwasher over hand-washing in the sink).
PROS:
+Good for office or college dorm. Useful if you don't have a stove-top or pots (ie. at work - I added just olive oil and dried herbs)
+Can focus on spaghetti sauce while Fasta Pasta is cooking.
+Less heat in summer, or less hot water wasted.
+Cleanup is easy. No stirring required. No stuck or burned noodles at bottle of (non-Teflon coated) pot.
CONS:
+Only 1-3 servings per use. Takes about 12-15 minutes depending on amount/type of pasta to cook.
+My Italian-born wife and mother-in-law refuse it, stating "it's just not right to micro-wave pasta." (Although, they could not tell difference in blind-taste-test). My son and I have no complaints and enjoy it. Probably should forgo it, "if you're a purist."
+I paid $14 a year and a half ago, and see the price has dropped now. Oh well!