Has anyone fallen for the "pasta express", that was advertised on >>

M

moyn

Well-known member
tv, for $19.99. At that point, I thought the price a bit steep for a plastic cylinder with a strain top. BUT, when Bed, Bath & Beyond offered it in their circular for $9.99.... and I had a $5 coupon... I just had to buy 2 (one for me & one for my daughter)..... for $7.50, I'm a real sport.

Will try it out tonight, for the first time..and post the results. I am SUCH a sucker for these gadgets that promise to save time and effort.

 
Oh Cool. I keep watching this ad thinking..

so you're just pouring boiling water over pasta in a tupperware container?? Huh? Please post with how it works. So curious, can't wait to hear.

-Muse

 
Cook's Illustrated didn't like it. (big surprise!)

Pasta Express
Written: 5/2006

According to the manufacturer of the Pasta Express ($19.95), home cooks have three concerns when cooking pasta: (1) bringing enough water to a boil takes too much time, (2) cooking and draining require too much equipment, and (3) dumping all that water along with the cooked spaghetti into a colander is risky. The company's solution is a simple 12-inch-tall round plastic cylinder, much like one that you might use to store spaghetti, (see photo below). It sits on the counter, holding pasta strands upright while boiling water is poured in to cover the strands fully. The cylinder is topped with a tight lid. The manufacturer claims that the cylinder retains enough heat to cook the pasta. After the pasta has been cooked, the water is drained through holes in the lid.

Unfortunately, the Pasta Express failed. While it took only 10 minutes to boil enough water to fill the cylinder (versus the 20 minutes needed to boil the 4 quarts of water needed for conventional pasta cooking), the Pasta Express didn't completely cook the pasta. Per instructions, we started checking it at 10 minutes, but it took 25 minutes before the pasta was barely al dente. Using a conventional method, most pasta is fully cooked after about 10 minutes. (The cylinder does come with a special wrap designed to retain heat, but its advantages are somewhat lost since the only way to test the pasta is to keep opening the lid.)

The slightly raw texture of the pasta was not the only problem. Because the pasta's surface starch hadn't effectively dispersed, the pasta was sticky, gummy, and truly unappetizing. We tried different types of pasta, but the problem remained. And when it came to the gnocchi we tested, the only adequate comparison was to Play-Doh. Our conclusion? Cook pasta the old-fashioned way.

 
They were selling this on QVC a few days ago. I almost bought it (m)

as I am a gadget nut. Glad I didn't do it after all.
Also saw this in a store that sells all the items shown on TV informercials.

 
Oh geez...so they think boiling water takes too much time for us cooks??!!...

and one pot and strainer is "too much equipment"? That's a pretty pathetic perception and would turn me off to the product right there. I mean why bother to cook at all? But we all love gadgets (yes me too) so I can see the allure for many. (A coworker once bought a device that you wrap round your legs and attach to your vacuum and that was guaranteed to take off inches of fat! Ha!) Let us know how it works for you, Moyn!

 
Ha, fortunately I can escape this one, since I can't sing a note!!! smileys/smile.gif NT

 
OK, the verdict is in: "NO DEAL">>>>> (REC: Sort of for Pasta)

Michael, everything you quoted CI as saying, held true. To begin with, I didn't use a pound of spaghetti, as all the demonstrations did. I used 1/2 pound of a nameless pasta about 2/3 the size of a standard elbow, and I used the entire amount of water. The directions for the pasta said: cook for 5 minutes.... I left it in for about 8 minutes... they did come out a bit al dente, and the bulk of them all stuck together at the bottom of the cylinder.... had to prod them out with a wooden spoon. They were a bit gloppy but that was remedied, when I added all the other stuff to the bowl... The pasta dish turned out great, with no thanks to the Pasta Express.
Now, for $7.50 I would tend to hold onto to this gadget, for a time pressed day, when I need to get dinner on the table really quickly, but the principle of advertising really bothers me.
How does QVC allow a product to be shown, without testing out the properties & capabilities.
So... back to BB & B, when I have a minute, for, yes.. a refund.... aaaand to register my complaint.
Pasta
1/2 lb nameless small pasta
2/3 bag fresh spinach
handful grape tomatoes, halved
clump of basil, slivered
few TBSP feta cheese
Greek seasoning
Shrimp bouillon dissolved in pasta water
EVOO
S & P
Shaved pecorino romano for finish

All amounts were approximate, to taste, and tasted lovely, to accompany my roast tilapia with lemon & bacon.

 
I'm not surprised that it didn't work well for pasta.....

but I'm wondering how it would do for cooking/blanching veggies, which is the other use I remember them demonstrating?
I'd be more likely to try it for prepping some of the firmer veggies for tossing into a pasta salad.
I usually put broccoli florets and cauliflower and sliced onions into a strainer and pour a couple of quarts of boiling water over them before adding to the salad bowl.
Has anyone tried that?

 
Something struck me as funny on those infomercials. I don't mean to...

...show any disrespect to beginning cooks or those who have trouble wielding large pots of boiling water over a sink strainer, but I always get a kick out of how these advertisers show 'exasperation' on the part of the actor playing the poor cook trying to work their way through the 'old' method.

They sooooo over-act. Hair is out of place; hands fumbling to cut the tomato with an embarrassingly dull knife; omelet disintigrating willy-nilly while being flipped.

I mean, I 'get' what they're trying to do, but I still find it funny.

Michael

 
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