All About Pasta Inserts

Think, for a moment, about the last time you prepared pasta. You probably did it the way most people do. Most likely you boiled water in a pot on your stovetop then cooked the noodles in it. When it was finished you probably put your oven mitts on, carried the boiling hot pot to the sink and dumped it out into a colander.

Anyone who's been cooking for any significant amount of time knows to well that this story doesn't always have a happy ending. Noodles have been lost down the drain, hands have been scorched, and you almost always end up with a face-full of steam. Pasta inserts eliminate these variables from the equation.

How do pasta inserts work?

The design is rather ingenious. A pasta insert is simply a metal colander, or strainer, that fits right inside the pot and reaches all the way to the bottom. The pasta itself is cooked in the traditional method by boiling water in the pot then cooking the pasta in it. When it is finished, you simply lift out the pasta insert, or strainer, by its handles and voila! The pasta is strained and ready to be served.

The pasta will be much warmer than if you went through the entire process of draining it in the sink and transferring it back into the pan or into a bowl. The pasta insert also allows you to let the boiling water cool down on its own before disposing of it in the sink.

Other benefits of pasta inserts

Yes, pots that are equipped with pasta inserts are designed with specifically that in mind. But they certainly can be used for a variety of other things as well. They are typically made to hold up to 12 quarts which is large enough for a number of different food items to be cooked using other methods besides boiling. In addition, pasta inserts also make boiling other foods such as potatoes, boiled meats, eggs, vegetables a breeze. Once you've tried one of these handy pasta inserts you will never go back to boiling your foods by the traditional method.

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