Can you boil a whole box of pasta in this unit? It looks rather small. If not, what is the capacity? Also, how long does it take to boil?
1418985
My husband gets a box of elbow macaroni with one of those packets of powdered cheese sauce. There is 6 oz. of macaroni in it and I am able to cook up the entire box. I fill up the unit to the Max. level (1 litre) with cold tap water and it takes just a shade under 4 minutes to boil.
1418986
This unit is a little limited. I purchased an Aroma ARC-687D-ING at WalMart for $28.95 not long ago and am very satisfied with it. It cooks, sautes and steams. The ad claims 14 cups of rice but according to the measurement indicators inside the pot it holds a little more than 6 cups. My wife still uses the Pasta Plus but the 687D serves my purposes better. Amazon has the 787D. It looks identical to the 687D and also says 14 cups but the price is $49.99. I just checked the WalMart site and it shows that they still have the 687D for $28.95. Hope this helps you.
1418987
if whole box = one pound, then no. probably 1/3 or 1/4 of that. it boils fairly quickly with the lid on, but when using for pasta or soup the instructions say not to use the lid. so after you put the pasta in your water would take a little longer maybe to come back to a boil (as well as more water evaporating). honestly, this pot is not very well designed (have to take the lid off when pouring from it, water drips everywhere).
1186788
I think it's like 10 min, not for sure. I used a microwave steamer, steamer bag or the dishwasher. I didn't have time to wait around for water to boil etc.
1856069
I would think it could. I've steamed shrimp in it, but that doesn't take any time at all. I have boiled water, put the colander in full of shrimp and let it boil for about a minute in the steam. Turned off the heat and let sit - the shrimp are gentely steamed and are geat. I don't know if cooking pasta in it would work, but I don't see why not. Good luck.
2201003
We use it for blanching vegetables and don't cook pasta in the pot. I would guess that 3 4 lbs of pasta is what could be cooked at one time.
1853417
It would depend on how much pasta you want to cook. If 1-2 servings, yes, I've actually done that with mine. But once the water level gets too high in the bottom, you end up sort of boiling/steaming what's in the top. I suppose it wouldn't make that much of a difference, but when I like my veggies lightly steamed, I use very little water. A larger version of this would do more servings nicely I'm sure!
203338
quarts and liters are close in measurements. liters are a little less then quarts. so it is right under 4 liters. it is good for pastas and potatoes for 2-4 but if you are looking for bulk cooking for a large family or to have leftovers or just dinner parties, then this is probably too small for your needs, there are bigger ones on amazon tho so keep looking if this is the case!
748186
It's a very powerful burner. Sounds like a jet engine when opened up all the way. I boiled 4 gallons of water for pasta in about 3 minutes. A large diameter pot is necessary to capture as much of the heat from the burner as possible.
1817721
I have one that I just put in storage and have the box, I can check later if you could wait. It looks like about 3 quarts or so, seems roomy enough. I bought it and never thought I needed the all in one cooker to go with it so waiting to order that. I can check soon for you!
698628
I have boiled a large pot of water on it for pasta, a cooked large pot of chicken soup on about 3-4 for about 2 hours and it was fine. The only thing to remember is that it doesn't have that big an area the heats the pan magnetically so you would need to adjust the temperature to make sure it wasn't so high concentrated in the middle of the pot. If it's something like pasta sauce that is thinker it can burn on in the middle of pan if it is turned up too high.
2112412
You literally just fill it with water, drop the uncooked pasta in, pop it in the microwave, and when you take it out the pasta is cooked, and you can drain the water using the top cover. SO yes, it's different then cooking pasta on the stove as it takes less time and it's not a giant pain. ;)
837744
I break my instant noodles into 4 pieces. Then thow them in, add a bottle of water and nuke it for 2:30mins at high, bring it out, mix the noddles around and put it back in for another 2 mins without lid this time (or else it gets bubbles raising). I love it, it's great for soup, it won't spill
715915
The same thing happened to me when I first used it. I just reduced the amount of pasta in the cooker and it comes out fine. I do 2 servings at a time.
2170218
This model will hold 3 quarts with ONLY 1/2 to spare at the top. No room for a boil but a very low simmer would be okay. This should be on the product description but is not.
294836
I have no idea. I have never had a problem not being able to cook any quantities or recipes yet. I've even cooked triple boxes of pasta with no problem of boiling water over the sides of the skillet.
542230
I use it for soup, it takes about 2 to 3 hours to boil it. Its more than just a warmer!
1968960
Start out following the recipes exactly and it will work fine. After you learn about the consistency of the flours, etc. you will be able to expand your recipe collection. It is fun to make the fresh pasta all the time at first, but I started to dry my pasta (it is pretty fragile) and later discovered it is better to freeze it. The tube stuff does not work as well (with any pasta machine), and you will have a mess in your kitchen because of the amount of countertop space things take. Just have your pot of water (or broth) going before you get the pasta through the machine dies so you can cut the pasta and drop it in right away. Also have things set up so you can drain the pasta right away, too. Enjoy Start out following the recipes exactly and it will work fine. After you learn about the consistency of the flours, etc. you will be able to expand your recipe collection. It is fun to make the fresh pasta all the time at first, but I started to dry my pasta (it is pretty fragile) and later discovered it is better to freeze it. The tube stuff does not work as well (with any pasta machine), and you will have a mess in your kitchen because of the amount of countertop space things take. Just have your pot of water (or broth) going before you get the pasta through the machine dies so you can... » Read More Start out following the recipes exactly and it will work fine. After you learn about the consistency of the flours, etc. you will be able to expand your recipe collection. It is fun to make the fresh pasta all the time at first, but I started to dry my pasta (it is pretty fragile) and later discovered it is better to freeze it. The tube stuff does not work as well (with any pasta machine), and you will have a mess in your kitchen because of the amount of countertop space things take. Just have your pot of water (or broth) going before you get the pasta through the machine dies so you can cut the pasta and drop it in right away. Also have things set up so you can drain the pasta right away, too. Enjoy « Show Less
1203970
Sorry, Robin. I've never cooked pasta in my pot. However, I don't see why I wouldn't do great. Everything I cook in this pot does very well.