by Product Specialist
Boiling water is pretty much the easiest kitchen task out there. But it isn't necessarily super simple all the time, especially when you're trying to boil the right amount of water for pasta on your stove top and you find out that your pan might be too small.
This can easily happen if someone doesn't have a big selection in cookware but they may have a big appetite for spaghetti, or a lot of hungry mouths to feed.
If you have more noodles than water in a small pan on your gas cooktop or electric cooktop, you run the risk of them all clumping together at the bottom of the pan or even burning. You also run the risk of your pasta taking slightly longer to cook than you're used to: less water can mean a lower temperature and more time required for the noodles to become softer.
There are several ways to remedy these problems. One solution is to break your noodles in half before putting them in the pan. Or filling two smaller pans and cooking them both on the range. This way, both batches will cook at the same time but the pan won't be overloaded.
Of course, you could also use one pan to boil one batch and then the other, and mix the pasta in a bowl when complete.
Another solution is to stand in front of your gas stove or electric stove with a spoon and stir your pasta more frequently than you normally would. This extra attention does keep it from clumping but does require extra responsibilities in front of the stove.
Ultimately, you might want to consider investing in a larger pot, especially if boiling water and boiling pasta are going to become some of your kitchen staples. Some say the best combo of cookware to water is to start with 5-6 quarts of water and then add salt to the mixture. Enjoy your newly minted chef skills!
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