Anyone cook pasta in the microwave ?

[Arrowfoot]

Worth adding that if you are cooking pasta a good trick is to drain the pasta, wash with cold water then bring back up to temperature by putting it into boiling water again. It helps break down the starches into resistant starch and makes the pasta much more like fibre and reduces the spike in blood glucose.

Seen the same thing done at some noodle stalls in the Far East. I wondered why until now.

 

[Tribansman]

View attachment 635859

Bicicletti!

 

[Hover Fly]

do you have a pic of what those look like after 8 to 10 mins in boiling water?

No, but search for “slimy lumps of gloop”.

 

[SydZ]

Microwaves cook by ‘exciting’ the water molecules in whatever you place in it.

Effectively you would just be boiling the pasta in water as you would do with a pan on a stove. I see no benefit from doing so.

 

[figbat]

Microwaves cook by ‘exciting’ the water molecules in whatever you place in it.

Effectively you would just be boiling the pasta in water as you would do with a pan on a stove. I see no benefit from doing so.

The small difference will be the equivalent excitation of any water molecules (or any other chemical bonds with the same excitation frequency) within the pasta itself.

 

[Blue Hills]

The small difference will be the equivalent excitation of any water molecules (or any other chemical bonds with the same excitation frequency) within the pasta itself.

cripes - all getting a bit scentific for me.
It's pasta - a processed food - and boiling water.
Would folks agonise so much about the humble (or holy?) spud?

 

[MontyVeda]

...
Would folks agonise so much about the humble (or holy?) spud?

We've already covered baked spuds in the MW upthread

 

[SydZ]

The small difference will be the equivalent excitation of any water molecules (or any other chemical bonds with the same excitation frequency) within the pasta itself.

Pasta isn’t particularly dense so conduction from the boiling water is going to heat any moisture in the pasta (less that 12.5% for the pasta to be considered dried, with a lot being less than 10%) effectively.

The only situation I could see a microwave being an advantage in cooking pasta would be when a hod ring wasn’t available.

 

[Blue Hills]

We've already covered baked spuds in the MW upthread

to be honest i reckon there's far more culinary art in a baked spud than pasta.

Pizza another matter - the world is full of so-so or plain crap pizzas.

 

[MontyVeda]

unless of course one is making fresh pasta.

...as for pizza cooked in a microwave

 

[Blue Hills]

unless of course one is making fresh pasta.

...as for pizza cooked in a microwave

you make fresh pasta in lancaster?
yep - no way you can do a pizza in a microwave - warm up a bit of ersatz toast maybe but that's it.
Proper pizza has to be done in a wood-fired oven.
Such things entirely foreign to brits until pretty recently.
Seem to recall that wood fired pizza didn't arrive in the UK/London until the 90s,

 

[MontyVeda]

As well as the ability to combine eggs and flour, we also have wood fired pizzas this far north too

 

[Blue Hills]

As well as the ability to combine eggs and flour, we also have wood fired pizzas this far north too

Pretty recent I'd bet.
Not dissing the north I stress.
I put good pizza on a par with good fish and chips.
A real art to it, despite the poncy ignorance of some.