Fasta Pasta The Microwave Cooker Review. No waiting for a big pot of water to boil. Cook pasta to al dente perfection in the microwave! Saves time, energy and water. Use with spaghetti, fettuccini, macaroni, lasagna noodles, rotini and more. Will not boil over. Cooks evenly without sticking. Great for dormitory, motorhome, boat or cabin. Dishwasher safe. FDA approved microwaveable material. Made in the USA...
"As Good As Advertised -- Cooks Pasta Perfectly" 2008-07-26
By George Miller
I've been boiling various pasta noodles, at least twice a week, for over 25 years. When I first saw the FASTA PASTA microwave cooker internet demo video, I was a bit skeptical but interested enough to purchase the product from Amazon.com. After using the product three times, I can honestly say that it not only cooks pasta very fast but better, with less mess and energy, than pot boiling the noodles. Just follow the simple instructions and you will have perfectly cooked pasta without having to check it while cooking for readiness. I wish that this product had been invented years ago. My ONLY minor negative comments: 1. FASTA PASTA can only cook up to four pasta servings at one time, which makes its use for a large group impracticle. 2. The water measurement lines are a bit difficult to see when water and pasta is added to the cooker. Adding color to these lines would make them easier to see.
"Recommended" 2008-09-11
By Spyce
After looking at the Pasta n More reviews, which were average, I decided against getting that one, plus I didn't like those dorky looking handles, and I didn't want all those pieces. I saw this one and was swayed by the compact size, and it's actually made in the USA. The Fasta Pasta is slender enough to tuck on a pantry shelf or in a cabinet without sacrificing a lot of space, and it isn't flimsy.
The cooker holds enough pasta for 4 servings, which in most cases will be fine for me. I decided to make macaroni and cheese using 4 cups of water and 2 cups of elbow macaroni, which according to the pasta chart is 4 servings. I started the macaroni before I started making the cheese sauce, and the pasta was done before I finished the sauce! What a timesaver. The user guide suggests a cooking time of 10 minutes for macaroni and that's what I used. The pasta was al dente and just right for my baked macaroni and cheese. It says in the product description that you don't have to stir, but that's not the case. The pasta cooking chart instructions say to stir midway through the cooking time for hollow shaped pastas like macaroni and penne.
The cooker is easy to use and being able to strain and rinse the pasta in the same bowl is a plus. Just add the pasta to the bowl, and the appropriate amount of water, and pop it in the microwave. It doesn't get any easier than this. The bowl has markings on it to indicate the amount of water to be used for various pasta servings sizes which are included on the pasta cooking chart. The lid/strainer is only used when measuring pasta like spaghetti and when straining, and it has handles on it to assist with removing the bowl from the microwave and when straining. The lid should not be used while boiling the pasta as this causes the water to boil over. The user guide indicates that the Fasta Pasta is dishwasher safe.
The cooker comes with a user guide, which is just a single sheet of paper with step by step photo's, and a recipe guide that has a few recipes. I ordered the Fasta Pasta Cookbook with mine. Fasta Pasta Cookbook I'm not a fan of cooking in the microwave, but I will make an exception with the Fasta Pasta. This is a worthwhile product that performs as claimed and will get a lot of use in my kitchen!
"A kitchen must have" 2008-02-17
By Great Cook (Santa Monica, California)
This is really a Kitchen must have.
I'm not a microwave cooker, but this works perfect if you follow the directions, and do not put the lid on while cooking in your microwave.
Only use the lid for taking out of the microwave, and draining.
I made wholewheat pasta , and it was perfect and did not stick.
Also egg noodles came out perfect.
I like to wash the starch off of my pasta, and with this I still can with out useing a collender.
Using this, I do not have to wait for the water to boil, nothing boils over on my stove, and there is not a callender to wash either. No mess at all.
I put this on the top shelf of my dishwasher, it washed with out a problem.
I bought mine from qvc, and it came with two, for more money then this, but still a good price..
Would buy again..
Two thumbs up. Great invention.
"Rice and veggies, too" 2009-03-11
By C. G. King (Horse Country, VA USA)
Yes, the pasta comes out perfectly and a tiresome task is now satisfying and easy, but this unit also works for rice and vegetables. 1/2 cup of Uncle Ben's and water to line 1, plus 15 minutes in my 900 watt microwave produced perfectly cooked rice--better in fact, than my electric rice cooker. Brown rice takes longer and benefits from a stir, but also works.
The leaflet that comes with the unit has recipes for potatoes and broccoli. I have tried the broccoli and again, was very pleased. About 1 cup of broccoli, water to line 1 and 12 minutes delivered perfectly steamed (and nicely green) broccoli. This is different from what the recipe leaflet says since that is for salad and I was making a dinner vegetable. The Fasta Pasta is a multitasker that would make Alton Brown proud.
The greatest advantage I've found to this product is that I can easily and quickly make perfect small servings. Using regular means, I tend to make too much, be it pasta or rice, because I feel I have to maximize the effort and time involved. Unfortunately, I either overeat or find the leftovers growing in the back of the fridge--neither are good options. Being able to quickly and painlessly make only a little is as much an advantage to my perpetual diet as the process is to simple meal preparation. This thing is great.
"Simply amazing!" 2008-03-03
By J. Acosta (Miami, Florida United States)
This product is truly amazing. It works exactly as described. Quicker than the "boiling pot" method if you add up the waiting for the water to boil in the pot plus the pasta cooking time. So far I have tried it for linguine and they came out wonderfully. I would recommend this to anyone.
By George Miller
I've been boiling various pasta noodles, at least twice a week, for over 25 years. When I first saw the FASTA PASTA microwave cooker internet demo video, I was a bit skeptical but interested enough to purchase the product from Amazon.com. After using the product three times, I can honestly say that it not only cooks pasta very fast but better, with less mess and energy, than pot boiling the noodles. Just follow the simple instructions and you will have perfectly cooked pasta without having to check it while cooking for readiness. I wish that this product had been invented years ago. My ONLY minor negative comments: 1. FASTA PASTA can only cook up to four pasta servings at one time, which makes its use for a large group impracticle. 2. The water measurement lines are a bit difficult to see when water and pasta is added to the cooker. Adding color to these lines would make them easier to see.
By Spyce
After looking at the Pasta n More reviews, which were average, I decided against getting that one, plus I didn't like those dorky looking handles, and I didn't want all those pieces. I saw this one and was swayed by the compact size, and it's actually made in the USA. The Fasta Pasta is slender enough to tuck on a pantry shelf or in a cabinet without sacrificing a lot of space, and it isn't flimsy.
The cooker holds enough pasta for 4 servings, which in most cases will be fine for me. I decided to make macaroni and cheese using 4 cups of water and 2 cups of elbow macaroni, which according to the pasta chart is 4 servings. I started the macaroni before I started making the cheese sauce, and the pasta was done before I finished the sauce! What a timesaver. The user guide suggests a cooking time of 10 minutes for macaroni and that's what I used. The pasta was al dente and just right for my baked macaroni and cheese. It says in the product description that you don't have to stir, but that's not the case. The pasta cooking chart instructions say to stir midway through the cooking time for hollow shaped pastas like macaroni and penne.
The cooker is easy to use and being able to strain and rinse the pasta in the same bowl is a plus. Just add the pasta to the bowl, and the appropriate amount of water, and pop it in the microwave. It doesn't get any easier than this. The bowl has markings on it to indicate the amount of water to be used for various pasta servings sizes which are included on the pasta cooking chart. The lid/strainer is only used when measuring pasta like spaghetti and when straining, and it has handles on it to assist with removing the bowl from the microwave and when straining. The lid should not be used while boiling the pasta as this causes the water to boil over. The user guide indicates that the Fasta Pasta is dishwasher safe.
The cooker comes with a user guide, which is just a single sheet of paper with step by step photo's, and a recipe guide that has a few recipes. I ordered the Fasta Pasta Cookbook with mine. Fasta Pasta Cookbook I'm not a fan of cooking in the microwave, but I will make an exception with the Fasta Pasta. This is a worthwhile product that performs as claimed and will get a lot of use in my kitchen!
By Great Cook (Santa Monica, California)
This is really a Kitchen must have.
I'm not a microwave cooker, but this works perfect if you follow the directions, and do not put the lid on while cooking in your microwave.
Only use the lid for taking out of the microwave, and draining.
I made wholewheat pasta , and it was perfect and did not stick.
Also egg noodles came out perfect.
I like to wash the starch off of my pasta, and with this I still can with out useing a collender.
Using this, I do not have to wait for the water to boil, nothing boils over on my stove, and there is not a callender to wash either. No mess at all.
I put this on the top shelf of my dishwasher, it washed with out a problem.
I bought mine from qvc, and it came with two, for more money then this, but still a good price..
Would buy again..
Two thumbs up. Great invention.
By C. G. King (Horse Country, VA USA)
Yes, the pasta comes out perfectly and a tiresome task is now satisfying and easy, but this unit also works for rice and vegetables. 1/2 cup of Uncle Ben's and water to line 1, plus 15 minutes in my 900 watt microwave produced perfectly cooked rice--better in fact, than my electric rice cooker. Brown rice takes longer and benefits from a stir, but also works.
The leaflet that comes with the unit has recipes for potatoes and broccoli. I have tried the broccoli and again, was very pleased. About 1 cup of broccoli, water to line 1 and 12 minutes delivered perfectly steamed (and nicely green) broccoli. This is different from what the recipe leaflet says since that is for salad and I was making a dinner vegetable. The Fasta Pasta is a multitasker that would make Alton Brown proud.
The greatest advantage I've found to this product is that I can easily and quickly make perfect small servings. Using regular means, I tend to make too much, be it pasta or rice, because I feel I have to maximize the effort and time involved. Unfortunately, I either overeat or find the leftovers growing in the back of the fridge--neither are good options. Being able to quickly and painlessly make only a little is as much an advantage to my perpetual diet as the process is to simple meal preparation. This thing is great.
By J. Acosta (Miami, Florida United States)
This product is truly amazing. It works exactly as described. Quicker than the "boiling pot" method if you add up the waiting for the water to boil in the pot plus the pasta cooking time. So far I have tried it for linguine and they came out wonderfully. I would recommend this to anyone.
