Benefit to covering pasta while cooking?
Taking a quick poll of several bags of pasta in my kitchen, about half recommend keeping the pot covered while cooking1.
This is not very convenient for me, as I don't have a good tightly fitting lid and the pasta often foams and boils over and cleaning the stove takes longer than cleaning the pot and plates.
So what are the benefits to keeping the lid on while cooking pasta? The main ones I could imagine are less heat loss (but my stove even on min setting maintains a boil, so I can't save any gas) and hotter air above the water (but the pasta is full submerged, so this wouldn't seem to matter).
1 Admittedly, some of the packages were fairly ambiguous as to whether the covering should be done only for the initial heat-to-boil or for the entire cooking process.
Best Answer
I see a benefit to covering the pot while bringing the water to a boil, as you will reduce evaporative cooling and get to temperature quicker. I might also allow, that in some cases (maybe frozen pasta or too much pasta to water), when you add the pasta (thus cooling the water) replacing the lid will help return it to the boil quicker. However, boiling pasta with a lid simply invites a boil-over situation. Once boiling, covering is not influencing the cooking of the pasta. Just leave it off.
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Quick Answer about "Benefit to covering pasta while cooking?"
That means that if you're trying to bring something to a simmer or a boil—a pot of water for cooking pasta or blanching vegetables, a batch of soup, or a sauce—put that lid on to save time and energy. Once you've hit the boiling point, remember to take the lid off—this will prevent the pot from boiling over.Should pasta be covered while cooking?
Should you cover the pasta when cooking it? It's okay to put a lid on the pot while you are waiting for the water to boil. However, after it starts to boil and you add the pasta to the water, you should remove the lid to prevent the water from bubbling over.Why should you cook pasta uncovered?
Adding the pasta will bring down the temperature of the water, so you can briefly put the lid back on to more quickly bring the water back up to the boil. Once the water is boiling again, it's recommended that you keep it uncovered because pasta water is very prone to foaming up and boiling over.Does pasta cook better with a lid?
Myth: Pasta should be boiled uncovered, never with a lid. Truth: Cooking pasta with the lid on will not change the texture of the pasta. If anything, cooking with the lid on will increase the risk of boiling over, but it won't do anything to the pasta itself.If Pasta Is So Bad, Why Do Italians Live So Long? Italian Lifestyle \u0026 Longevity – Dr.Berg
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Answer 2
Keeping in Heat - if not holding on a boil. DRY pasta cooking - means you can bring the water to a boil, kill the heat, put in the pasta and then just let it sit for 8-10 minutes - you don't need a tight fitting lid - just one to keep in the heat for that length of time.
for more on this awesome never have pasta boil over again tip, see
https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/09/tips-for-better-easier-pasta.html
You'll save not only energy (turn off the gas) but also stress of pot watching
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