Cooking pasta requires you to be present at the stove all the time, ensuring your pasta doesn’t overcook and preventing the water from boiling over. But what if there was a way to just leave the pasta cooking, do other chores, and then return to find it already cooked?
As it turns out, there is a way to cook pasta without hovering over it. All you need is a rice cooker.
How to Cook Pasta in a Rice Cooker
While cooking pasta in a rice cooker can seem outrageous and lazy, it is actually a great way to get perfectly cooked pasta with minimum effort.
Simply place the uncooked pasta in the rice cooker while making sure not to fill more than half of the pot. Pasta will grow during cooking, and you don’t want it to become all mushy.
Next, pour in water. The general rule is to use 1 ½ cups of water for 2 ounces of pasta, although you can modify the measurement depending on whether you like a soft or hard bite of your noodles. Close the lid and press the “Start” button.
If you salt pasta during cooking, use just a small amount. Because of the way the rice cooker works, most salt will be absorbed by pasta instead of water, as with the conventional way of cooking.
Once the water boils, the rice cooker will switch to the “Keep Warm” setting. Let the pasta cook for about 10 minutes while stirring it a few times to prevent sticking. You can also add some olive oil for this purpose.
Finally, open the rice cooker, drain out the excess water, and pair the pasta with your favorite sauce.
