If you love to eat pasta, but hate to make it, then Fasta Pasta probably was designed with you in mind. As the name hints at it’s supposed to make the cooking of pasta faster and easier than it currently is. By taking some of the pain out of making pasta, they’re hoping that you will enjoy their product and not return it. But does it work the way it appears?
Overview
Making pasta at home requires some forethought and preparation. You have to get the water to boil, and then dump the pasta in. Then you have to remember to stir it occasionally so it doesn’t stick together. The worst part is trying to drain it without pouring scalding hot water on yourself, or having it splash back onto your hands and wrists, all while keeping your face clear of the cloud of steam.
The Claim
Fasta Pasta focuses on the waiting. Since you can’t add the pasta to the water until it’s boiling, they harp on the whole “a watched pot never boils” philosophy and try to tap into the displeasure that people have standing around waiting just to add the pasta, not even counting the time it takes to cook once it’s added to the pot.
They also bring up nearly every aspect of making pasta, from carrying the big pot over to the sink, to dumping into the strainer, to scraping off the leftover pasta on the sides and bottom of the pot that get stuck.
The Hype
The hype is that it’s all about cooking pasta. It’s a rather mundane task and not really worth an entire product, or a review on whether or not it works. By sensationalizing some small problem in modern society, these manufacturers are able to either create a market where one didn’t exist previously, or expand a limited market into a broader one.
The Cost
You can’t expect to pull in too much from a product like Fasta Pasta. The design alone leaves much to be desired. It’s just a plastic box that looks very similar to the disposable Gladware you can get at the local grocery store. Since they know that consumers know that they didn’t pay very much to make it, they can’t get away with charging too much. It probably costs them less than 25 cents to make and package this unit and it retails for $20.45 including shipping right to your door.
The Commitment
This is one of those products that actually require less commitment in using it than you currently do to get the same results. You’re actually expected to do a lot less than you normally would to make pasta, all while getting flawless results. It’s a no lose situation.
Evaluation
The tray is meant to be specifically designed to keep the water moving around the pasta so it doesn’t clump together.
The custom lid is the only real novel idea here, which allows you to strain the pasta right from Fasta Pasta so you don’t have to worry about dumping the hot noodles into another container.
Before you add the pasta the ventilation holes serve as a way for you to measure out angel hair and spaghetti portions so you’re not left with a bunch of pasta leftovers.
Does Fasta Pasta Really Work?
This is something that looks like it doesn’t work, but actually does. They got it right when they made this one, and it provides the results just the way they are depicted in the infomercial. So if you can relate to all the tragedies they show on why you need a Fasta Pasta, then your life will be transformed when it shows up at your door.
No more having to go to fancy Italian restaurants any time you want really good pasta!
Our Recommendation
You might think that there’s no way a microwave can turn out pasta that tastes as good as that made in a proper pot the old fashioned way. But that’s what they seem to have done with Fasta Pasta. If you don’t eat as much pasta as you’d like because of the hassle and mess, then you should grab a Fasta Pasta immediately and enjoy your favorites more often.
Product does work but I’m running into a problem with the pasta clumping together. All types of spaghetti, thick to thin. Looking for some help.
You’re an idiot. Some folks aren’t lazy. Some folks live in tiny studio apartments and have no ovens. Some folks live out of a microwave because of these facts. As for your quip about microwave radiation in food being bad for you?? Microwave ovens don’t work that way fool. It ain’t like you’re cooking with an atomic bomb. Lose the judgments, drop the bubble wrap and get an education dipshit.
I haven’t bought the product yet but I plan too! I saw a YouTube review buy two women who haven’t lead me wrong yet. I can be lazy, but there’s nothing wrong with that! It’s also going to cut clean-up time, and the number of things I’ll need that will need to be washed.
I was skeptical when I purchased this product as well….but I absolutely love it! When you work as many hours as I do, even a 10-minute shortcut is appreciated. And the pasta comes out perfectly every time! Self-contained cook and strain and then top rack of the dishwasher. What’s not to love about this product?? The direction booklet that comes with the product tells you exactly how to prepare every different kind of pasta…and includes recipes to boot! I’m so excited by this product that I give it as a gift frequently!!
Actually, water doesn’t take longer to boil at high altitude; at 7k feet you should be able to literally watch a pot of water boil, because it will boil at a lower temperature due to lack of air pressure. What that means, however, is that the *pasta* will take longer to cook than stated in the directions, as it’s cooking at a lower temp.
I tried Fasta Pasta after seeing it touted on America’s Test Kitchen, and it really does cook excellent pasta. My problem with it was that, since I do live at high altitudes, I had to cook it nearly 7 minutes longer than the time stated in the directions, which is five minutes longer than I would have done in a pot! I also needed to add more water than the directions stated. But these problems are to be expected with high altitude cooking.
HIGH-ALTITUDE FOLK… it’s a KEEPER!
Well, I don’t know how we’ve all lived without this contraption all these years, *lol*. It cooks the pasta perfectly, and in a jif. No kidding.
I live at a High-Altitude, (7,500-feet), and water takes forever to boil here. A ton of water in a stockpot to cook pasta? You’re looking at about 40-minutes to bring to a boil. And that’s just the water. Once you add the pasta to the pot, you can count on about another 30-minutes of cooking time. That’s an hour-ten. UGH. No wonder I didn’t make pasta too often. Indeed, when I did, it was quite the treat around our house, *lol*.
But this Fasta Pasta makes it so easy, and so fast… saving both time and energy.
When I make pasta in the Fasta Pasta now, it’s always an entire 16oz box of Angel Hair, Linguini, Fettucini, Macaroni, Egg Noodles… whatever. And the method is always the same—>
Put the pasta in the Fasta Pasta;
Fill to the bottom rim with hot water;
Put it in the microwave (no lid!) for 14-minutes, (except for Angel Hair… that takes 11-minutes, otherwise it gets too mushy).
When done, open the microwave door and put the lid on the Fasta Pasta; grip the sides and gingerly take the whole thing over to the sink to strain out the water.
Voila! Perfect al dente pasta every time. No muss, no fuss. FOURTEEN MINUTES! as opposed to 70-minutes using the stove. All-in-All, I would never be without one of these again. The ‘Fasta Pasta’ is just what the pasta doctor ordered… especially for High-Altitude residents. Needless to say, we’re eating a lot more pasta these days because pasta is such a no-hassle deal now to make. I LOVE THIS THING! Oh, and it’s top-rack dishwasher safe as well. Go get one… you’ll be glad you did.
p.s. For the two bozos that wrote a comment without even trying this product, well, all I can say is this: people come here to read Reviews of how well a product did, or didn’t, perform. They do not come here to listen to your ranting opinions as to whether a product should, or should not, exist.
Another one making a comment that hasn’t tried the product. Sheesh.
Why, LS, are you writing a ‘review’ for a product you have never tried? Your rant is grossly misplaced here. And, no, people aren’t lazy. They just want to get supper on the table faster. (see my Review)
Pasta is so easy to make. It takes like 15 minutes tops, and all you have to do is throw water on the stove, put in the pasta, and then dump out the water. It’s not like it’s some complicated challenging meal to make. I don’t cook a lot of complicated food, but I’ve known how to successfully cook pasta since I was like 12. I guess it could be called mundane, but because it’s so easy and quick, it doesn’t seem worth buying a new device to cook it differently. And I’m not sure I trust cooking it in the microwave. I’ve done that before at college, and it’s worked fine, but not nearly as nice as cooking it on the stove. And I don’t expect a device would make it much better.
Let me get this straight, this makes pasta in the microwave? First off, I hate using the microwave for preparing food. I avoid it at all costs because I do not believe that the radiation that cooks our food in these units is good for our health. Secondly, doesn’t the pasta come out all gummy from the microwave? Besides, pasta really is not that hard to cook, so how lazy are people, really? You just boil water, throw some salt in, and add the amount of pasta you wish to cook. Then you stir it to keep it from sticking, just like you’d cook a sauce or any other meal on the stove for that matter. I can’t believe that these types of products actually sell.