What Is A Pasta Pot And Do You Really Need One? #PastaWorld

A pasta pot is self-draining pot designed for boiling pasta. Many pasta pots have a lid that strains out the water after the pasta is cooked. Other kinds of pasta pots have a straining insert basket that drains the cooking water out by lifting it. A pasta pot is a great item to have in any kitchen as it offers a safer and less complicated way to boil foods than a traditional pot and lid mix.

When boiling foods such as pasta in a regular pot, either the lid must be tilted a bit to let the steaming, just-boiled water drain into the sink, or a colander have to be used. Sloping the pot lid may lead to burns from the steam or from any water that spills out too swiftly and if the lid slips, the result may be all of the pasta ending up in the sink. A colander that stands in the sink is a little safer and better to use for draining pasta, but hot water could still splash out as the pot of pasta must be tipped almost upside-down to pour the pasta and water into the colander. The colander could also tip over in the sink causing some pasta to be wasted. An over-the-sink colander tends to work better, but the pot must be tipped to pour the cooked food into the colander and hot water could still splash out.

A pasta pot with a self-draining lid allows the water to drain out reasonably evenly through the lid's holes so that a minimum quantity of hot water splashes out. A locking mechanism on the lid and top edge of the pot ensures the lid stays on firmly when the pot is tipped to empty the just-boiled cooking water out into the sink. The sort of pasta pots with the sieve inserts don't generally have self-draining lids because the idea is to just lift the basket full of cooked food from the pot and leave the boiled cooking water in the pot.

Many pasta pots sold today feature a non-stick coating within the pot. A pasta pot could be sold separately or in a set with different sized pots, a frying pan and nylon or wooden cooking utensils. Self-draining lids may be dome-shaped or flat. Pasta pots are sometimes made of anodized aluminum or stainless-steel. The sizes of pasta pots range anywhere from two quarts ( 1.892 L ) to twelve quarts ( 11.353 L ) with five quarts ( 4.730 L ) being a popular size.

Source: Lauren Warner