If you’ve ever been up late at night you’ve probably seen the infomercial for the Pasta n’ More microwave cooking set. If you’ve missed the infomercial you can watch a snippet that’s less than 3 minutes here: http://www.asseenontvvideo.com/511692/Pasta-N-More.html
Normally, I don’t fall for the over inflated promises heard in these feature length commercials. This time was no different. I’ve seen the commercial but I never purchased the Pasta n’ More, that all changed last week. I happened to be shopping at my local Walgreens and came across this interesting gadget on the clearance isle. It was marked down to only $4.99. Not only was it the normal Pasta n’ More set that normally sells for $19.99, but this was the deluxe version with the extender ring. The extender ring normally sells for $9.99. Well, I do love a good bargain. I also like the concept of the Pasta n’ More, so I decided to purchase it and try it out.
I read the user instructions and cleaned Pasta n’ More just like the manufacturer suggested, and then I set to work testing out how well it cooks. The first thing I decided to make was macaroni and cheese (from a package mix). I followed the guidelines from the manufacturer on how much water to put in the pot based on my pasta servings, set the timer on my microwave and waited. The pasta came out cooked to perfection.
Thanks to the way the Pasta n’ More is constructed I was able to do everything in one pot. Once the pasta was cooked, I put the strainer lid on the pot and poured off the excess water. I then added the butter, milk and cheese mix and a few minutes later my macaroni and cheese was ready to devour. There were some leftovers, so all I had to do was put the regular locking lid on the pot and put food in the refrigerator. Wonderful, everything from cooking to mixing to saving for later was all done in one pot. If you hate to do dishes or don’t have a dishwasher this is the perfect cooking utensil for you.
The pot has two sturdy handles on either side that are also multi-purpose. The handles have openings and are to be used as a measuring device. Each handle will measure out approximately two servings of spaghetti. How nifty is that?
One of the things I really like is that the pasta and water are put together at the same time. If you cook pasta on your stove top you have to wait for the water to boil, then put in the pasta and then wait for it to cook. The Pasta n’ More lets you do all your cooking in one step. Plus, you don’t heat up the kitchen or your whole apartment (if you live in a smaller place) from cooking on your stove top.
The next food I tried was instant mashed potatoes. Here again, I mixed everything together in the pot, put it in the microwave, set the time and waited. Ten minutes later my potatoes were all cooked, and all I had to do was fluff with a fork and serve.
This pot is great! I’ve cooked other foods in addition to what I listed above. It’s very versatile because you can cook foods like: vegetables, fish, chicken and more. I especially like that now I can really cook using my microwave, instead of just reheating foods or using it for popcorn.
I think this pot would make a great gift for any student going off to college. Most kids have a microwave in their dorm, and this will come in handy to cook something a little more gratifying than popcorn or frozen pizza.
If you want to get the whole set at a better price than what you’d pay from the infomercial I suggest you check your local Walgreens to see if you can find any on clearance or check on Ebay. I have looked on Ebay and there are many selling from $7.00 and up. If you buy from Ebay be sure to check out who’s offering the best deal on shipping and handling and make sure you get the deluxe set when making your purchase. The deluxe set includes the following items:
The Pasta n’ More Pot
2 Handles
Strainer Lid
Steamer Rack
Expander Ring
Storage Lid
Cookbook
Now that I’ve used the Pasta n’ More I can honestly recommend this to everyone. I found it really lived up to its hype and I ended up purchasing another set to give as a gift. Go treat yourself and get one today. You’ll be glad you did.
