Cooking up a pot of pasta might seem fairly straightforward to most.
It’s one of the easiest culinary skills to nail down – simply boil some water, chuck in your pasta and let it simmer as directed by the packet. But did you hear there’s an alternative technique that has caught the attention of renowned chefs like Nigella Lawson?
This method is known as “passive” cooking, and it not only aims to serve up perfect al dente pasta, but it could also trim a little off your energy bills, especially handy with prices on the rise and winter round the corner.
This trick has been causing quite the stir on social media platforms. A TikTok clip posted by Brightly claims that this passive approach can reduce carbon emissions from cooking pasta by an impressive 80% while saving energy.
The steps are simple, according to the video: “First, bring your water to a boil. Once your water reaches boiling point, add your dry pasta and stir to prevent sticking. Cook for two minutes, switch off the heat, and cover. Then enjoy your perfectly cooked pasta the sustainable way.”
Essentially, after giving your pasta a two-minute boil, you can turn off the burner, pop a lid on the saucepan, and let the remaining heat finish the job.
The key is to leave the pasta soaking in the water for the amount of time that’s mentioned on its packet.
Nigella Lawson herself refers to this savvy tip as the “Vincenzo Agnesi method”, which also lessens the likelihood of ruining your pasta by overcooking – particularly useful when multitasking in the kitchen.
Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson suggests an innovative method for cooking pasta, advising: “Once the water comes back to the boil, let the pasta cook for two minutes, then turn off the heat, cover the pan with a clean, thin tea towel (not a waffle-textured one) and clamp on a tight-fitting lid. Let the pasta stand like this for as long as the packet tells you to cook it normally.”
Pasta brand Barilla echoes the technique on its website, citing origins that date back to the mid-19th century. The internet has been ablaze with users who have dubbed the technique life-changing, leading many to abandon traditional boiling methods in favour of this cost-effective approach.
One individual exclaimed: “Would it be dramatic to say the ‘passive cooking’ method for making pasta has totally altered my life?” while another enthused: “I love this! Thanks for bringing it to my attention, I’m going to try it this week.”