# Instant spaghetti? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 28, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717 "2014-08-28T02:55:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/21 "2014-08-29T02:30:34Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Like spaghetti? > > This is a weird thread. To me, pasta is by its very nature “instant” food. Boil water, dump it in, wait a few minutes and you’re done. Ten whole minutes! Man! I could fast-forward through an entire TV show in that time! You’re killing me! In ten minutes, I could power-skim an entire book. (Amazing how much you actually absorb of a book when you force-fast-read it.) Heck, the three minutes it takes for a Cup-o-Noodles is too long! Okay, okay, mostly joking. To be honest, I buy regular rice, and not Minute Rice, so regular Spaghetti is just fine. I actually usually let stuff boil for 30 minutes. I also have experimentally determined exactly how much water is absorbed, so I don’t need to drain-and-strain. Canned stuff has the drawback of being heavy. Adding water at home saves a whole lot of lugging. (I lived on Chef Boy-Ar-Dee canned ravioli for three years in college…and, y’know, I still actually like the stuff!) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/22 "2014-08-29T02:57:38Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > …I actually usually let stuff boil for 30 minutes. I also have experimentally determined exactly how much water is absorbed, so I don’t need to drain-and-strain… You boil pasta for 30 minutes and you don’t drain? Sounds delicious. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/23 "2014-08-29T03:59:38Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > You boil pasta for 30 minutes and you don’t drain? Sounds delicious. ☹ Um… Why drain? I put in the right amount of water to be absorbed. Anyway, most of the flavor of pasta is in the sauce, innit? ---
**Author:** ![HyacinthBucket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hyacinthbucket/32/3063_2.png) [@HyacinthBucket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HyacinthBucket)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/24 "2014-08-29T04:30:23Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Um… Why drain? I put in the right amount of water to be absorbed. > > Anyway, most of the flavor of pasta is in the sauce, innit? It is the way you make it. ☹ I think you’re confusing pasta with rice. In Italy, the pasta is the most important ingredient, the sauce is secondary and used sparingly. And pasta boiled for 30 minutes would only be fit for wallpaper paste. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/25 "2014-08-29T05:10:15Z")
For me, it works with both pasta and with rice. Maybe all my taste is in my mouth, because, honest to God, I can’t tell the difference between my home-boiled library paste and fine Italian Restaurant spaghetti. (The same is true for the sauce. Sauce from a can or a jar is pretty much indistinguishable from restaurant sauce. I sometimes think they get it out of the same jar I do, and charge me twice for it.) Some people are “super tasters.” Pretty obvious I ain’t one of 'em! ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/26 "2014-08-29T17:22:17Z")
Back in the late 1990’s or early 2000’s there WAS a product like you’re describing. **Ragu Pasta-Quick** or something like that. I would stock up on the _rotini & marinara with meat sauce_ 8-packs about once a month and leave it at work in case I forgot to bring a lunch. The portions were small enough that I’d double them up for lunches. Then all of a sudden they were gone. I heard rumor (unconfirmed) that they were sitting on the shelves too long and the meat was going bad. Maybe they just weren’t popular enough or maybe the lead times required to accommodate mass production increased the opportunities for spoilage. In any case, I haven’t seen them since. –G!:mad: ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/27 "2014-08-29T17:34:59Z")
I’ll tell you what I’d really like: you know those packets of rice that you microwave for 90 seconds? I’d love it if there were noodles in the same type packaging, preferably the whole wheat variety (but I know that’s a lot to ask). There _are_ some, but they include pad thai sauce and other pad thai ingredients. I actually like that, but I’d really like just plain noodles, like the plain rice, that I could whip up in 90 seconds and add to a stir-fry. Yeah, this is a major 1st world problem, having to boil something for 10 minutes instead of microwaving it for 90 seconds… ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/28 "2014-08-29T17:36:51Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I actually usually let stuff boil for 30 minutes. I also have experimentally determined exactly how much water is absorbed, so I don’t need to drain-and-strain. I’ll be honest: this sounds absolutely terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/29 "2014-08-29T17:48:29Z")
> [@SpeedwayRyan](#): > > I’ll be honest: this sounds absolutely terrible. I agree. The starchy, gluey mess that results has to be like eating a bowl of Pillsbury Doughboy jizz. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/30 "2014-08-29T17:50:41Z")
> [@Grestarian](#): > > Back in the late 1990’s or early 2000’s there WAS a product like you’re describing. > **Ragu Pasta-Quick** or something like that. I would stock up on the _rotini & marinara with meat sauce_ 8-packs about once a month and leave it at work in case I forgot to bring a lunch. The portions were small enough that I’d double them up for lunches. > > Then all of a sudden they were gone. I heard rumor (unconfirmed) that they were sitting on the shelves too long and the meat was going bad. Maybe they just weren’t popular enough or maybe the lead times required to accommodate mass production increased the opportunities for spoilage. In any case, I haven’t seen them since. > > –G!:mad: [Ragu Express](https://faculty.fuqua.duke.edu/~moorman/GeneralMills/Section1/FSI/ragu%20express2.JPG) is I think what you’re remembering. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/31 "2014-08-29T17:51:17Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > You don’t get much more instant than the canned stuff. Those truly in a hurry need not even bother with heating it. Open and enjoy. How does one “enjoy” canned pasta? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/32 "2014-08-29T17:55:12Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > How does one “enjoy” canned pasta? You must understand that “enjoy,” in this context, means “get it all horked down quickly enough not to be overcome with revulsion at what you are doing and spit it up all over your slacks.” Thus, use a big spoon, take a couple deep breaths, and start shoveling it in. It doesn’t need chewing, so you want to set up a good, brisk shovel-swallow rhythm. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/33 "2014-08-29T17:58:05Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > You must understand that “enjoy,” in this context, means “get it all horked down quickly enough not to be overcome with revulsion at what you are doing and spit it up all over your slacks.” Thus, use a big spoon, take a couple deep breaths, and start shoveling it in. It doesn’t need chewing, so you want to set up a good, brisk shovel-swallow rhythm. Fool of a Took! You have perverted the word “enjoy” into meaninglessness. Canned pasta cannot be enjoyed, only used to stave off starvation. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/34 "2014-08-30T16:34:07Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I’ll tell you what I’d really like: you know those packets of rice that you microwave for 90 seconds? I’d love it if there were noodles in the same type packaging, preferably the whole wheat variety (but I know that’s a lot to ask). > > There _are_ some, but they include pad thai sauce and other pad thai ingredients. I actually like that, but I’d really like just plain noodles, like the plain rice, that I could whip up in 90 seconds and add to a stir-fry. > > Yeah, this is a major 1st world problem, having to boil something for 10 minutes instead of microwaving it for 90 seconds… Rice noodles are done quickly. Would that work? > [@SpeedwayRyan](#): > > I’ll be honest: this sounds absolutely terrible. Concur. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/35 "2014-08-30T17:58:35Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Rice noodles are done quickly. Would that work? Not really, you still have to boil water, and watch it. Better to just tear a packet open a bit for venting, then microwave for 60 or 90 seconds. Yes, I realize how lazy that is, no reason to point it out. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/36 "2014-08-30T21:56:06Z")
The Barilla version of instant spaghetti is actually tolerable when you just have access to a microwave and are stuck at your desk for lunch. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/37 "2014-08-30T22:16:03Z")
I wanna try it. Trinopus, what’s the ratio? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/38 "2014-08-31T00:52:03Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I wanna try it. Trinopus, what’s the ratio? Kinda roughish, but a bundle of spaghetti sticks about a quarter (25 cent piece) in diameter, break it in half so the strands aren’t overly long, and a cup and a quarter of water. Seems to get absorbed nicely. For Rotini noodles, 3/4 cup of noodles and 2 cups of water. I sometimes pad this out with 1/4 cup rice, and another cup of water. YMMV – your microwave may vary! And I confess readily, this is “nought cuisine,” the counterpart of haute cuisine. As Mad Magazine said, long ago, this ain’t snob appeal, this is slob appeal. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/39 "2014-08-31T01:43:13Z")
Some of this stuff isn’t bad, if you add a whole load of parmasan cheese, or garlic powder. There was one brand of ramen that had a “chicken sesame” flavor – it had an extra little packet of sesame oil, and it was soooo delish. Of course, they stopped making it. Or at least, I’ve never been able to find it again. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717/40 "2014-08-31T02:14:53Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Some of this stuff isn’t bad, if you add a whole load of parmasan cheese, or garlic powder. > There was one brand of ramen that had a “chicken sesame” flavor – it had an extra little packet of sesame oil, and it was soooo delish. Of course, they stopped making it. Or at least, I’ve never been able to find it again. Go down to The Strip and buy your ramen in the Asian shops. It’s just as cheap as at Iggle and they have a staggering variety…including chicken sesame that comes with an oil packet. Lots of varieties come with packets of stuff, not all of which I can identify, but daughter and I dump em all in. Warning: the stuff marked “spicy” is often seriously peppery. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-spaghetti/696717.md?page=3)