# Not quite a pit: boxed pasta

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-quite-a-pit-boxed-pasta/647443>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 17, 2013, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-quite-a-pit-boxed-pasta/647443 "2013-01-17T00:15:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-quite-a-pit-boxed-pasta/647443/41 "2013-01-21T18:33:36Z")

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Get tweezers, pluck the spaghetti out of the box one strand at a time.  
Sure, it greatly increases the preparation time, but think of all the zen points you’ll be accumulating.

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**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-quite-a-pit-boxed-pasta/647443/42 "2013-01-24T05:10:33Z")

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> [@silenus](#):
>
> Over 10 years later and I still can’t break my wife of this. Short spaghetti is _harder_ to eat, not _easier_. You can’t get a good swirl going with pasta 2 inches long.

Amen to that.

Ruins it for me.

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**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-quite-a-pit-boxed-pasta/647443/43 "2013-01-25T04:56:23Z")

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I never dump directly from the box. I tilt out 3 or 4 inches then encircle the amount I want with my hand, tilt the box back upright sliding the unneeded pasta back into the box. Then I pull the bundle the rest of the way out of the box still encircled by my hand and drop it in the water. I’ve never suffered a splash putting spaghetti into boiling water.

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**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-quite-a-pit-boxed-pasta/647443/44 "2013-01-25T15:10:23Z")

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> [@silenus](#):
>
> You can’t get a good swirl going with pasta 2 inches long.

> [@Sarabellum1976](#):
>
> Amen to that.
> 
> Ruins it for me.

Obviously your parents never taught you not to play with your food.

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