# Sphagetti and Microwave **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235 "2006-03-21T02:32:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/1 "2006-03-21T02:32:13Z")
Is it possible to cook Sphagetti in the microwave? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/2 "2006-03-21T02:40:07Z")
Yes, if you put it in water. The water will boil, the spaghetti will cook. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/3 "2006-03-21T02:45:37Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > The water will boil, the spaghetti will cook. Yeah, but how do you cook _sphagetti_? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/4 "2006-03-21T02:49:53Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Yeah, but how do you cook _sphagetti_? 😉 Ah, grasshopper! To find the answer to that, you must study the teachings of Bhudda! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/5 "2006-03-21T06:00:09Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Yes, if you put it in water. The water will boil, the spaghetti will cook. Im sorry Im cooking with electricty , cooking with gas. But… Seriously how long to nuke the sphag noodles? ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/6 "2006-03-21T06:13:46Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > Is it possible to cook Sphagetti in the microwave? Dried pasta takes requires way to much time simmering to be cooked properly in a microwave. Fresh pasta cooks quite well in a mike however… ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/7 "2006-03-21T06:17:41Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > Seriously how long to nuke the sphag noodles? Boiling water is the same temperature regardless of whether it’s on the stove or in the microwave, so cooking time is the same. Experiment with the microwave’s power setting too. Full power is probably too strong. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/8 "2006-03-21T06:22:30Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > ISeriously how long to nuke the sphag noodles? Seriously, get the “h” out of there! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/9 "2006-03-21T06:24:59Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Seriously, get the “h” out of there! Spagetti? ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/10 "2006-03-21T07:22:03Z")
I’d think the correct process would be to boil the water in the microwave first, sans pasta. (next person to refer to pasta as noodles gets a thunk on the head) Then add the noodles, restart the microwave, and cook until done. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/11 "2006-03-21T07:25:37Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > Seriously how long to nuke the sphag noodles? Seriously, it depends on your elevation, whether or not you added any salt to the water, the thickness of the pasta, etc. Your best bet would be to open the microwave every 30 seconds or so and taste test. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/12 "2006-03-21T07:52:59Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > whether or not you added any salt to the water, Salt has nothing to do with cooking time. There’s a common misconception that adding salt raises the boiling point, thus causing food to cook faster. While it’s a true principle, you’d have to add a few pounds of salt to an average pot of water to raise the boiling point any significant amount. Salt in pasta water is purely for flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/13 "2006-03-21T08:00:44Z")
Thanks **Smeghead** , one more thing I learned in public school debunked. 2,685 and counting ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/14 "2006-03-21T12:46:16Z")
Cooking time for pasta varies, as mentioned, although for dried spaghetti don’t expect any fast than 5 minutes, and much over 10 you might have mush. I attended some cooking classes at a French cooking school and the chef said, “How long do you cook pasta? Until it’s done.” ---
**Author:** ![dbuzman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de0a6/32.png) [@dbuzman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dbuzman)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/15 "2006-03-21T12:57:08Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > I’d think the correct process would be to boil the water in the microwave first, sans pasta. (next person to refer to pasta as noodles gets a thunk on the head) > > Then add the noodles, restart the microwave, and cook until done. Thunk ! ---
**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:** [March 21, 2006, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/16 "2006-03-21T13:25:57Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > I’d think the correct process would be to boil the water in the microwave first, sans pasta. (next person to refer to pasta as noodles gets a thunk on the head) > > Then add the noodles, restart the microwave, and cook until done. I don’t think it’s necessary to boil the water first, but it might make it easier to get the timing right. I’ve had decent results with putting some pasta and water in a microwavable bowl and just nuking it for a little longer than the cooking directions on the package say. I tried Googling **spaghetti microwave** , but I found more recipes for spaghetti sauce and one-dish spaghetti casserole-type dishes than directions for just cooking the noodles—probably because cooking the noodles in a microwave isn’t any faster or easier than doing them on the stovetop. One link I did find was [here](http://www.yaleherald.com/article.php?Article=2315). ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/17 "2006-03-21T16:19:55Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I attended some cooking classes at a French cooking school and the chef said, “How long do you cook pasta? Until it’s done.” al dente for moi, svp. ---
**Author:** ![bbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@bbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbeaty)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/18 "2006-03-21T20:30:00Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Yes, if you put it in water. The water will boil, the spaghetti will cook. I recently tried microwaving spaghetti without water, hoping for something resembling fried noodles. After all, this trick works fine for mexican corn snacks (those fried corn-cartwheels resembling “Funyons.”) Microwaving does the same as deep fat frying. But spaghetti in the microwave tends to char before it bubbles up. Not enough water in it, I suppose. Perhaps try nuking some fresh pasta… ---
**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/19 "2006-03-21T20:59:41Z")
> [@bbeaty](#): > > I recently tried microwaving spaghetti without water, hoping for something resembling fried noodles. After all, this trick works fine for mexican corn snacks (those fried corn-cartwheels resembling “Funyons.”) Microwaving does the same as deep fat frying. But spaghetti in the microwave tends to char before it bubbles up. Not enough water in it, I suppose. Perhaps try nuking some fresh pasta… I don’t see the way this saves you any time. Why not get the water boiling in an electric kettle or a microwave then transfer it to a pot with the spaghetti? Its going to take 7 minutes after it starts boiling anyway. Which isn’t really a long time. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235/20 "2006-03-22T07:51:34Z")
Moved to CS. - **xash** General Questions Moderator [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sphagetti-and-microwave/349235.md?page=2)