Imagine being able to cook your favorite pasta dish in a flash while using just a fraction of the energy.
Sounds too good to be true? Well, thanks to a hack shared by parenting and lifestyle influencer Gemma Bird (@moneymumofficial) on Instagram, it's not only possible but incredibly simple to do.
The scoop
Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil and adding your pasta. Let it cook for just two or three minutes, then turn off the heat completely.
Next — and this is the key step — put a lid on the pot and let the pasta sit for another 10 minutes. Finally, drain the pasta, and voila — perfectly cooked noodles.
In the post's caption, Gemma expressed her surprise at the effectiveness of this method, saying: "I'm still in shock! How can this be? Ok I saw this the other day on FB and thought I'll try it."
She marveled at how "the heat from the water and having the lid on keeps it cooking," even without any additional energy used.
How it's helping
Not only does this hack save you time standing over a hot stove, but it can also lead to significant energy savings. By using the residual heat in the water to finish cooking the pasta, you can cut down on the amount of gas or electricity needed to power your stove.
Over time, small changes like this can add up. Ten percent of the average American house's energy output is used to cook and cool food. If every household in the U.S. cut their cooking energy use, it could save billions of kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.
Companies like Arcadia and WattBuy are making it easier for consumers to track their energy usage and switch to cleaner, more efficient options that slash their carbon footprint. By combining these types of services with simple lifestyle hacks, we can all play a part in creating a more sustainable future.
What everyone's saying
Judging by the comments on Gemma's post, this pasta hack is resonating with a lot of people. Many shared that they've used similar methods for years with great results.
"My Mum has done this since I was a kid with potatoes so I've always done it and it definitely works well. Love a money saving hack," wrote one user.
Others chimed in to say they use the same technique for cooking rice, proving that this energy-saving trick is versatile as well as effective.
So, next time you're craving a big bowl of spaghetti, give this hack a try. Not only will you save time and money, but you'll also be doing your part to help build a cooler, cleaner future, one delicious forkful at a time.
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