654366 Wed Sep 23 07:28:44 -0700 2009 11 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 5051698 I just had a thought, and I thought I'd share a tip with you. When I need a pan of water for pasta, I put about 1/4 of a pan of water on the stove, and then fill the kettle and boil it at the same time. They tend to come to the boil together, and it can save a lot of time. I've just remembered, a lot of Americans don't have kettles, but as an FYI, it's one of the most efficient appliances in terms of energy transfer - something like 80-90% iirc. Wed Sep 23 07:28:44 -0700 2009 180623 Soop 1 5051755 Thanks. That's a pretty awesome tip. I feel a bit silly that I haven't done this before. The kettle is just sitting right there. Wed Sep 23 07:47:28 -0700 2009 5051698 136906 lucygoosey 1 5052351 i do that too. most canadians have kettles, so it works for us! Wed Sep 23 10:22:55 -0700 2009 5051698 22056 ddelicious 2 5060082 True, and I use the same technique. Sometimes I'll just fill the kettle and switch on the button then walk away. When I'm ready or hear the beep I use it to fill my pot and go from there. Sat Sep 26 10:52:55 -0700 2009 5052351 224081 BamiaWruz 1 5053035 I hard-boil eggs in my electric kettle. Drop in the eggs, fill with cold water, turn it on and come back 15 minutes after it turns itself off: perfectly cooked eggs. Wed Sep 23 13:39:36 -0700 2009 5051698 17548 BarmyFotheringayPhipps 1 5053163 Oh gosh, I do feel stupid for never having thought of this before. Thanks so much for the tip! Wed Sep 23 14:22:07 -0700 2009 5051698 12327 PegS 1 5054497 I used to do this when I was living abroad in college- and then completely forgot about it! Great tip! I used to have an electric kettle in my flat-worked like a charm! Thu Sep 24 05:51:10 -0700 2009 5051698 180029 fmcoxe6188 1 5058334 Slightly less efficient, but more economical is to use hot water from the tap - if you have natural gas. This is not often done in the UK as in many older homes the hot water tank is fed from a possibly contaminated cold water header tank. If you have a high efficiency tankless system then it is definitely the way to go. You will also save 20% of your cost if you keep a lid on pasta water while heating / cooking. Does have a tendency to boil over though. Fri Sep 25 12:03:20 -0700 2009 5051698 154622 Paulustrious 1 5061670 Yes I love my kettle and it's such a lifesaver because I have an electric hot-plate-like stove which takes about a week to boil a pot of water. Another tip, if you have a crappy stove like mine, is that you can turn off the burner a couple of minutes into the pasta cooking time, and the water will continue to boil, or at least simmer, till the pasta's done- especially if you leave a lid on. Saves lots of energy. Sun Sep 27 09:08:47 -0700 2009 5051698 14139 Kagey 2 5062108 Is your burner too hot? Just curious what you meant by a burner like yours. Mine seems insane, it makes the water flow over the top!!! Sun Sep 27 13:02:41 -0700 2009 5061670 224081 BamiaWruz 3 5063227 Probably electric. I do something similar with Cast Iron. I can turn it off after a steak, and it will still cook a couple of eggs :) Mon Sep 28 01:43:33 -0700 2009 5062108 180623 Soop 3 5064307 Yeah it's one of those stoves that's essentially four hot plates put together. Quite common in cheaper kitchens in England. Takes ages for them to heat up and make the water boil, but they don't cool down quickly either. Makes it difficult to do any dishes where you have to bring to a boil and then turn down the heat. Or simmer. This stove knows nothing about simmering. It's a challenge. Mon Sep 28 11:21:40 -0700 2009 5062108 14139 Kagey