Lekue Quick Microwave Pasta Cooker, one size, Terracotta

The product promise is no fuss no muss pasta cooking. I have had my cooker for a few years and the questions I had to begin where answered when I took the time to think 'n read: draining ... remove unit from micro, flip the lid over and then drain. Notice the lid has an angled outward slanting; when flipped it secures to the base fairly tightly.If you don't pay attention to the chart and add too much water, or placed lid on upside down while heating, you may get boil over (actually find that really hard to do! I have a 1000 watt and add a bit more whater and a bit more time because I like my pasta a bit softer. Yes, water will boil up on to the lid (sides contain water) and I have never had steaming issue or boil out of the unit ... I would suggest these issues are either a (doubt it) product defect or user error. Anyone ever heard of the I D ten T error?So, read the info, use common sense and you will IN FACT realize the promise of great pasta cooked as you like without any fuss or muss.Oh, one issue may be Lekue's fault ... they show pictures of suces on pasta in the unit. DO NOT ADD ANY SAUCES TO THE BASE for heating ... mess and stained base. And, I wouln't recommend even adding sauces after heating because of staining. Also, save some of the post heating water ...lotsa starh to thicken sauces should that be needed.Get it and enjoy ... They ought to pay me for this! LOL!!!

This thing's great! I was sick of boiling large pots of water for a quick pasta meal for two. This fixes that.Initial Impression:This felt slightly unnecessary and overpriced when I was looking at it originally, but I took a chance after reading some reviews and now I'm really glad I bought it. Just follow the directions for your type of pasta and serving size and everything will go smoothly.Basic Usage:So, as a general rule - for around 1-2 servings of pasta, you're going to want to fill it with about 10 ounces of water, put the lid on with the lip facing up, and then set your microwave to 80% power (for 1000 watt microwave). Yes, you do need to set the lower cooking power. With those details out of the way, it's basically set it and forget it until the microwave beeps. Lastly, you flip the lid over to strain remaining water.Slight Design Flaws:These aren't deal-breakers, but you need to be aware: the lid is not the best strainer for thin pastas (angel hair, etc) that can fall through the oddly shaped holes. I find that if I use the right amount of water and pasta, I rarely need to strain much so I can get around this most of the time - plus, by just being careful.The other issue is steam and hard plastic make this thing very hot when handling after cooking. They have the silicone lid - they should've put some silicone handles on this or something. So just be careful.Lasting Impressions:Like I said - overall, I like this thing. I can make pasta quickly for one or two people and while it's cooking for the 10 minutes or so, I can put together a quick sauce or whatever else is needed to complete the meal. It cuts out the long process of boiling water and the extra dishes and babysitting the stove. So, problem solved!

I am just getting used to using the Lekue pasta cooker; it takes some adjusting. It didn't work for Ramen noodles as I had to place the water level too high to cover the block of noodles and it boiled over. I found it a bit hard to drain as half the noodles ended up in the sink. On the other hand, I have friends that use it regularly to cook other pastas. I am determined to keep trying as I know it works for them. It's a time saver, water saver and energy saver. Also it's much easier to handle than a big pot of boiling water.

Do weigh-out your pasta & water. The rest is even easier. In about 10 minutes I have perfectly cooked pasta. I drain it in the Lekue & then add whatever the sauce is in that same container. No waiting for the pot of water to boil, no having to constantly stir the pasta & watch that it doesn't boil over, no top of stove to clean-up, no massive amount of water remaining to pour thru a colander into the sink, no extra items to wash. But, it won't be enough pasta for families or big eaters.

I love this product and highly recommend if you are looking for a pasta cooker with microwave. There are a lot of similar products and much cheaper, but you won’t be disappointed by this one. Works perfect, durable, and stylish. I usually use this for making Mac and cheese for my kid, and it’s more than twice faster than using a pan. Taste is good and even better than boiling, especially short pastas. I washed it in the dishwasher tons of times but no defect.

I wish I wasn’t so torn on this product because I really wanted it to work. FYI you need to flip the silicone lid to drain the pasta, it’s fairly intuitive but the instructions aren’t very clear. The last 2 to 3 times I have needed to microwave the pasta twice as long as is recommended because my microwave is just a millimeter too small and the device jumps off the microwave plate. Annoying, babysitting a convenience product. Make sure you stir the pasta halfway in time. I can get over that but I have lost half of my pasta into my sink when draining even if I’m super careful about holding the boiling hot plastic to drain the pasta. Handles would be helpful. I just now lost half of a box of suddenly salad into my sink. I’m not saying I lost gold or anything but what a waste of time and babysitting when I just wanted quick pasta for work. If I have to use a separate strainer then I could use a different, preferably glass or ceramic all purpose dish instead and use a colander like everyone usually does. Bottom line I don’t find that I save time or frustration with this product. It is convenient to microwave the pasta but tbh you could do that in another dish.