Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Love serving your family pasta but hate watching a pot of water boil? Well! Barilla has you covered. Introducing their new line of pasta: Pronto, for people who cannot boil water. And no, I am not making this up.
Okay, it's not just for people who can't boil a pot of water. It's for all of us who wouldn't mind shaving off a few minutes' prep time from dinner. The idea is, you can dump your dry pasta right in a pot of cold water without first bringing that water to a boil. (Ordinarily that would result in gummy pasta.)
But wait, there's more! If you measure the water as per the instructions on the package, the noddles will absorb all of the water and you can skip the draining step as well. OH MY GOD IN PASTA HEAVEN, what will you ever do with all the extra time?
Did I mention this means fewer dishes to wash? At this point maybe you should consider setting the table with forks alone, plunking that pot of pasta in the middle of the dinner table, and letting everyone dig right in.
No, but seriously, I love this idea. You just pour water over the noodles, stir over a lit stove for 10 minutes, pour your sauce over it all, and you're done. (Ooh, use chicken broth instead and it's extra nutrient-fortified!) This means I can have my kid make our dinner!
I have just a few questions. First, what is the texture like, really? Am I going to find out there's a funny rubbery chew to it, or will it chew like regular parta? Their FAQ section says "When cooked, the new Barilla® Pronto™ maintains its shape and delivers the taste and 'al dente' texture you have come to expect from Barilla" but we shall see, Barilla. We shall see.
More from The Stir: Are These Dinner Shortcuts as Good as the Real Thing?
And while we're talking about funny, what the heck did they have to do to their pasta to allow it to cook this way? Are there any funky ingredients I should worry about? I couldn't find the ingredients list for Pronto pasta anywhere on the website. They say it's made of non-GMO what and that they add vitamins and minerals, but they don't say what else they add.
But at any rate, it should be on store shelves now. So I'll probably at least look for it and try it out, so long as the ingredients list doesn't freak me out. I'm a little skeptical, but I'm also short on time, always.
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
Does this pasta innovation sound helpful to you, or is it just a silly gimmick?
Image via © Creativ Studio Heinemann/Westend61/Corbis
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
