F. Fossati
Reviewed in France on April 6, 2019
Je n'ai pas trouvé ce système pertinent, je suis d’ailler revenu à ma bonne vieille casserole.
Lynn
Reviewed in Canada on September 22, 2017
As described
Call me Ellie
Reviewed in Canada on November 6, 2015
This came without the instruction booklet, a common problem according to subsequent research. Fortunately, the instructions are on the web but I haven't used it yet. Not impressed.
art126
Reviewed in France on April 3, 2014
La cuisine "à la vapeur" n'est pas possible. La partie haute du produit reste crue pendant que le bas est cuit. Il faut donc laisser cuire dans l'eau, comme une casserole normale.
longet fabienne
Reviewed in France on September 5, 2013
Je n'arrive pas à cuire des pâtes avec. Plusieurs essais désastreux, pâtes pas cuites, on se brule en versant l'eau, et aucun mode d'emploi fourni avec, donc on ne connait pas la durée requise pour la cuisson
edfan
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2013
I was so skeptical of the idea of cooking pasta inside a microwave, I didn't buy this for a long time. Finally, someone lent me theirs. I FELL IN LOVE! I bought them a new one because I just didn't feel like returning it.I have found this gizmo reliable for the angel hair pasta I pick up at Sam's Club at around 75¢/lb, which is cheap cheap cheap. In three different microwave ovens, I've filled up to the "4" mark with water, tossed in around a half pound of pasta and set it to go for 14 minutes. When it dings, I use the draining lid and it's ready to eat as is or I (often) doctor it. I've curried the resulting noodles, saved them for fast soup, chilled them for salads. I've done macaroni, regular sized spaghetti and egg noodles. All turned out just fine. I've used only a few brands. The only one I had to overcook was - ironically - a frou frou pasta that came out chewy. When I boiled it in a pot, it turned out the same! I don't like that pasta, it has nothing to do with the Pasta gizmo.I've read the (rather surprising) negative reviews which funnel towards two complaints: capacity and results.About capacity, I can't believe the appetites of people who complain they cannot cook enough to feed two people. Seriously? Two normal sized adults have rarely finished an entire half pound made in this little cooker. We're not on diets, either. The closest we come to finishing is when we're feeling lazy and just use a little marinara on it, with no accompaniments. Even then, there's usually enough to make a small meal for a terrier. If you're really eating a whole pound at a time, maybe you need two pasta boats? I've served five people with one pound - but that meal contained salad, garlic bread and dessert. I concede the possibility that if you're serving ONLY pasta with a thin sauce, perhaps this gadget is too small.As to results, I like pasta al dente, same as I do with regular cooking. I didn't make an exception for this thing. I expected the same pasta as usual and I've achieved that without any extra effort. It's fast, it doesn't need watching and I'm very happy with it. It's my go-to gift for newlyweds now.I'd like to know if some of the complaints are from people at high altitudes, perhaps? Maybe water boils at a different pace? Or maybe they're buying pasta that's lower in quality. I'm sorry it isn't working for you but honest, I don't think it's this gizmo's fault.Oh - about the "fast soup" I mention above - I've used the Pasta Boat as a general soup cooker. I throw in the same "4" water and a chicken breast or a few drumsticks. Add a few carrot chips and celery. Nuke for 13 minutes and when it dings, push about 3-4 cups of fresh spinach into the broth along with some refrigerated cooked noodles from last night and nuke for another 2-3 minutes. That's a meal, with plenty of broth and meat and veggies as well as pasta.Buy one, this really is a super little cooker. The price is astounding and puts it into the category of stocking stuffer at Christmas. It's a nice gift all year round.
Dan Kap
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2011
Before I buy anything priced much over $1 (!), I read as many Amazon reviews on it as I can. Because of a few negative reviews for factors that seemed important to me, I almost didn't order it. What a mistake that would have been! I really, really like this item. Although I've only used it to cook pasta thus far, you can steam all sorts of vegetables in it according to the brief cookbook that comes with it, using the included steamer rack. I hate vegetables, so I've never tried it. So my comments apply only to pasta. And after all, this is a pasta boat, and not a vegetable boat. The pasta comes out perfectly; I'd thought this was an item that would take some experimenting to get it right. After all, who ever heard of cooking pasta in a microwave? Following the excellent instructions in the cookbook, it worked well the very first time I tried it. And I'm as lousy and lazy a cook as they come. And I hate cooking in the first place. Which is why I love the pasta boat so much. Why? 1. It's simple to use. 2. The pasta cooks quickly, and it makes excellent pasta. 3. As the hype says, it eliminates that heavy, bulky pot that you'd normally be using. 4. It eliminates use of a colander to drain your pasta. 5. With leftovers, just stick the whole business in your frige to store your leftovers for another time. 6. And for me, the biggie: it's a cinch to clean. I hate washing stuff. I still have dirty dishes and drip pans from Thanksgiving. Maybe someone out there would like to come over and we could have a dish-washing party.Let me address some of the complaints I recall from some of the other reviews. Some said the lifting handles got hot in the microwave. Mine get warm, but that's the worst it's been. Someone said something about the pasta clumping. Mine never has, and I've never stopped to even stir the stuff during cooking. And that really surprised me--why it doesn't clump. But it doesn't.Improvements? The lifting handles double as clever measures for measuring out spaghetti. Each one measures for two portions. For a single guy like me, I'd like to have seen one that measures for two, and the one on the other side made of a smaller inside diameter to measure for one. I use a quarter though, and its diameter is just about right for me. And if I don't have a quarter, I use two dimes and a nickle...OK, just kidding.This item is ideal for any single guy like me who 1. hates to cook, 2. loves pasta, 3. is lazy, 4. and hates to clean stuff. But married people, and those with families would enjoy it too. If you tell your friends about it as I have, you'll get interesting reactions--no one can conceive how you can cook pasta in a microwave. But you can. It works. And it works very well.