Keeping the Recession Green: More Tips

I think I first read about this on Treehugger, an energy saving way to make pasta, but I am such a foodie I thought, meh, why compromise perfect texture?

Basically, the method is to put the pasta in the water and turn the heat up to high while the pot is covered, and then once it starts to boil, turn it off completely and let the ambient heat finish the cooking.

Of course, it's not the most accurate way to cook, and putting the pasta in cold water seems really grad studenty or something (MAN FERTILITY was a grad student, so I feel certified to say this). It DOES often result in either mushy gloop, or takes a while. However, if you use a hearty rice pasta, like Trader Joe's Brown Rice spaghetti, you can actually get fairly consistent results, AND save energy and $ at the same time. Take that! Dick Cheney!

p.s. Coal causes birth defects via mercury and other pollutants! Click here to sign a Sierra Club petition urging President Obama to say ix-nay to new dirty coal plants.