this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2025
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[–] limelight79@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Heh we did that until we moved to our current house, which has a gas Viking range. It's incredibly powerful. The heat coming off the burner around the pot burned the spaghetti that was hanging over the side before the water started to boil.

So, we now break the spaghetti on the rare occasion we make it.

[–] Eq0@literature.cafe 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

If a gas burner is heating around the pot, you are using the wrong sized burner: it means the heat is not going into the pot, but in the air around it. Either move the pot to a smaller burner, select a lower heat setting or get a heat distributor (no idea what you really call it, it a metal plate larger than your pot that distribute the flame heat all around)

[–] limelight79@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

There's only one size of burner. We'd need to use a much larger pot to cover it.

[–] Eq0@literature.cafe 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Heat diffusers for gas stoves could help and are much cheaper than a pan

[–] limelight79@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Eh, or I can just break the spaghetti in half. What's the problem? We usually make ravioli anyway.

Never met so many people so upset about spaghetti. Guess there's something for everyone.

[–] Eq0@literature.cafe 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The snipers will get you! (Honestly, my stance was general, not only about spaghetti, you are heating up the kitchen instead of your pot)

[–] limelight79@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

The snipers will get you!

Definitely feels that way! lol

The pot is juuuuust about the size of the flame. I'd hate to have to dig out the bigger one every time I wanted to boil a hot dog or something. We make it work.

This Viking range....man. I get why people like them, but I probably wouldn't buy one if I were renovating, after having one. It's basically too powerful. I think we could burn water if we wanted to. Spaghetti sauce starts boiling on the lowest setting; there's no way to keep it warm without boiling it. Every time a recipe says "medium high" heat (for example), you best not set that dial above low-medium...and maybe not even that high. It's a monster.

[–] vithigar@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

...you put spaghetti in the cold water before it's boiling? What?

Boil the water first, then put the pasta in.

[–] RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Yes, what they said. Pasta is supposed to go in fully boiling water, then you can turn down just a bit after adding it if the water's bubbling over.

And I know it sounds counter-intuitive and breaking thermodynamics...but I swear dropping a pinch of salt in nearly boiling water always puts it over the boiling line. I do not know why but it does.

[–] oxbech@feddit.dk 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It’s not to do with breaking thermodynamics. The grains of salt simply act like little so-called “nucleation points” where the bubbles can form easier. That’s why you’ll often see the water suddenly boiling and bubbling violently just as you add salt.

The water was “superheated” above the boiling point, but didn’t have imperfections in the pot which allowed the bubbles to form easily.

[–] RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I figured it was something like that, and not really defying physics. People have told me I must be imagining it, though, because "no, salt raises the boiling point, dumbass."

However I don't think it's ever been super pure water, I think it just adds more impurities, so the bubbles start forming.

[–] iglou@programming.dev 2 points 1 week ago

As others have stated... The problem isn't the burner, it's that you tried to out spaghetti in... cold water?