• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
DadCooksDinner
  • Home
  • Rotisserie
  • Recipes
  • Tools
  • Books
  • Merch
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Books
  • Tools
  • Merch
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Books
    • Tools
    • Merch
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Ramblings

    Pasta Problems

    Published: Dec 7, 2015 · Modified: Apr 26, 2017 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Pressure-Cooker-Pasta-Problems-0082

    Why is it hissing and spitting so much?

    It is a busy Wednesday, and I need a quick dinner, so out comes my Instant Pot for some Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese. And then…something goes wrong. When I flip the switch to dump the pressure, instead of a blast of steam, I get a spluttering mix of steam and starch, spraying a fine white mist over my pressure cooker lid.

    I gotta say, this was the first recipe of yours I’ve had trouble with…I could NOT get it to thicken at all. I even drained the cooking liquid…
    - Commenter Rev

    I wipe down the cooker, then open the lid. Normally, the noodles suck up all the water. Not today - the noodles are still covered with water. What’s going on? I flash back to a comment from last week, one of the few negative remarks about my recipe. I blew it off at the time. Must be user error. (Sorry Rev.) Now I’m doubting myself. Is there something wrong with this recipe? No, it can’t be. That’s not possible. It’s a simple ratio: 4 cups of water to 1 pound of macaroni.1Plus spices, evaporated milk, and shredded cheese. My kids love it, and I make it once a month. It’s always worked before.

    Pressure-Cooker-Pasta-Problems-0023
    This is what it should look like after unlocking the lid - most of the water absorbed by the pasta. What I saw was just enough water to completely cover the pasta.

    I press on with the recipe, stirring in the evaporated milk and the cheddar, hoping the noodles will suck up the liquid as the cheese melts. No luck - it is still watery. I turn the pressure cooker from warming mode to “sauté” to boil off the excess liquid. , and constantly scrape the bottom of the pan with my silicone spatula to keep the cheese from sticking and burning.

    If the cheese sticks, it will burn, so I have to keep it moving. I constantly scrape the bottom of the pot with my silicone spatula, leaving plenty of time to wonder what went wrong…and beat myself up. This is one of my most popular recipes, bringing in lots of visitors every day. What if it doesn’t work? Did I miss something? Five for five dollars. Am I leading my readers astray?

    Wait. Back up. Five for five dollars? What does that mean. Five for…wait a minute!

    I snatch the pasta box out of the garbage can, brush off the coffee grounds, and there it is. 12 ounces of “high fiber” macaroni…in the same size box as a regular, 16 ounce box of noodles. It was on sale, and I thought “Why not? Get the healthier pasta and save money.” 2Ronzoni “SmartTaste(r)” With 2.5x the fiber! (And 0.75x the pasta!) No wonder the pasta didn’t absorb the water - I was 25% short.

    For ten more minutes I stir, as the liquid slowly reduces. I have plenty of time to grumble about deceptive box sizes. Finally, the mac and cheese is thick enough to serve.3If I was paying attention, I would have cut the water in the recipe by 25% - from 4 to 3 cups - to match the smaller box of pasta.

    After all that? No one noticed. That is, until the pan was suddenly empty, and the kids were arguing about who ate more than their fair share.

    You already had three helpings!
    I only had two!
    That’s not fair!
    [Dad] That’s enough you two.
    You’re a butt.
    [Dad] Hey! I said stop it!
    …
    No, you’re a butt.

    Just another home cooked meal, where every day is an adventure.

    Special thanks to commenter Rev for following up - they also had a 12 ounce box of bow tie pasta. Aha!

    Related Posts

    Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese
    Complete list of my Pressure Cooker Recipes

     

    Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via eMail or RSS reader, recommend DadCooksDinner to your friends, and buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.

    More Ramblings

    • Summer Vacation 2022
    • The Rancho Gordo Bean Club Is Open to New Members
    • Happy New Year 2022
    • Merry Christmas 2021

    Sharing is caring!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sherry says

      January 02, 2016 at 11:12 am

      I nearly made this same mistake myself, but noticed just in time. I belong to the Instant Pot Facebook group, and this is a commonly shared recipe there. I saw that several people had the same problem with the sauce not thickening, and wondered if they used the wrong amount of pasta. It might be helpful to add a note to the original recipe about the various sizes of pasta boxes.

      Reply
    2. Rev says

      December 07, 2015 at 9:47 pm

      I really wasn't sure if it was my cheapo electric PC or if I'd somehow missed a step, thanks for reminding me the box, while the same size, was NOT the same volume. Silly grocery stores. Going to try it again this week, this time with the proper water ratio.

      It was still delicious, and the leftovers were plenty thick when reheated on the stove top.

      I was just very confused at first, my 7th or 8th PC recipe I'd tried from you and it was the only one that didn't work out like the picture, but no one else seemed to have the problem. The devil is always in the details.

      Reply
    3. Jamie says

      December 07, 2015 at 8:18 am

      This happens to me a lot. No one has yet to complain about a thinner sauce! I add more cheese (no complaints there either) and it gets devoured every time! Little tip? Add 2 eggs when all finished, fill up some muffin tins and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Mac and cheese muffins, which freeze beautifully! My kids can't get enough.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        December 07, 2015 at 8:33 am

        Thanks for the suggestion!

        Reply

    Questions? Made the Recipe? Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Dad Cooks Dinner! I'm Mike Vrobel, a dad who cooks dinner every night. I'm an enthusiastic home cook, and I write about pressure cooking, rotisserie grilling, and other food topics that grab my attention.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco)
    • Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Soaking)
    • Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
    • Pressure Cooker Brown Jasmine Rice

    Recent

    • Instant Pot Shrimp Risotto
    • Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans (no soaking needed!)
    • Instant Pot Thai Panang Curry (With Beef)
    • Instant Pot Pork Adobo Recipe (Filipino Style)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 Dad Cooks Dinner

    2 shares
    • 1