Drain pasta or vegetables with a strainer—or use the lid as a temporary workaround
A strainer makes draining safer and easier, but you can drain by holding the lid slightly ajar if you don’t have one.
The transcript presents a strainer as optional but helpful for draining pasta/vegetables. It also describes a workaround: using the pot lid to hold food back while pouring off water, while warning it can slip and dump food into the sink.
The short version
- A strainer is optional but makes draining easier.
- Using the lid to drain works in a pinch but is riskier.
What you need
- strainer/colanderoptionalOptional but recommended for draining
How to do it
- 1
If you have one, place a strainer/colander in the sink.
Watch this step - 2
Pour the pot contents into the strainer to drain.
Watch this step - 3
If you don’t have a strainer, crack the lid so it holds the food back and carefully pour off the water.
Be careful—this method can slip and dump food into the sink, especially with a full pot of pasta.
Watch this step
What goes wrong
Trying to drain a full pot of pasta using only the lid and losing it into the sink
Use a strainer when possible; if using the lid, pour slowly and keep a firm grip.
Learn next
Use the oven as an alternative to an air fryer for finishing the pizza
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can finish cooking the topped pizza in the oven instead.
Finish a topped pizza in an air fryer at 180°C for 7 minutes
After topping the base, cook it in an air fryer at 180°C for about 7 minutes to melt cheese and heat through.
Cook pasta and sauce together in one pan to minimize washing up
Add pasta and sauce ingredients to the same pan so the dish finishes as the pasta cooks, reducing cleanup.
Use the small feed-tube drip hole for slow, controlled liquid addition
If your food processor pusher has a small hole, use it to add liquids slowly (e.g., for dressings) while processing.