Does your pasta cook?

Got some Mac and Cheez today, hooray, been waiting to try this one. A friend said they had issues with it not cooking in the pot and I might need to change water/stirring guidelines etc until I got it right.
Well they were correct, after the usual 5 mins in the covered pot the pasta was still crunchy. So I microwaved for 30 secs as didnā€™t want to go overboard, still mostly crunchy.
Hmm. Any hints and tips from the collective?

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This is whatni do and it works great. I do it for all HS meals.

Use the provided Huel pot
Boil water and add it to 1" above line
Stir, the fluid will go lower
Add more.boiling water to 1" above the line
Screw on cover
Wait 15 min

I pour my Huel HS over microwaved frozen vegetables. Mostly Organic Broccoli :broccoli: :yum:

Also drink lots of water with it and a hot cup of tea as well.

Fancy a dessert, I have a glass of Huel Protein snack shake over Ice instead of tea.

Life is :+1:

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I leave mine for 10 minutes! Make sure the mac and cheeze is slightly watery initially, after 10 mins it will thicken up! Be sure to leave the lid on, absolutely essential!

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I also just leave mine for ten or even fifteen minutes and I stir it about three times during that time. I also fill the pot nearly to the top with water.

Thanks Everyone. So more water, more time, more stirring. :upside_down_face:

I donā€™t stir until timeā€™s up otherwise keep taking off the lid means losing heat. Donā€™t put too much water in unless you want soup. You can always add a bit more boiling water at the end but you canā€™t take away if itā€™s too thin. In time you will know exactly how much water suits your taste.

Well, Iā€™ve learned that the pasta are better made in the microwave (reccomended amount, water, and time) with a tupperware ā€œslightly closedā€ while in microwave, then stir it, and completely closed after. In 5 minutes the pasta is completely cooked, no crunchy pieces at all.

Instead the no-pasta flavors are well made with the traditional steps (If you have Korma use less water :wink:).

Was better today as I gave it ten minutes, however filling it to the line made it slightly too runny so next time I will put less water in.

Interesting as with the Chilli one I need to fill slightly over the lineā€¦

Am afraid I donā€™t like the mushroom one. Had to mix coriander in to make it edible but itā€™s so bland.

Iā€™ve yet to determine a reliable method for ensuring soft pasta without using a microwave, it seems hit or miss for me (after a few dozen meals) but I donā€™t mind it so much anymore, Iā€™m used to it now, the convenience of just pouring water in is worth it for sometimes crunchy pasta.

That said, my untested theory is that it is a consequence of the volume of powder relative to the volume of pasta: if you have a lot of powder and the pasta is mixed deep inside, the powder will absorb the water before it has a chance to hydrate the pasta. If I wanted to avoid crunchy pasta I think my next strategy would be to try separating the powder and pasta, so the water can reliably hydrate the pasta, but separating a bag into powder and pasta seems more burdensome than just eating crunchy pasta!

For what itā€™s worth, I pre-mix mine in a transparent tupperware pot (so I can check for unmixed powder).

Water in first - I use a scale to measure accurately but whatever works for you

Then H&S powder

I usually add a small handful of peas or edamame beans for some extra flavour

Stir well (cold) and leave in the fridge for at least an hour - ideally overnight

Microwave 1m30s, stir, stand 1 minute, microwave another minute and you should have pretty perfect, not-too-hot, H&S

I had to do the same but after you microwave for the 30 seconds then cover and leave sit for 10 mins its worth the extra effort.

I have worked out how to cook the Mac n Cheez now, 10 mins in less water. Hooray!
The mushroom never thickens and itā€™s yucky. Like pasta floating in bland soup.

FWIW I normally make mine in a food thermo flask. If I wanted to eat it right away it is good after 15 minutes.

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Am I the only one who likes crunchy pasta?

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nope! Itā€™s fun :slight_smile:

Iā€™ve been working on the perfect way to prepare the Mac Nā€™ Cheese since itā€™s release and today Iā€™ve cracked it.

Iā€™ve always enjoyed it but occasionally Iā€™ve made it a little too watery or the pasta hasnā€™t cooked through properly. Today however, it was perfect. Good temperature, perfect thickness for the sauce, and every piece of pasta was well cooked!

Hereā€™s my recommended process:

  • Two scoops of mix in the black HNS screw top container
  • Fill directly from the kettle up to the marked line inside the container (donā€™t poor too quickly or particularly slowly
  • Stir very thoroughly making sure all powder is mixed in and well coated
  • Top up with a little more water from the kettle (Pour quickly and stop when it reaches half way between the top of the mix and the line)
  • Still well again
  • Add one last little splash of water from the kettle
  • Screw on top and wait for 8 minutes
  • One last mix and dig in to nutritionally balanced and super tasty Mac Nā€™ Cheese
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Wish there was room on the pouch for this! :open_book: Sounds like a great method!

15 min in the pot with cover, use boiling water. Like Tim said it should be watery. I mix it first then add more water.

I do 15 min for all the HS. I also.add frozen(heated) veggies and a 60kcal Oat/Flax Pita.

So :+1:

I cannot get it to work for ChicknMushroom. It stays as soup :neutral_face:

You do need a lot less water in the Chickā€™s and Mushroom.

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