• Phil_in_here@lemmy.caEnglish
      9·
      13 hours ago

      Yeah, right?

      You stir it every couple minutes and once it doesn’t feel stiff anymore you start trying a piece with every stir.

      Al dente literally means “to the tooth”. How does it feel to your teeth?

      Timers are for things that take more than 15 or can’t/shouldn’t be disturbed while cooking.

      • Ironfacebuster@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        8 hours ago

        I’m glad to see I’m not crazy, this is how I’ve always done it after trial and error of getting the process that works the best for me

        I knew I wasn’t crazy that it stops feeling hard when stirring at a certain point!

    • Ephera@lemmy.mlEnglish
      14·
      16 hours ago

      I found a physical kitchen timer most helpful. It’s really quick to set it and I can chop veggies or wash the dishes in the meantime, without having to check the clock all the time.

      You can also get one with a magnetic base and stick it to the fridge.

      • TrackinDaKraken@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        15 hours ago

        Yep. Grab it, spin it, set it back down–takes literally one second. I don’t need microsecond precision for pasta.

      • ButteryMonkey@piefed.socialEnglish
        2·
        13 hours ago

        If you don’t get the magnet variety, there’s almost zero risk of failure. Even the magnet variety is only going to stop being magnetic (if it falls off or the magnetism wears out).

        I have a mechanical egg timer I’ve had for probably 35 years (mom got it when I was a kid and I inherited it). Super basic. Only way I expect it to fail is if I drop it, because the plastic is almost certainly brittle by now.

        They are freakin wonderful little things.

      • SlurpingPus@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        4 hours ago

        I use the timer in the clock app on the phone. But also, I have a dozen preprogrammed timers that I can start from a shortcut on the home screen, and two timers in the swipe-down menu that are accessible even with the phone being locked. These are all implemented with the Automate app (for Android) — which, for better or worse, requires a bit of programming chops, even though the ‘coding’ is visual instead of textual.

    • fahfahfahfah@lemmy.billiam.netEnglish
      3·
      14 hours ago

      Buying a smartwatch changed my life, cause now I know if I’m going to forget something, I can immediately set a timer on it. Which, yes I could have done with just my phone, but the phone is in my pocket and thus doesn’t exist.

      • ulterno@programming.devEnglish
        1·
        12 hours ago

        I set a timer with my old Casio digital watch which cost less than $10 and runs for >2 years on the charge of a single button cell and whose strap I replaced with a cloth+velcro strap made by a neighbourhood tailor, who did it for ~ $1.

        __

        Yes, I’m flexing. You could tell?

    • zout@fedia.io
      4·
      16 hours ago

      I just stir it regularly and eyeball when it’s presumably done.

  • snooggums@piefed.worldEnglish
    6·
    15 hours ago

    Since forgetting is so common for me I set a timer on the microwave that is mounted right above the stove and has the air blower thingy to spread out the moisture air from boiling.

  • persona_non_gravitas@piefed.socialEnglish
    6·
    16 hours ago

    A wide-mouth food thermos was a game changer. Insert pasta, salt & hot water, remember to stir once about 1-5 minutes in. Then depending on how close to about 20 minutes in you remember it, it will be more or less a disgusting overcooked mess, but there’s no risk of burning anything!

  • shneancy@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    14 hours ago

    i just gave up on that. i cook guided by vibes alone

    and i must say, i mastered this skill to such a degree i can make perfect soft boiled eggs every single time. my inner clock is broken aside from when i make food, then it’s better than an actual time keeping device