Cookbook (Spiral Bound)

I bought the Pasta Pasta Microwave Cooker several months ago, mainly for safety because I have severe arthritis and numb hands from spinal stenosis so handling hot pans and bakeware is out of the question. The Fasta Pasta cooker is so easy to use, cooks pasta perfectly despite not having the instructional booklet that was supposed to be included with it, and is easy to clean and I began to wonder what else the cooker could do. I didn't know there was a booklet with information about using the cooker as well as including some recipes, and also didn't realize some units are sold with the book. Despite its $9.99 price I decided to buy the booklet.I received the booklet the other day and haven't yet tried any recipes because of recent orthopedic surgery on my foot that doesn't allow me to put any weight on it, but after reading through it I'm glad I bought it.The booklet is small and lightweight, so I can comfortably hold it in the palm of my hand. I don't know what the paper is but the pages are thicker than usual and seem to have some kind of light laminate coating that can be easily wiped clean (I tried pouring a few liquids on it). Best of all, the pages are spiral-bound and the pages don't get hung up in the spirals like they sometimes tend to do. The cooking charts for different kinds of pasta, vegetables, rice, and other products are in the front pages of the booklet so they're easy to find. The majority of recipes have colored pictures. All recipes, in my opinion, seem very quick and easy to make and instructions are formatted so the meal can be made while the pasta is cooking The recipes include a few soups and salads, some "Simple & Easy" such as broccoli and red potato salads, mashed potatoes, even blueberry and chocolate cakes. Some entrees are spaghetti & meatballs, lasagna, lemon chicken, pad thai, and macaroni & cheese. There are kid-friendly meals as well as a couple of vegetarian meals. I can't wait to try some of the meals!

The reviewers who complained that this booklet was misleading because they thought it would only contain recipes that are made entirely within the actual container are partially correct. But not completely.....All the recipes were developed for both the Original - up to 4 servings, and the Family Size - up to 8 servings. Directions are clearly and thoroughly covered inside the front cover.There are 2 sections: Gourmet (39 recipes) and Simple & Easy (16 recipes)Gourmet recipes begin by preparing meal ingredients while your pasta is cooking, designed to be completed in as little as 15 minutes.Simple & Easy dishes were developed for speed, simplicity & flavor using minimal ingredients mostly made right in the actual Fasta Pasta container.There is also a chart for cooking vegetables in it like Broccoli, green beans, asparagus, butternut squash, & potatoesBottom Line: For what it is, and what it does, it is perfect for the right audience. RVers, motor home/campers, students, kids to make their ramen in, and honestly, anyone who just moved in and don't have everything unpacked but the microwave is plugged into the wall LOL! Cook times WILL vary according to your microwave wattage. Mine is 1,000 watts, not the newest, and I have to add 3 minutes to 2 servings of angel hair pasta. BUT you are saving the time it takes water to boil in a saucepan. Overall, I don't mind $11 for what this is, and how it comes in handy for rice, ramen, & rice noodles too.

This is a good product if slightly overpriced for its size (# of recipes). If you don't own a Fasta-Pasta pasta cooker, BUY one right now. It's GREAT!!!!! You'll thank me later.:)

This cookbook is small, but it has a variety of tasty recipes to keep it interesting and enough to get ideas from. It has recipes for entrees, salads, pasta classics, and desserts. The recipes can be pulled together while the pasta is cooking. This makes it great for preparing quick meals for dinner or making something to take to work for lunch. I bought mine when I bought the Fasta Pasta Fasta Pasta The Microwave Cooker and have been using both of them often.So far, I have made the:Cajun Shell Salad - used Old Bay instead of cajun seasoning and have made the recipe using tuna and lump crabmeat both were delicious.Sicilian Tomato Pasta - skipped the pine nuts, used 2 cups of frozen spinach instead of basil, and sundried tomatoes in oil instead of the roma tomatoes, added grilled shrimp. Fantastic.Lemon Chicken. I doubled the sauce, used regular sphagetti, added 1 clove of minced garlic to the pan after cooking chicken and before adding wine. Placed the pasta in a serving dish and mixed it with half the sauce, topped it with the chicken, poured the remaining sauce over it, and topped it with about a tablespoon of fresh chopped parsely. A very nice dish.

I cook all my pasta in this, but didn't think about cooking other things. Great cooking, especially when you need to be watching your diet.

I love this product and so far everything I've cooked in it has turned out perfect. I ordered the cookbook hoping that it would give more examples and greater detail. It does give some direction for cooking potatoes and broccoli, but I have seen far more examples of items that can be cooked in the Pasta maker. I was just a bit disappointed that more of these weren't included in the book. Recipes I don't need that much, but ideas for extending the use of the Pasta maker would have been great. I would buy the Fasta Pasta again, though.

Recipes are good, never a ton of ingredients. If your microwave is a powerful one, cut back on cooking times and check the pasta as you go.

Nice accompaniment to the Fasta Pasta microwave cooker. Good instructions and good ideas but wish there were more recipes.