Some recipes tell you to “cover the pot or casserole during
cooking.” Others say, “Do not
cover.” And some don’t say anything
about covering or not covering. Did the
recipe writer just forget to say what to do, or does no mention of covering mean
“do not cover?” I’m confused. –Deirdre
K.
I sometimes get confused too. Why do I cover Lasagna when it’s baking but
not Eggplant Parmesan? Here’s my reasoning:
The lasagna noodles will dry out if the dish is cooked
uncovered. Eggplant Parmesan has no
noodles to keep moist, but it does have a lot of sauce. Not covering it will allow the sauce to
thicken as some of the liquid evaporates.
Why do I cover a pot of water I’m bringing to a boil but not after I add the spaghetti? The lid helps the water boil quicker. Once it’s boiling and I’ve added the noodles, I could put the lid back on
until the water boils again and
then remove it--or not put it back on, which is my habit. It may take an extra minute of cooking for
the noodles to be ready to eat, but so what?
I’m too busy dealing with the sauce to worry about it.
If you’re cooking rice or vegetables in a lot of water, forget the lid. But if there is minimal liquid in the pot, keep the lid on so that you don’t cook
the rice or veggies dry and burn them.
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