Official Duck Studios is a YouTube channel run by a couple of guys, who do really dumb and sometimes very dangerous things. Their video in which they test their marksmanship before and after getting drunk is, in fact, one of their least irresponsible gun-related videos. I love them.

Back in May of 2021, they released a video titled “How Fast Can You Possibly Cook Mac & Cheese? WORLD RECORD”. In it, they… try to cook mac and cheese really fast. It’s a silly little video, but it’s also wormed its way into my brain – even now, over six months later, I’ll catch myself daydreaming more efficient ways to cook pasta. This blog post is an attempt to get these thoughts out of my head, and, perhaps, help someone on their quest to beat Official Duck Studio’s record.

Boiling the Water

Under normal circumstances, you place water in a pot, put the water on the stove, and wait a few minutes. This can be made more efficient by choosing a pot at least as big as your largest burner; any unused surface on the burner is a waste. You can roughly quarter the time it takes by splitting the water into four pots, one for each burner (assuming you’re using a standard four-burner stove).

There are three main types of stovetops: gas, electric, and induction. Induction is the most efficient, energy-wise, which I would assume translates into faster boiling times.

The stovetop isn’t the only way to boil water. Electric kettles are dedicated appliances used to boil water. Interestingly, people in the UK and elsewhere in Europe will have an advantage in this challenge, due to different electrical standards. In America, normal household wiring provides 120 volts, while much of the rest of the world uses twice that voltage. According to this article, an electric kettle in the UK will boil a litre of water in just under a minute and a half.

Some homes have hot-water dispensers in their kitchen. Some are just mini hot-water heaters that keep the water at near-boiling temperatures, but the fancier ones are truly on-demand. They accomplish this by just throwing a lot of electricity at the problem and instantly boiling the water as it passes through the unit.

The Pasta

Fun fact: when you cook pasta, you’re actually doing two things. First, you’re rehydrating the pasta. Secondly, you’re breaking down the starch and protein molecules of the pasta, which is the actual “cooking”.

You can rehydrate pasta with cold water, without cooking it. The hot water simply speeds up the process; with cold water, it will take a few hours. But once it’s hydrated, it can be fully cooked in only a minute, at a lower temperature than the boiling point.

The Verdict

The fastest way to make Mac and Cheese is to have the water already boiled and the pasta already hydrated. It kind of sounds like cheating, but that’s life.