With rising energy bills, many people will be looking for ways to cut back where and when they can. However, some feel one dad has taken things a tad too far.
Keen to rustle up a satisfying spaghetti dinner without breaking the bank, the thrifty dad cooked the pasta in a frying pan rather than a saucepan, believing this to be more cost-effective. However, his son just isn't sure.
As seen in a picture shared by his bemused offspring, the unnamed dad decided to boil - not fry, as some may fear - the spaghetti in the frying pan, a process which proved a little tricky to get right.
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Taking the Reddit, the skeptical son - who goes by the username u/SPOSKNT - shared a pic of the cooking experiment, writing: "How are you guys adapting to the rise in energy prices?
"My dad has started cooking spaghetti in a frying pan, claims it's more efficient. Personally, I think he's lost the plot."
He went on to clarify his dad had "to refill the water because it kept boiling off", adding, "my dad's a smart guy but didn't really think about where the loses in energy go with this one."
A number of fellow Reddit users were also decidedly less than convinced by this hack, and feel there are far better, and let messy, solutions out there for those watching the purse strings.
One person commented: "Actually, a lot of energy is lost when evaporating water so you need a pan with a lid. It's like sweating really, evaporating water carries away a lot of heat.
"Try boiling a pan of water with or without the lid. With the lid, it's much quicker and hence less energy used. A frying pan has a much bigger surface area for evaporation so will actually lose more water and hence use a lot more energy to boil."
Another said: "For every 1cm in radius gets you πr² (assuming height is unchanged) in volume. But for height, it is linear so an extra 1cm in height is just that. Therefore a flat wide pan is misleadingly a lot of water."
Have you come up with an energy-saving hack your family and friends just aren't sure about? We pay for stories. Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
