When you use a hefty pot to make pasta, its depth can leave you waiting ages for the water to boil before you can toss the pasta in. However, a wide, shallow pan can fix the issue.

Simply add dry pasta to a ceramic or nonstick pan, add enough water to sink the pasta, and turn to high heat. The shorter pan’s smaller volume will let the water boil faster.

Boiling the water with the pasta already in it will speed up the cooking time. The wider pan will provide ample space so you won’t need to break your spaghetti or linguine.

Be sure to keep an eye on the pasta as it cooks. Since it will be in less water than a large pot would hold, the pasta will reach the optimal al dente texture faster than usual.