Works well with rice also. Basmati, generally used with Indian cuisine, stays nice and loose. Jasmine, think Thai cooking, also holds up well and makes great fried rice with all sorts of leftovers i. e. bacon and eggs.thats a stellar idea. i already boil whole russet potatoes at home and then wrap them in foil and put in the cooler and grate them for hashbrowns or whatever and i saved a lot of water and fuel having them already cooked. didnt think about that with pasta, but yeah...great idea.