Directions Clear As Mud

I-Needa is in cooking mode... part of the nesting cycle, I believe. Today she told me about a bit of confusion over cooking directions. She read them to me from the package of rigatoni. I quote:

'Cook the rigatoni in boiling water, uncovered for 3 minutes until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 165 degrees for 15 seconds.'

You have GOT to be KIDDING! I’m just trying to picture how one would manage to do that. Is this something I missed in Cooking 101? Does one spear the rigatoni as it floats around in a pot of boiling water and plunge a meat thermometer into it for 15 seconds? What? Need a clue here!

I’m wondering if anyone really follows those directions. Why don’t they just say al dente or something.

I looked ‘cooking rigatoni’ up on the Internet. . The recipes I found mostly said, ‘Follow directions on the package’. Go figure.

I-Needa had them stuffed with some kind of spinach mixture and they were closed at one end. She improvised with the instructions and just used a little common sense. Asking herself what she would use to gauge if they were done, she watched the cooking process and decided they were cooked when they lifted from the bottom of the pan and floated to the top.

The whole thing reminds me of other great instructions. I love the boxed items that have directions on the bottom of the box. I might want to know how long it would take to bake it to decide if I had the time. I wouldn’t want to turn the item upside down, so have to hold it in the air and tilt my head backward. What’s with that?

I’ve always thought I was fairly good at reading and following instructions, but this one has me very confused. I think I’ll pass.