How do you keep a pot from boiling over?

Your heat is too high. In my experence, if the heat is up too high the pot will almost always boil over, especially if it is pasta like macaroni. Try turning your heat down to medium at the most and letting it simmer rather then boil untill the noodles are cooked. If it starts boiling over, remove the pot from the heat first thing, this can help and sometimes prevent boil over.

I would cook at lower temperatures since keeping the lid on is necessary for you. I almost never use lids when I cook, but I understand your cat problem. When a pot is boiling over, putting a melt spoon in it will calm it down right away. I have read before that it has something to do with the disposition of the heat going into the metal. I don't understand it fully but it alway works for me.

Your heat is too high but another way is to put a teaspoon of olive oil or butter in the pot. It will help keep it from boiling over.

Just make the fire smaller... then look the pot lidless or leave an opening...

I never boil pasta with a lid on it. It seems to make my pasta sticky when I do. I bring the water to a boil covered add my pasta,bring the water back to a boil. I stir often to keep the pasta from sticking an clumping. If the water begins to boil to hard I reduce the heat until I have a nice gentle boil. i cook my pasta about 2 minutes less then the package directions since it keeps cooking after it is removed from the heat. I drain and toss with olive oil or a sauce.

WEll, I put the lid slightly lopsided (am I clear? my english is failing me now, grrr), like covering only half of the pot. This way, if the fire's not too high, you shouldn't have any problems. anyway, if you see it goes up and up, you have to take the lid out and put the fire to minimum... it'll go down in a second and it won't boil over. do your cats really get so close to boiling water? Mine wouldn't, even if her life depended on it, hahaha. =)

In my experience, it takes a little while for the heat to cool in a plate, so, I tilt the lid, so that on one side, there is a little gap. Then, when the water looks not to be boiling so hard, I replace the lid, with the heat at a minimum. Try it... it works! Brightest Blessings. x

I think you has too much heat on.. But yumm macaroni.. I'm hungry now. :))

If you reduce the heat you will also wind up with mushy pasta any way you look at it. Turning down the heat means your noodles will be in the water longer and it will break down more than if it's cooked quickly. To keep the pot from boiling over, use a large enough pot to accommodate your pasta. You should have at least two inches of water covering your pasta. Add a little salt to the water, maybe a tablespoon for a pound of pasta. If it's still foaming up on you and it looks like it's going to boil over, add a few tablespoons of oil to the water (use canola oil or something cheap...don't waste your olive oil on this since the flavor of it will never reach your pasta) and that will help cut the starch. Oh, and it also helps to not use the cheapest pasta on the market. You'll pay more for better pasta but it will cook properly at a high temperature and won't give off that starchy, messy foam. It'll taste much better, too.

A little pat of butter or margarine in a pan of boiling water will keep it from boiling over. I do this with my pasta and potatoes. I can keep the water boiling on high and it does not even think about boiling over. It is a wonderful trick. You do not even need to use very much butter or margarine.

As the first responder said, turn the heat down. Other than that, you could try putting the lids on crooked, or open the vents if they have them. I sometimes put the spoon I use to stir in the pan, then put the lid on so some heat can escape. Just make sure to use something that won't melt or get too hot. I have wooden spoons, which work well.