Yeah, lot of cooking is up to personal preference. In my case efficient here means using less water/energy. Optionally it can also be using less time, but that

Yeah, lot of cooking is up to personal preference. In my case efficient here means using less water/energy. Optionally it can also be using less time, but that depends on what the end result is supposed to be. As for the stirring, I'd say "it depends". Personally, I prefer to use fresh egg pasta. It cooks in maybe 2-3min and does require maybe 1min of stirring (maybe 20-30s in the beginning and end and perhaps one or two quick checks in between). I'm fairly sure I'd stir it somewhat of I used more water and I'd definitely need to strain it, so there the amount of time / effort is at worst the same, at best slightly in favor of using "risotto" method. When it comes to dry pasta, I guess it depends on volume. If You're cooking a batch for 10, the traditional method probably makes sense. Otherwise, I pay attention anyway to how much the pasta sticks and clumps together.